by D. J. Holmes
Throughout their village, rooms grow dark as candles are blown out. The village becomes quiet. No longer can a human voice be heard. Only the soft sound of birds singing in the palm trees and the chatter of small animals hidden under the tropical foliage can be heard; even the waves seen to be calming down.
The warmth of the evening has returned. Though her parents and younger sister have retired for the night, Diana, grateful that the storm has passed decides to take a walk to the top of a nearby hill to visit the statute of her Grandmother Diana.
As the name sake of her famous Grandmother, Diana is very well known among her island family, as a person of courage, honesty and principle.
Reaching her destination, she is unaware that there are enemy pirates camped on a nearby shore, separated only by a very small, but extremely tall mountain range. Diana sits down by the treasured Greek statue. “I feel of your spirit Grandmother,” she says.
After the days excitement with Black Beard’s ship chasing her father’s ship and finding out about Jody’s near drowning, Diana is overcome with fatigue and lying down by the statute she finally falls asleep. As clouds begin to form in her imagination, a voice is heard as clear as any she has ever heard.
“Diana, when that storm hit the earth today, three things happened that concern me and you. First of all, Gray Wolf fell from the sky and landed in the sand.”
“What, or who, is Gray Wolf?” Diana asks in her sleep.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that you don’t know who he is. You will someday. And remember when you hear that name, that he is NOT your enemy. He has come to help you.”
“A gray wolf will come to help me? I have seen pictures of them.”
“No, not a wolf, but a young man…Gray Wolf is his name…. Just remember he is not your enemy.”
“I’ll remember. Gray Wolf will help me some day,” Diana repeats what she has learned.
Her dream continues. “Second, lightning hit the mast of a ship, which has been hidden in Treasure Cove. With the rising of the tide the ship will begin to rock back and forth in the water. With the rope now cut by the lightning the warning bell is now free to ring.”
“Third, at that same moment, because of the storm in your world…on my world I found a book in the ancient library telling stories of women pirates. Their magnificent ship is the ship that you will find anchored in the cove when you hear the bell ringing in your world.”
Diana feels like she is now awake and having a personal conversation with someone.
“You don’t need to be afraid, Diana,” he calmly states as he sees the panicked look on her face.
“You said Treasure Cove!”
“Yes…”
“We can’t go to Treasure Cove.” Opening her eyes wider as her head begins to clear, she asks, “Who are you?”
“I am a friend, Diana. My name is Daniel.”
***
“Daniel, how can you be speaking to Diana from your world when you are here at the Beach House?”
“Time is a strange thing, as you well know, Joshua. What you are watching now, happened many years ago, before I came to this world. I can’t explain it to you. I can only tell you that it happened.”
“Ok…Gray Wolf has landed on the beach next to where Black Beard and his crew have camped. But I have a question about that, Daniel.”
“What would you like to ask?”
“When Running Deer arrived at his destination, he had grown into a young man. But Gray Wolf looks like he is about ten years old. He didn’t grow like his brother did.”
“I was wondering the same thing, Joshua. We’ll have to do some investigating and find out why.”
“What are the coordinates where Gray Wolf landed?”
“They are 14 degrees, 27 minutes, 25 seconds north, 61 degrees, 3 minutes, 53 seconds west.”
“That’s a beautiful area, the island of Martinique. Thank you, Joshua.”
***
Diana continues, “You dress so differently than we do.”
“Yes, but don’t be afraid of that. I don’t live on your world. It’s just how we dress on my world.”
“…Your world?”
“Yes. Somehow this storm has created a strange connection between us. I read in one of my books that it was the biggest storm that there ever was, or ever would be. It affected the whole universe with its electricity.”
“Where is your world, Daniel?”
“It is in the Libra Galaxy”
“What do you call your world?”
“It is called, Gliese.”
“You know my name. How do you know my name?”
“You wrote the book that I was reading. You see, I was holding your book at the exact same moment the storm hit. A split in our two dimensions makes it possible for us to see each other and talk to one another.”
“This is all very strange to me, Daniel. I feel like we are here together but I haven’t met Gray Wolf or found the ship. Yet if you are here on this world…well, at least I can see you…”
“Diana, don’t worry. Everything will come in its own time. You only see my image. I’m not on your world. I am in your mind, as you are in mine.… We can communicate with each other through thought or voice. You will find your ship soon. And after your adventure is over, you will write your book.”
“Daniel, I’m still having a difficult time with all of this.”
“That’s understandable. All you need to remember is that no one completely understands time. It goes around and around, up and down and in and out of the many dimensions. The only thing that you need to know is that things connect when they are supposed to connect. Each dimension opens when it is needed, and every individual, no matter where they are…because they are a child of God… receive what they need; we all receive what we need at the moment we need it. All we need to do is open our eyes to see the gifts we are given and be grateful for them.”
“Daniel…”
Interrupting her, Daniel says, “It’s time for you to wake up and find your ship. Wake up Diana, hear the bell, go to the cove, and find your ship.”
Opening her eyes, Diana listens, and hears the bell ringing. Turning her head toward its sound, she knows that it is coming from the cove. “Should I go? That dream was really strange!”
Arguing with her desire to go or not to go, she reasons, “Daniel said that it was in the cove. But from the time that I was very young I have been told to never go near the cove; there are strange things that happen there. No, I’m not going to go. It was a very strange dream.” Diana gets up and begins to walk away. The bell continues its movement. And with each clang, it seems to be calling to her.
With each step the sound seems to become louder and louder. Finally, Diana stops. The bell continues to ring. “All right, all right,” Diana concedes. “What is it going to hurt to see where this is coming from?” Remembering what Daniel has told her, she runs to Treasure Cove.
Looking in the direction of the ringing bell, Diana sees a sail wrapped around a mast which has been carefully concealed by the heavy island foliage. “…A ship… a real ship! It’s here, just like Daniel said it would be.”
Running down to the water’s edge, she walks into the water and swims over to the ship. Finding a rope ladder hanging over the railing of the deck she climbs aboard. “This is really nice. A little old, but my island sisters and I could probably fix it up. Or I could tell father and maybe he and his crew would fix it up.”
Realizing that the bell is still ringing as the waves jostle the ship, Diana acknowledges, “I had better secure this bell so that no one else will know it is here.” Searching all over the deck, she finally finds some rope. After securing the bell she questions, “I wonder where it came from? How could I have lived here all this time and not known anything about this ship? I’ve never heard anyone talk about it. Even father and mother have never said anything about it.”
Touching the wood as she walks the deck, Diana’s soul thoroughly connects with it’
s essence. “What is this strange connection? It feels like I am part of it, and it is part of me! It’s so beautiful. For now though I’ll keep this secret to myself.”
“Diana! Diana!” She hears her mother calling.
Because her mother doesn’t hear any response, and knowing that the cove is off limits for all of the island sisters, she turns and begins to look in another direction for her daughter.
“Father must be getting ready to leave. I had better hurry back so that he can leave on his travels.” Diving into the water from the deck she makes her way to the edge of the water.
As she reaches the shore, she looks back to the ship for one more time! Suddenly she notices its name. “Destiny” she says. “So that is why I felt a part of it, it’s my Destiny.”
With the name of the ship so recently discovered ringing in her head, she arrives back in time to tell her father good-bye, and to help open the gate.
“Why are you wet, Diana?” her father asks her.
“Oh… I went for a swim.”
“Will you help with the gate? It’s time for our ship to sail.” Turning back to look directly at his oldest daughter, he softly says, “Remember to practice your sword fighting. I want you to be able to help your mother protect your sister while I am gone.”
“I will, Father.” With excitement in her voice, she asks, “Could I talk to you before you leave?”
“Diana, I’ll be back soon. Would it be alright if we talk then?”
Sadly she says, “Alright, Father. We’ll talk then.”
Patting his oldest daughter’s shoulder he, turns looking at his entire family standing nearby and tenderly says, “I will return as I have always returned to my beautiful family.” Boarding his ship, the gates are opened and the famous ‘Mysterious’ begins to sail on the waves of the sea.
***
Over on the far side of the island where Gray Wolf has landed, the sea breeze carries the crystal clear sound of the bell. Waking up he looks around trying to understand where the sound is coming from and what would be making that noise. Because the morning wind is cool he decides to gather wood to make a fire.
Now looking over in the direction that Black Beard has instructed him to keep watching, he finds himself rubbing his eyes in disbelief as he sees something floating on the waves.
“Black Beard…Black Beard, wake up! Hurry, wake up! Is that what you are looking for?”
Black Beard makes no movement and continues to sleep. Running over and shaking him, Gray Wolf repeats, “Black Beard is that what you are looking for?” Excited that he may have found what Black Beard has instructed him to find, he points toward what he sees floating on the water.
Looking in the direction that Gray Wolf has indicated, Black Beard’s eyes widen, and then a broad smile shows a mouth full of teeth. “Great job Gray Wolf, that’s what I have been looking for, for so many years.”
“That is what you call a ship? That is how it travels on top of the water?”
“Yes, and you’re going to learn so much more about ships with me as your captain. For now let’s get our equipment loaded back onto our own ship. Then we will go over to the spot where we saw the ship leave the island.”
***
At the Beach House, Daniel asks, “Treysen and Joshua, what is that sound?”
“I don’t know. The instruments indicate that it is coming from the Hall of Corridors.”
“…The Hall of Corridors? Nothing like this has ever happened in all the time that I have been here.”
“Do you want us to check it out, Daniel?”
“No, thank you. I’ll find out what is happening. I need you to keep your eyes on your people and let me know if anything happens to them.”
“Yes sir,” they both chorus.
As Daniel is walking to the Hall of Corridors, the buzzing becomes louder and louder. Slowly opening the door, he pokes his head in to see what is happening. He finally observes that all of the refracted waves on the right side of the hall, where Running Deer had entered his portal, are normal. But on the left side, where Gray Wolf had entered, he found each and every portal’s refracted waves are moving in strange motions and bubbling.
“I don’t like this,” Daniel says to himself. “It looks like half of the dimensions were affected differently by this storm, than the other half. This isn’t good. The world and its dimensions are not balanced. That’s why Gray Wolf is not as big as his brother, Running Deer. Running Deer landed in his destination at the beginning of the storm. Gray Wolf was held and then pushed out toward the end of the storm. So this storm created a disturbance which affected Gray Wolf’s portal and the dimension he landed in, along with all of the other dimensions on the same side of the hall.”
Continuing to study the strangely moving portal entrances, Daniel declares, “The Earth will correct this disturbance. But what will happen when it becomes balanced? And when will it happen?”
***
After the departure of her father, Diana runs to her island sisters. “Come here…come with me. I want to show you something.”
Scampering with Diana to a side of the island they have been asked by their parents to stay away from, Stacey nervously asks “What do you want to show us, Diana?”
“You are going to be so surprised. Just follow me.”
“But this is the way to Treasure Cove!” And the girls stop following Diana.
Diana stops to see what the problem is. Turning around she answers, “Yes, but don’t be afraid. It’s so wonderful. If you think that the flowers are beautiful where we live, you will be amazed at the varieties of Orchid’s and red heart shaped flowers that cover the ground. The humming birds love these flowers, and there are so many butterflies…”
“Come on, you’ll see what I mean when we get there.” Diana continues running and the island sisters follow her. Shouting back she cautions them, “Watch out for dropping coconuts, no one has been around here to harvest them. The trunks of the Palm Trees bend over and cover many of the old paths, so you will have to jump over them. And be careful because there are moss covered vines everywhere which could be slippery or cause you to trip.”
“It sounds wonderful, Diana.”
“Wait until you see it!”
Nearing the edge of the cove, there is only one small bend remaining and she will be able to show her sisters the ship Daniel has told her about.
Suddenly, Kristen stops and points, “What is sparkling over there in the water?”
Everyone quickly stops, causing some to run into each other.
“…What? …Where?” Diana asks, turning her head around.
“Over there,” Kristen replies, pointing to the sparkling ripples in the opposite direction of where Diana knows the ship is anchored. “Look, can you see it?”
Walking over to the pool of clear sparkling water in the cove, Diana states, “Amazing, I wonder what it is?”Knowing that the rest of her village sisters are afraid to swim in the cove Diana dives into the water, swimming toward the spot where the sparkling hues are emanating.
“Diana, what are you doing? You know that we aren’t supposed to swim in this cove!”
Already under the water, Diana is unable to hear any of their cries. To her amazement she sees wooden trunks lying on the floor of the pool, which she guesses may have fallen from the cave above the water. Several trunks are open enough for Diana to see some of the contents…. Diamonds as clear and sparkling as the stars of the sky; Rubies as dark red as many of the spectacular sunsets; Jade as green as the moss growing on the very rocks that create the path for the water to follow into the pool…. Opening another trunk Diana finds it full of gold coins.
Still under water and almost out of air, Diana picks up a delicate necklace from a pile of precious jewels near one of the cracked trunks. “What is this?” she marvels. It looks like the rose necklace that I have heard so many tales about… My grandmother Diana’s Red Rose Necklace.”
Diana kneels by the trunk, her hair risi
ng, drifting back and forth with the movement of the water, as she gazes at the beautiful necklace. “I remember what mother always told me about the necklace. Grandmother’s lover gave it to her. He knew that the red rose was her favorite flower, so he had a necklace made with red roses all around it so that she would remember how much he loved her, while he was away. I always thought that it was just a story, but apparently it’s true!!!”
Finally swimming to the surface Diana shouts, “Look at what I have found!”
“What is it?” they all question.
“Sisters, do all of you remember the story of Grandmother’s red rose necklace?”
“Yes, so the story is true?”
“It has to be…here is its proof.”
All of the sisters marvel at the beautiful, delicate necklace in Diana’s hand. “Each rose is perfect!”
“We’ll keep it in remembrance of our grandmother. Do all of you remember the full story?” Diana asks the girls huddled around her open hand staring at the beautiful necklace.
“Yes, her lover gave it to her.”
“Well, she actually thought that they were married,” Marie corrects Kirsten.
“I know. It was sad wasn’t it?”
“Anyway, let’s take this beautiful necklace back and show our mothers.”
***
Black Beard quietly sails the Queen Anne’s Revenge toward where Gray Wolf thought he had seen the ‘Mysterious’ enter the sea.
“This looks like where you first sighted the ship, isn’t it?”
Looking back to where he had been on the beach, Gray Wolf visually and mentally calculates the distance. “Yes, this looks like it should be the place.”
Looking toward land, Black Beard questions, “How can that be? All I see is a deserted island. We would have seen any ship when we sailed by this area before, if it had been anywhere around here. Are you sure that this is the place, Gray Wolf?”
“Yes. This is exactly where I saw it…” Looking back and forth trying to make sure he was correct, he wavers, “Well maybe I am wrong.”
“No. No, son. I saw it too. Let me think.” Concentrating on the island as he stands at the stern of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Black Beard cups his hand on his beard covered chin.
