The Devil's Dreams: A Boy and his Shadow

[ewancummins]

Amber moonlight shone down on the vast gyre of sargassum, derelict hulks, and all manner of flotsam. The light showed a little patch of dirty white on a long stretch of green.

The boy slept under a canvas sheet. The whole fibrous mass of the weed-island moved slightly as the languid waves of the ocean moved beneath it- a titanic nurse to rock the lost child to sleep. But the ocean's arms gave little real comfort. The boy tossed and turned, his sleep bedeviled by nightmares.

It had been weeks since the attack. Still, the boy remembered it all as vividly as anything that passed this morning, and never more so than in his troubled dreams. Blood and fire- the stink of gun smoke- the sound of his father's screams...

A shadow, malformed and dwarflike, crept over the canvas like a living thing.

The boy suddenly awoke in a cold sweat. A breathless voice whispered into his ears-

''Boy, be not afraid. I know that you have lost your friends, your father. I have lost my brother. Let us help one another. We will leave this place together. You must carry me on your back..."

[steveflam]

Juergin opens his eyes slowly. Though afraid, he keeps a straight head. Looking around, he sees little with the moonlight. "Who...who are you? How can you help me? How can I carry you on my back?"

[ewancummins]

''You must be brave, boy. "

Something shadowy and swift slithers under the canvas. It curls up in the small of the boy's back. The thing is cool to the touch, and whispy like a swatch of gossamer.


''I rode on my brother's back. Now, at least for a while, I will ride on yours. You want to leave, don't you? Let me help you. I am so quiet...so thin. They will never notice me until it is too late for them. You hate the pirates...yes..."

[steveflam]

''You must be brave, boy. "

Juergin puffs out his chest. "I am brave. I am alive, aren't I?"

Something shadowy and swift slithers under the canvas. It curls up in the small of the boy's back. The thing is cool to the touch, and whispy like a swatch of gossamer.

The boy shivers as the thing curls up at his back.

''I rode on my brother's back. Now, at least for a while, I will ride on yours. You want to leave, don't you? Let me help you. I am so quiet...so thin. They will never notice me until it is too late for them. You hate the pirates...yes..."

"Brother? Your brother is dead, is that what you are saying? And notice you? Huh?...." Then the thing mentions pirates and Juergin's demeanor changes. His eyes narrow, his teeth grit and his fists curl up at his sides. Furious he yells "ALL PIRATES DESERVE TO DIE FOR WHAT THEY DID! THEY'LL PAY, EACH AND EVERYONE I SWEAR THIS!"

Calming down he sighs. Odd as the situation is, he had nothing to lose by asking, so he does. "You say you can help me? How?"

[ewancummins]

''I can help you fight when you must. I can help you steal. I can spy on the pirates. You are a sailor. How do we escape this place? You tell me."

[steveflam]

"Uh... we... we need a boat to get out of here."

[ewancummins]

''Yes, we will take a boat. Some the the pirates have little boats. You could steal one, along with supplies. "

[steveflam]

"Ok, yes. We can do that. I mean.... thank you..... thank you for offering to help me. Is ...... is there something I can help you with once we get in a boat and are safely on our way?"

[ewancummins]

''I need you to carry me through the mists."

[steveflam]

"Mists? What do you mean mists?" Juergin looks around, thinking the thing is crazy.

[ewancummins]

''The fog that lies at the edges of this sea, boy. You must have passed through it to get here."

[steveflam]

'We... we need to get back to where ships or boats are. I don't know how safe it is to walk on this. I am willing to give it a chance if you are. I don't think any pirates will come right here. And, uh, what do I call you?"

[ewancummins]

''I have never had a name. My brother only called me his shadow. You must think of a proper name for me, boy."

[steveflam]

The boy thinks about a name, but nothing comes to mind as of yet. He hasn't seen his new friend yet at any rate. "I am rested enough for now. Let me take this tarp with me and I will walk in the direction we are sure to find ships or maybe boats. I didn't think of a name for you yet."

[ewancummins]

''I'll follow..."