The Pearl of Avalon

Swimming against the waves is not easy. The waves were not terribly strong, but I was cold, and my jeans, I’m pretty sure, were weighing me down, big time. The water was numbing. I couldn’t even feel my legs kicking at this point. The fog was lifting rather nicely now, and I could definitely see the shoreline. It didn’t look that far, but when you have to swim in icy water, it was way too far!

The wind shifted slightly and I didn’t have to fight against the waves anymore. I was being helped along. That was a big relief! The sun was even peeking through the fog. It seemed more of mist now than fog. The water seemed to be warming up as well, which was a good sign that I was nearing more shallow water. I was right! The tips of my toes hit bottom. I felt a little spark of hope at that moment, but it quickly turned into panic as I sucked in some salty water. I coughed, and spit, and gagged for nearly a minute, I’m pretty sure. When I was finally able to place both feet flat and keep my head above water I stopped to catch my bearings. It felt good to stop for a little while.

I waded the rest of the way into the shore. Oh, how happy I was to feel solid earth! I lay down on the rocky beach, staring out at the ocean that had nearly consumed me. I was still numb from the icy water so I never really felt the rocks under me. I didn’t want to move. Just laying there was a comfort. It was sunny now. Close to sunset, I could tell, but sunny, none the less. I stretched a bit, trying to get the feeling back in my legs. I started to worry about hypothermia. I had never had it before, so I wasn’t too sure of the symptoms, but I trembled at the thought of it. I was so numb. So dragged out. Some vacation this had turned into. I decided to curl my arm up under my head and close my eyes for few seconds. Or minutes. Whatever helped. I just needed rest.

When I opened my eyes, the day was very bright. I shifted my arm out from under my head. I was sore. “Ouch!” I couldn’t help from screaming. Pain! I wasn’t numb anymore, and lying on the rocks didn’t feel too good. I pushed myself up off the ground. My left side, the side not on the rocks was mostly dry. The side I was laying on was very damp and full of gravel. I brushed it off, wincing at the pain in my arm, and glanced up at the sky. The sun was bright and at the opposite end of the shoreline. I had slept all night. I wrapped my arms around me as I thought about everything that had happened to me in just one day. “Oh what I wouldn’t give to be sitting at my desk with some metal music on the speakers,” I grumbled, as I kicked a small rock. I’d gladly suffer a migraine in exchange for this vacation!

Well, I decided I couldn’t stay here. Where ever here was. I looked over my shoulder at the land behind me. Then turned fully around to face it. It sloped upwards with several trees scattered here and there. Leafless trees. They looked like they had been burnt. I didn’t see any dock along the shore. “Hello?” I sang out. No response. “Hello?” I nearly hurt my throat yelling that out. Still nothing. Probably wasting my time, I thought.

I stumbled along the coast, with the ocean on my right. It was calm this morning. I stopped to listen for sounds every few hundred feet. Dead silence. Not even a bird chirping. Usually, there would at least be birds singing. Summer mornings were normally full of song. Not here.

I saw a path heading up through the trees. At least it looked like it could be a path. I figured I’d walk up through. Maybe I’d see a settlement or something. Campers, maybe? The incline was steep, but I managed to scramble up. I could see large stones ahead of me. When I finally got to the top, I nearly fell back in disbelief. Broken stone archways, cracked stone benches, crumbled stone walls. “Castle?” I nearly forgot that I was lost for a moment. I had always dreamed of seeing castle ruins. I knew I would have seen some on the tour, but now I was discovering them on my own.

Shaking my head, I snapped back to reality. “Hello?” I called out. Hoping that maybe there was someone here, guarding this historical place. Once again, the only response I got was silence. Maybe this was an undiscovered place? I crept through the ruins, being careful not break anything. Old stone would certainly crumble. I think? I stopped near a large rectangular stone. An altar? I studied the layout a little more closely. “Could have been a church. At least this section anyway. Wow! This is amazing” Now, I was talking to myself. That’s all I needed. Start going insane. Although talking to yourself doesn’t really mean your insane.

I started to run my finger across the top of the altar when I heard a twig snap. “Who’s there?” I said, spinning around. An animal, maybe? “Hello?” I sang out. Nothing. I stepped over some fallen stones and through an archway. I was outside the ruins now. “Hello?” I called again. I didn’t get an answer, but I did hear another snap. Must be an animal. I hoped it was an animal. The last thing I wanted it to be was someone else who wanted to kill me. My mind wandered then. Cannibals? Hope not! Hunters, thinking I was an animal? No, They would have answered me. More kidnappers? Damn, I hope not! I was starting to wish I had just hidden somewhere until I was sure Bald Bill and Craig had left the area. Heck! Maybe I could have even sent the boat away, and jumped into the water to hide under the wharf! Now, why didn’t I think of that at the time?

I walked back into the ruins and found a bench that seemed sturdy enough to sit on. I sat in silence. Dead silence. Where the hell was I? My stomach growled. I started to wonder if there were any berries. Might have been at one time, but everything seemed dead now. I got up and walked over to the old altar again. It seemed to be a high point and was sturdy. I climbed up, shielded my eyes from the sun and looked around at my surroundings. Ocean one way. Black, leafless trees pretty much everywhere. I could see mountains in the distance. Very distant. My back was to the view of the ocean now, and looking down at the trees I could almost make out a small pond. Food might be near water.

There was nothing but jagged stones and trees on my right, so I hopped off the altar and headed left, which lead me back the way I had come. Instead of going back down the steep path though, I circled around the ruins and headed in the direction of the pond. I heard a twig snap almost directly behind me.

A hot breeze grazed the back of my neck. I felt a presence. Cold shivers ran down my spine and I’m sure every hair on my body was on end. I swallowed hard and turned around. I froze. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing was real. A dragon! I blinked quickly. This could not be real. But, here I was looking at it. I’m sure it was a dragon. I had never seen a real one before because they were a myth, but no other word could describe it. A dragon! It was about as tall as an ostrich but much wider and longer. It was all black, aside from red eyes, and yellowish teeth. Sharp teeth. Scales, long tail, short horns on its forehead, long snout, and wings like a bat. It also had very long claws. About three inches long, very thick, and pointy. Not something you would want jabbing into you!

The dragon let out a low roar, it’s hot breath hitting my face. I stood there no longer. I turned and took off as fast as I could run. I knew it was chasing me. I could hear branches snapping. Then I heard a whoosh sound and saw a shadow pass over me. The dragon landed in front of me, blocking my way. I dug my heels in the ground as I stopped. Its nostrils were flaring. I took off back towards the ruins as it made a dart at me, snapping its jaws. Again, it took to the air and landed in my way. This time, without hesitation, I turned and ran back towards the pond again. I decided to zigzag, so it wouldn’t get a good snap at me. It roared in frustration and clawed at the trees above me.

I could see the pond through the black branches. As I came into a clearing I noticed a small stone circle near the pond. The pond was a lot bigger than it looked from up on the hill where the ruins were, and the stone circle looked like a mini Stonehenge. I ducked behind a stone to catch my breath. This was not happening! It couldn’t be! I pinched myself under the arm, just to be sure. “Ah!” I clasped my hand over my mouth. No, it wasn’t a dream. I was awake. Bruised, and scratched too, I noticed.

The sound of flapping wings made me hold my breath. It saw me! The dragon swooped down. I rolled out of the way. It went back up to make another dive at me. I rolled again, this time close to the water's edge. I noticed the trees on the other side of the pond were a little denser. I took off running. If I could run around to that side, I might be able to lose it in the trees, I thought, as I kept focusing on my chosen direction. I dared not look back!

I saw it’s shadow as it dove at me once again. This time, as I ducked out of the way, I lost my footing and tumbled into the pond. The splash of water caused the dragon to back away. It let out a piercing screech and spewed a stream of fire at me. I dove under to avoid the flames and splashed it again as I resurfaced. It coward slightly. It hated water! Of course! Fire and water don’t mix! As long as I stayed in the water, I had a chance! It would have to get tired at some point. Or, at least, bored enough to give up. Maybe?

The dragon paced back and forth, occasionally stepping to the edge of the water, but recoiling back. I backed further into the pond. The water was just above my waist now. I prayed that the dragon really did hate water. If it decided to jump in after me I would be finished! I reached my arm so far behind me and brought it forward quickly, skimming the water. I had enough force to send some water towards it, splashing it. “Leave me alone, you filthy thing!”

It just roared and sent another line of fire at me. I ducked under and held my breath for a few seconds. I rolled over and swam a little further. I think I was near the middle when I resurfaced. There was nothing for my feet to touch, so I had to just tread water. I was too far away now for splashing to be any help so I just yelled at it. “Shoo! Get lost!” That was a waste of breath. It took flight and circled above me. I dove under just as it dove at me. I was wishing I could sink a little lower. I tried to stay below the surface, but I just floated up. I took a quick breath and dove again. I kicked my feet and spread my arms as fast as I could to try and stay under. I swam over to where the water was not as deep and grabbed a protruding rock. At least I can hold on to this to stay under!

I could see the water-distorted image of the dragon, flying in circles. It was searching for me. I tugged on the rock to pull myself to the rocky bottom. The water was clear, and I could see everything. It was an underwater paradise! Colorful coral, seaweed, and rocks. I started to wonder if seaweed was edible. Not the most important thing to think about at that particular moment, but my stomach was so empty it was paining.

I needed another gulp of air. Quickly, I pushed my way up, just to take a breath and dove again. As I dove back down, a glimmer caught my eye. Seeing as how I was going to be down here a while, I figured I may as well explore. I used the rock formations to drag myself along the pond floor. When I reached my shimmering goal, I brushed away the gravel to reveal a blade. A very long blade. I tugged on it. It came loose. A sword! So perfectly crafted and clean. Not a bit of scum or rust. I decided to bring my discovery up to the surface. I knew I couldn’t stay in the water forever, and since the dragon seemed content doing circles overhead, I decided to fight.

Now, I had no idea of how to use a sword. No idea how to fight a dragon. And no idea where I was supposed run to if my fighting failed and I had to run again. I couldn’t get back in the water. I’ve spent too much time in the water and was starting to hate it myself. Not to mention my fingers were starting to prune up. I swam almost to water's edge. I still stayed underwater, but at least now all I had to do was stand up. I was probably in the knee-deep water now, so standing shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. As the shadow of the dragon made its round, I pushed myself up quickly. It turned mid-air and hovered as it watched me leap out of the water.

As soon as I was completely clear of the water I turned and held the sword out towards it. “Back off!” I screamed. “I might not know how to use this now, but I’m a fast learner.” I saw its eyes widen. It’s gaze shifted between myself and the weapon I held. The dragon let out a sharp wail and flew off. It was afraid of the sword! “I think I’ll hang on to you,” I said to the sword. Well, who else was I going to talk to?

The wind picked up slightly. It was warm and soothing against my wet skin. Once again, I was drenched. I made my way to the mini Stonehenge and laid the sword down. I grabbed the ends of my shirt and wrung it out. Then, I kicked off my sneakers, took off my socks and wrung them out too. It was pretty much pointless, but I did it anyway. Mainly, just to keep my mind occupied as I rested for a few moments. I tried not to think about the past two days. Tried not to. Failed, of course. If I ever got home, how the hell was I supposed to explain this? Ah, I was kidnapped, washed up on some shore, and attacked by dragons. Yeah, that would go over real well. My next living arrangement would be in a nice, little padded room with a straight jacket on! Oh, my.

I sat and admired the sword for a while. The blade was long and perfectly crafted. Very smooth. The hilt was golden and had strange symbols engraved on it. Near the top though, was a symbol I recognized. It was a circle with two dragons in it. Facing each other, but not in a fighting stance. Almost like they were guarding something. I didn’t recognize it as a symbol of anything in particular, I just knew what dragons looked like. Knew too well, unfortunately.

I stayed by the stones only long enough to catch my bearings. I decided to go back up to the ruins and have another look around. Maybe I missed something. If I was lucky, I might even catch a glimpse of a building. Maybe even a science lab. Those dragons could have been a science experiment gone wrong. Now there was a thought! I slipped my wet socks and sneakers back on and trudged off.

The uphill walk proved more difficult with the heavy sword in tow. I was dragging it with my right hand, and that arm was getting pretty tired now. When I finally reached the old altar, I laid the sword on the ground and climbed up. I studied the surroundings. Nothing different came in sight. No dragons came in view either, and that was a wonderful thing! I shielded my eyes against the sun and turned back to stare out over the ocean. I saw something in the distance. Couldn’t pick out exactly what it was but, slowly, it was getting nearer.

It didn’t take long after for me to realize what it was. “A cruise ship! Oh, thank God!” I started jumping up and down on the altar waving my arms in the air. “Please see me!” The ship was heading straight towards me. And I do mean straight! “Oh shit!” I exclaimed and jumped off the altar. “Turn!”

Okay, people, are you that stunned? Turn the ship already! I really didn’t know what to think at this moment. “Ah, come on! Are you blind?” I knew it was useless to scream at the ship, but that’s what I did anyway. “What is going on?” I was confused, scared, and in awe, all at the same time. Probably even more emotions mixed up there as well, but seeing this sight was beyond belief. The ship was going to ram into the land!

I grabbed up the sword from the ground and tumbled down towards the shoreline. If that gigantic bathtub is going to hit, I did not want to be in the way! And into the land it came. Directly into the land. Not stopping. It went through. No, maybe the correct words here would be that it “passed through” the land.

All I could do was shake my head. This did not just happen. It couldn’t have. Could it? I watched the ship sail right on by me. Through dry land. As if I, nor this land, were even there. I could see people leaning over the rails of the cruise ship. No one seemed to notice anything. A ghost ship? “This is not happening,” I said aloud, shaking my head, but keeping my eyes on the ship. My knees felt rubbery and I fell to them. I was in shock. My entire body went rigid.

“What the hell is this?” I needed answers. I needed something! I wrapped my arms around my body. “Am I insane? I’m not dreaming. I can’t be. This is too real. Is it?” I ran my finger across the blade of the sword. I grinned in pain. Blood trickled down my hand as I held it up to my face. Blood and pain. This was no dream. “Am I dead?”

I felt as if I were going into a trance. I hugged myself again and starting rocking back and forth. “What’s happening to me? I gotta be insane. Maybe those guys drugged me. Maybe I’m hallucinating. None of this can be real. It’s impossible!” I started talking to the sword again. “Where am I? What's wrong with me? I wanna go home.” Maybe that little padded room would be nice?

A distant roar brought me back to my senses. “Shit! Not again!” I scrambled back to my feet and ran back up to the altar in the ruins, dragging the sword behind me. When I reached it I dove behind it and crouched. I sat back against the cold stone and pulled my knees up to my chest. I waited. Silence. I turned my head so that my cheek rested against the altar as well. I took a few deep breaths and started to relax. Well, as about as relaxed and you can get knowing you are being chased by a dragon.

My eyes focused on some etchings I hadn’t noticed before. I turned slightly and brushed away some dust. One of the engravings on the stone matched the dragon symbol on the hilt of the sword. The circle, with the two dragons. I gently traced the outline of it with my finger. I was doing this to pass the time as I waited for another roar. I just kept rubbing the outer edge of the circle. I did relax a bit as no roar sounded. I was thankful of the silence. Little distractions come in handy some sometimes.

I started to rub off some more dust from the area surrounding the dragons. I found a small indentation, not much wider that the top of my finger. And me, being the curious cat by nature, pushed in on it. The indentation got slightly deeper and I heard a scraping noise. My head snapped around so I was facing the direction of the noise. The stone floor near where I was sitting on opened up to reveal a stairway.