Bone 1

Chapter 1
The boat creaked gently as it went, the wood glistening in the faint light of an impatient sun that yearned for dawn. It seemed as though the very air was fast asleep, lulled by the tentative rhythm of the sea. It was in moments like these that time seemingly stood still, until the sound of a heavy wooden hatch being thrown open pierced the silence like an errant spear. Ragged breathing drowned out by hurried footsteps accompanied a frenzied young man as he emerged from beneath the deck. Flailing hair struck unblinking eyes as the young man searched frantically for any sign of-

“you’ve been dreamin' again, Bone.” The voice emanating from the hatch was tired, as though he’d uttered those same words a thousand times before. The young man above deck seemed to awaken from a trance as the realisation hit him. Winston waited as intently as his tired mind would allow for Bone’s response. The silence was deafening.

Bone turned and walked towards the hatch, a wounded animal retreating to its den. He followed Winston to the makeshift table at the far end of the hold, where none of the crew would hear them speak. He sat upon a crate opposite Winston, the ‘table’ consisting of little more than two wide planks jutting from the racks to their left. Resting his elbows on the sturdy wood, Bone began the familiar process of confiding in his dear friend.

“Its getting worse, its like they’re torturing me.” Bone’s voice was as weary and as pitiful as he was. “It was all there. The heat on my face, the smell. It felt real. It was real.”

“You’d ‘ave thought they’d be less involved what with you being away for so long,” as always, Winston struggled to find a more sympathetic response. “did you ‘ear anything that sounded, er, important? Maybe you’re havin’ these dreams for a reason. You know, symbolic like. Could very well mean there’s still a chance of you-”

Bone suddenly came to his senses in order to stomp out any unwarranted optimism. “Don’t go there, you saw what happened last time I got my hopes up.” He promptly returned to his original demeanour. “She didn’t say anything prophetic, just told me to come up and see her. That’s what I was about to do when I woke up.”

Winston stared into space as he considered the situation, his narrow eyes fixed absentmindedly on a barrel sat in the corner. “Where were you when you saw ‘er?” he asked, his brow furrowing as an idea formed in his bald head.

Bone replied, taken aback somewhat by his friend’s sudden curiosity. “We were outside, somewhere familiar. The sun was shining, there were trees-“

Bone trailed off as he realised what Winston was thinking. They both sat in silence for a short while, pondering the implications before Winston finally spoke. “She wasn’t tellin’ you to come onto the deck."

Bone nodded as a single tear formed in the corner of his eye, only to be wiped away with newfound resolve. “I think I might finally know where to look.” He said, his lips curling into a smile.