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The northern tip of the New Continent was as bleak and desolate as anywhere was possible to be. It was also perishingly cold, with flurries of snow. This didn’t deter H from taking up the air-buggy and doing the much-needed reconnaissance of the area. This time he was glad to report that there was no sighting of anything, no random giantesses, no tribes of screaming demons, nothing at all in fact that could be counted as lifelike. The land was bare and rocky. When they located a convenient beach, Bardin decided to take the risk of anchoring a short distance from the shore, and wading the horses through the ocean. Julian, Hillyard and Kieran took them for a gallop along the beach, and the horses went like the wind, tails and manes flying. The dogs ran along behind them, barking enthusiastically. Several of the other crew members took up guard in the surf, armed with rifles, and keeping a clear eye on the headland for anything that might appear.
Over on the galleon Elaine stood on the poop-deck, using a pair of binoculars to also watch intently for any unwelcome visitors. She still refused to touch a rifle, but she decided she could at least help them keep an alert watch. She wore the whistle Bardin had donated to them in case she needed to get their attention quickly. Hal, one of the clowns, stepped up onto the deck. Hal had become much quieter in recent years, content to emulate Lonts in being one of the big, silent ones.
“Can I have a little word, Elaine?” he asked, tentatively, turning his cap around constantly in his hands.
“Yes of course”, said Elaine “You don’t have to ask”.
“I-I just wanted to say that I thought you were magnificent during that awful night with the screaming demons”, said Hal “You stayed topside on the yacht all through that terrible racket”.
“Well that’s sweet of you, Hal”, said Elaine “But I wasn’t the only one”.
“No, but I still thought you were magnificent, a real trouper”, said Hal “I just wanted to show you that not all us clowns are as abrasive as Bardin”.
“Oh don’t worry about him”, Elaine smiled “When the others get back and I can stand down from my watching duties, would you like to come over to the yacht for a cup of tea?”
“That would be very nice”, said Hal.
Hillyard, Kieran and Julian returned the horses to the galleon, galloping them up the drop down hatch and into the opening in the hold, where the horses were stabled.
“I think they really enjoyed that”, said Kieran, dismounting from the little piebald and patting her neck “Did them the power of good”.
“Did us the power of good too”, said Julian “I can’t wait until we finally get somewhere where we don’t have to be constantly on our guard all the time”.
“As long as we keep an eye out, we should be alright”, said Hillyard.
“I admire your optimism”, said Julian.
“We survived a nearly whole Winter on the New Continent once”, said Hillyard “Let alone those few months we spent with Umbert and Digby at the monastery. I know they weren’t exactly the most cheerful of times but we did survive ‘em. Vigilance is the key, eh Kieran?”
“It certainly is”, said Kieran “Think how great we’ll feel when we reach the other ocean”.
*
“Bardy! Bardy!” Bengo called out, as he galloped down the quarterdeck steps and into their cabin, where Bardin was divesting himself of his outdoor clothes.
“What is it now?” said Bardin, wearily.
“You’ll never guess what’s happened”, said Bengo. He rushed to the door, peered out both ways, and then rushed back in again, slamming it behind him.
“What is the matter with you?” said Bardin “You’re carrying on like you’re in a stage farce. You’ll be wearing a mask next!”
“I saw Hal and Elaine up on the poop-deck earlier”.
“So what?”
“So they were getting quite cosy with each other, that’s so what”, said Bengo “And … AND … he’s going over to the yacht in a little while …” and then he concluded triumphantly “And he’s going to have a cup of tea with her!” “Good grief, what depravity”, Bardin smiled “Whatever is the world coming to?”
“Oh God no, you don’t understand”, said Bengo, in exasperation “They look like they could become an item. Think about what it would mean, if those two got together. You would get rid of them both in one fell swoop, kill two birds with one stone”.
“Well we’re not abandoning them ashore are we?” said Bardin.
“No, but if they are wrapped up in each other, they might start leaving you alone”.
“Yes, that would be nice. But don’t start getting carried away, or before we know it you and Adam will be baking a wedding cake”.
“It would certainly be an interesting challenge”, said Adam, when Bengo mentioned all this to him “But with the basic ingredients we currently have, it would be a pretty sad-looking wedding cake. What’s the matter with the dogs? They seem to have been constantly barking since they came back on-board”.
“Overexcited from the trip ashore”, said Bengo.
Joby had been trying to make his way back into the galley, but had been ambushed by the dogs in the corridor.
“Look, I’ve got nothing on me”, he said, holding his hands up “Lonts! Give the dogs their dinner, and then they might calm down a bit”.
“But it’s not their dinnertime yet, Joby”, Lonts called back from the dining-room “It’s very important they stick to their regular times. It’s good for their health”.
“Oh blimey”, said Joby.
Suddenly Rumble half-galloped half-fell down the quarterdeck steps.
“Are you alright, mate?” said Joby, as Rumble practically fell at his feet.
“Where’s Kieran?” said Rumble, breathlessly.
“Last time I saw him he was going into our cabin to change his shirt”, said Joby.
Rumble picked himself up and sped off down the corridor.
“I don’t like the sound of that”, said Bardin, who had emerged from his cabin “Something must’ve happened topside”. Bardin grabbed his cap and oilskin jacket, and made his way up the steps. He found several of the others crammed onto the poopdeck, all staring shorewards. On the clifftop a strange creature was weaving about like a large scrap of material being buffeted by the wind. It seemed to be semi-formless, with limbs which elongated and retracted at whim. Bardin immediately recognised it as being a larger version of the demon which he had run over back in Zilligot Bay a few years earlier.
“Oh for fuck’s sake”, he muttered under his breath.
“S’alright mate”, said Hillyard, squeezing his arm “We’ll weigh anchor and get away from here. I’ll go and have a word with the yacht crew as well”.
“Bardin”, said Kieran, appearing by his side “Don’t look at it. Get back below”.
“I can’t!” Bardin protested “I can’t go scuttling back below like some silly great pansy …”
“That thing is not real”, said Kieran “It’s some crazy manifestation, but it’s not real in any solid sense. Evil preys on our psychology. Look at what happened to Glynis back in the Southern Land Mass. This thing is preying on yours. Get below, and I’ll come and join you”.
“Oh so that’s it is it?” said Bardin, now sitting on the sofa in Kieran’s cabin “I have to hide away down below until we leave this area”.
“For a day or so, yes”, said Kieran.
“It makes me feel weak, like the loose link in the chain, that it’s singled me out”.
“It could happen to any of us”, Kieran sighed “Look do you want me to tell Bengo that you’ve been difficult with me?”
“No I don’t”, said Bardin, crossly “He’ll chew my ear off all bloody day and night”.
“Listen to that noise”, said Kieran, as the ship’s engines started up “Isn’t that a lovely noise? We’re on our way. Being leader isn’t about being big and tough all the time, sometimes it’s about doing things for the common good, even when we don’t want to. Jayz, I was once locked in a trunk in the hold!”
“I remember that”, said Bardin “I can’t remember why we did it though”.
“I can’t remember the exact circumstances, but it was something to do with everybody thought I’d be too kind. Anyway, be bloody glad we’re not doing that to you!”
“Don’t go giving Bengo ideas”.
“Just treat it as though you’ve got a bad cold for a couple of days. That Thing was going to feed off your emotions if we’d let it. All you’re doing is depriving it of its feed. Surely that sounds reasonable?”
“Yes yes OK”, Bardin sighed, rubbing his hands over his face wearily “Sorry. And I’m sorry we locked you in the hold, even if I can’t remember why we did it”.
“The problem with the places we’re encountering on this voyage is that they’re constantly throwing up surprises”, said Kieran “And sometimes it’s hard to constantly brace yourself when you have no idea what could happen next. But we will come through this. It’s just a matter of time. Now let’s break out the Magic Whisky Bottle”.
That night they moored once again far out to sea. It felt noticeably safer when they were far away from the shore. Over on the yacht the girls took a large bottle of gin to bed with them, and lay bunked up with it. Much conversation was to be had about the new development with Elaine and Hal.
“Nice to see another hitching up in progress”, Jane “Like Glynis and the Doctor”.
“Or you and H”, said Glynis.
“We just need to get Rosa hooked up now”, said Elaine.
“I’m very happy as I am”, said Rosa “I’ve always felt I was a natural spinster”.
“The elephant in the room is Adam though isn’t it”, said Glynis, emboldened by the gin.
“He is a good friend”, said Rosa “But I’m not daft, I know the score”.
“It’s still hard though”, said Elaine “To be around someone and you know nothing can happen”.
“It didn’t seem to deter you from Bardin”, said Jane.
“I know I was wrong there”, said Elaine “But he’s just got such an allure to him. Such a charisma. There’s just something about him. But Hal is so sweet, so nice and attentive. I know so many of them think I’m a silly fool, because of Bardin, but Hal isn’t like that at all. He understands”.
“I still think we should find someone for Rosa”, said Glynis.
“I shall lean over and thump you in a minute”, said Rosa.
“My brother”, said Elaine, raising her head from her pillows “He’s a nice fellow, he’s good with anything practical, which I’m sure Rosa will approve of, and he’s lightened up so much on this trip. He’s come out of his shell”.
“He has”, said Jane “I often hear him, Woolly and Ernesto having a laugh together”.
“He got so lonely back at the old railway station”, said Elaine “Everyone keeps on about what a hard time it must have been for me, but it was just as difficult for him. He’s not a natural loner, neither of us are. I remember one evening I walked into the old ticket office, and he was sitting there at the table, with tears just pouring down his cheeks”.
The other women all made sympathetic noises.
“He said he felt so lost”, Elaine continued “I know the galleon crew keep worrying that we’re all such a big load of old softies over here, and that we won’t be able to cope with this trip, but for some of us it’s truly been a godsend”.
On the journey to the top of the New Continent they had been prepared for anything. What they hadn’t quite anticipated was that they would get nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just empty desolation. At the northern tip of the land mass was a myriad collection of islands, of varying size. Each one of them completely uninhabited, bereft of any tree or plant life, and almost colourless. Sometimes they braved a convenient shore, in order to exercise the horses and the dogs, and give them a much needed taste of freedom, but on the whole they spent the days weaving in and around the islands, like trying to find their way out of a vast maze. Even the weather was empty. Just nothing but chilly greyness. Occasionally a cold sun would desperately try and break through the clouds to give them some lift, but it was a despondent time.
After a couple of days below deck, Kieran took pity on everyone else and allowed Bardin to go topside again. Bardin had prowled around below like a caged animal, constantly roaming in and out of rooms and generally making a nuisance of himself. The last straw was when Bengo walked into the galley one day and found him poking around in one of the cupboards, querying how much cooking brandy they had and why did they need so much of it.
“That’s it, that’s enough”, said Bengo “I’d rather we risked some demons appearing than put up with you in here! I dread to think what Adam’s going to make of this”.
As they had encountered nothing since leaving the main landmass, Kieran said Bardin could resume his usual meddling above deck. Kieran also took to volunteering for many of the night watches, but decreed that Joby mustn’t sleep alone in their cabin. Joby elected to sleep on the sofa in Bengo and Bardin’s cabin instead.
“At least they’ve got a fireplace in there”, Joby said to Adam “Our cabin is fucking freezing”.
“You could always come and snuggle up in the big bed with me”, said Adam.
“No thanks”, said Joby “I have to put up with you all day, and I don’t want you all night as well”.
“That’s charming isn’t it”, said Adam.
“Well you have been moaning a lot lately”.
“I am not going to take a lecture on grumbling, not from you of all people!” Adam protested “You are Olympic standard at it”.
“You just seem to have got paranoid of late that’s all. Just ‘cos some of the others have been having problems with either constipation or diarrhoea, you’ve taken it as a slight on your cooking”, said Joby “And it’s not. It’s all because of stress, like Bengo with his skin problems. It can’t be our cooking anyway, because they’ve also been suffering with it on the yacht, and we don’t cook for them!”
“Alright alright, it’s just that yesterday I got a monologue from Ransey on how long it takes him to shit these days, and it was hard not to feel he was having a dig at me”.
“He wasn’t. It’s just he’s got obsessed with his own turds. I’m surprised he doesn’t sit in the head with a stopwatch timing himself!”
“It’s just that we rarely get to vary the diet these days”, said Adam “The same old thing all the time is bound to have an effect on people’s insides”.
“It can’t be helped can it! It’s not as if we can just pop down the shops and get something different for a change”.
There was a loud thumping noise coming from outside the galley door.
“What on earth was that?” said Adam.
“Probably Bengo falling down the stairs”, said Joby “He’s always doing it”.
Bengo galloped into the galley, looking rather bright-eyed with excitement.
“I do wish you’d slow down, old love”, said Adam “You’ll do yourself an injury stumbling down the stairs like that”.
“S’OK”, said Bengo, trying to catch his breath “I wanted to come and tell you before anyone else did. We seem to be coming out of the barren islands. The big ocean is beckoning”.
“Oh that’s wonderful news”, said Adam “It was starting to feel like a bad dream, constantly meandering around those bleak isles and never getting out”.
“Why don’t you go topside and have a look?” said Joby “I’ll keep an eye on the stove. A bit of fresh air will do you good”.
Adam didn’t need much persuading on that one. He tore off his apron. When he got to the bottom of the galley stairs he already found Toppy waiting, holding out his oilskin jacket for him, like a very efficient valet.
At the top of the stairs the cold air hit in the face like a bucket of ice water. But the sight of the ocean spreading out ahead of them, like a turbulent blanket, made it all worthwhile.
“We’re going to keep going until the islands are out of sight”, said Bardin “We’ll anchor for the night out on the ocean”.
“What a jolly good idea”, said Adam.
“Well I know being out on the ocean with no land in sight can be daunting”, said Bardin “But frankly I’d rather have that than look at those desolate islands again”.
As they left the remaining land spots of the New Continent behind, a figure was spotted standing on one of the headlands, looking at them. The figure seemed to be wrapped in charred bandages. Its face was dominated by an enormous over-sized mouth, which it opened to let out an inhuman scream.
“We won’t be missing all that”, said Hillyard, as the figure slowly shrank from view.
*
A couple of days out on the cold ocean, and they found themselves in the vicinity of the Third Island, where Cloris, Lord Robert and co had all inexplicably sailed to on a previous adventure. Hillyard had rescued Cloris, Glynis and Jane from the island, but the others had stubbornly adhered to the place. H volunteered to take up an air-buggy and fly over the island to see if there was any sign of life. After a short reconnaissance he returned to say that all the island contained was a handful of abandoned huts. He had swooped low, almost rooftop height, to try and entice anyone out who may have still been lurking there, but the place was as desolate as both the New Continent and the Southern Land Mass.
Back on the yacht he had a private moment with Jane in the lounge, to break it to her that there didn’t seem to be any sign of her old colleagues at all.
“I was expecting as much”, she said, quietly “I’m just glad that at least Cloris has managed to start a new life in Zilligot Bay. The way things were going on the island just before we left … well the signs weren’t good for a prosperous living let’s say. When people seem determined to self-destruct there’s not much anyone can do. I’m just going to pop outside for a moment”.
She stepped through the doors which led onto the rear sun deck. Here she found Rosa washing her hair in a bucket of warm water.
“Gosh, you’re brave”, said Jane “I hope you dry it thoroughly or you’ll get a head cold”.
“The situation was getting desperate”, said Rosa, trying to pull a comb through her long tangled locks “I’m seriously considering cutting it short. At least it’ll be easier to manage that way”.
“You can’t do that”, said Jane “Your long hair is very much a feature of you”.
“It seems a bit sad to be defined by one’s hair”.
“Oh I don’t know. Back at the Ministry I was sometimes referred to as The RedHead”.
“Are you alright?” asked Rosa.
“Yes, fine”, Jane sighed “The news hasn’t come as a terrible surprise. I just wish the ones who had stayed there hadn’t been so damn stubborn”.
“Sometimes it’s a case of knowing when to move on isn’t it”, said Rosa “Ernesto and I had been at the Driftwood all our lives. We’d grown up there. And yet we could see the way things were going. We just couldn’t see ourselves carrying on there once the rest of you had left”.
“Hey you two down there”, Hillyard called from the bulwark of the galleon above “Would you like a present?”
“Always”, said Jane.
“Hang on then”.
Hillyard lowered down the basket-on-a-rope that they often used when passing spare food to the yacht. This time it contained an old dartboard and a packet of darts.
“Where on earth did you get that?” Jane laughed.
“Found it down in the hold”, said Hillyard “I’d forgotten we had it. We never use it as there’s no room on here to have a match, unless we have it on deck. In the dining-room the table and the old piano take up most of the room. Thought you might like it”.
“I can see us having a darts match this evening”, said Rosa.
Hy Brasil had disappeared. Kieran had warned them that there was a likelihood that this could happen, as it was a magical island when all was said and done, but even so there was a general disappointment. For all its quirks it was a place they knew, and it would have made a convenient spot for a “breather” before they tackled returning to the Old Continent. What was surprising how no one seemed to relish this prospect, apart from the chance to stock up on fresh supplies that is.
“I suppose it’s simply that for at least 2 years now we’ve had no contact with anyone in the outside world”, said Adam “None whatsoever. Not even on the wireless”.
Bardin called a meeting on the galleon involving everyone, so that they could discuss a way forward.
“The number one priority obviously has to be getting in fresh supplies”, he said, sitting at the head of the dining-table with various maps spread out before him “Now we have to decide which is the best place to go to for that. I’m reluctant to go to the City. I simply don’t feel it can be trusted. And the galleon is too conspicuous for us to just sail in incognito”.
“We could take the air-buggies over”, said H.
“That has issues I’m afraid”, said Bardin “For one, trying to locate where you can land them safely. And the other is lack of storage space. We need to buy A LOT, and the air-buggies simply don’t have the space to stow everything. I was thinking that a party of us could take the fishing-trawler over and do it that way”.
“That’s too small as well”, said Rosa “It was a tight enough fit when Ernesto and I slept on the deck. How about you take the yacht? There is plenty of storage room on that. It’s nowhere near as conspicuous as the galleon is, and the rest of us can stay on here until you get back”.
“That is an excellent idea”, said Adam.
“Good”, said Bardin “You and Rosa can set to making up a shopping list. But I’m still not sure about the City”, he pulled one of the maps towards him “So I was thinking of suggesting Magnolia Cove”.
“That’s a blast from the past”, said Joby.
“It’s a few miles to the north of the City”, said Bardin, explaining to the yacht crew “It’s a little seaside town. We did a Clowns Festival there many years ago”.
“Oh that does sound fun”, said Elaine.
“Get Hal to tell you about it sometime”, said Bardin “Now as to paying for it. I guess we shall have to try and prise Tamaz away from what remains of the Starhanger jewels”.
“Huh, you won’t get much with what’s left of them”, said Tamaz “And if you’re talking about conspicuous, won’t paying with antique jewels look a bit conspicuous?”
“Cold hard currency would be much better”, said Ernesto “And we can help there. Rosa and I cleared out all our cash from the Driftwood”.
“We certainly weren’t going to leave it for any of that lot”, said Rosa.
“What we had behind the bar, plus our tin box savings, amounts to a reasonable sum”, Ernesto continued “Unless they’ve completely changed the currency in the last couple of years, you could use that”.
“That’s very generous”, said Bardin, feeling uncharacteristically humbled.
“I’ve got some too”, said Xavier “I had no idea where we were heading when I joined you, but it didn’t take a genius to work out that we might well need cash at some point”.
“Rosa”, said Adam “Come and join me in the galley, we’ll get started on the list now”.
“Who’s going over on the raiding party?” said Hillyard.
“You and me from the galleon”, said Bardin “Possibly Xavier and Glynis from the yacht?”
“Why me?” said Xavier, who hadn’t expected to get picked.
“We’re going to need to top up the First Aid boxes”, said Bardin “And so it’s either you or Finia, and I strongly suspect Finia won’t want to go. He hates the outside world at the best of times”.
“The Doc can go”, said Finia, firmly.
In the galley Adam and Rosa were rifling through the cupboards to get ideas.
“Oh silverskin pickled onions”, said Rosa, spotting a jar of the same “I love them. I used to eat them like sweets when I was a child”.
“Take that jar back to the yacht with you”, said Adam, placing it in her hands “We’ve got more down in the hold. Pickled stuff is invaluable out at sea”.
“Thank you”, said Rosa, and her face crumpled.
“Now come on, old love”, said Adam, putting his arms round her “It’s only a jar of pickled onions”.
Rosa both laughed and cried at the same time.
“I don’t know what’s the matter with me”, she said, eventually “I must be feeling hormonal”.
“We’re coming to the end of a long voyage”.
“And I’m not sure I want it to end”, said Rosa “Oh I know it will be nice to get fresh supplies, and the weirdness of the New Continent is behind us, but I have enjoyed being at sea all this time”.
“I suspect we will carry on being at sea for quite some time”, said Adam “Unless there is something unmissable to keep us in Snow Lake, I can quite see us sailing all round the top and down the West Coast again”.
“To end up back in Zilligot Bay?”
“Not necessarily. There’s always our old stamping ground of the Bay. I would be fascinated to see what it’s like after all this time”.
Ransey could be heard grumbling loudly out in the passageway. Rosa jumped away from Adam as if she had been caught doing something guilty.
“Oh lor”, Adam went over to the door and pulled it open “What’s the matter?”
“I’ve been having a trawl round the wireless frequencies”, said Ransey “And I can’t find a damn thing. Not anything. This close to the Continent we should be picking up something, however obscure. This is NOT a good sign”.
“It might mean the wireless set’s on the blink”, said Hillyard, standing near the stairs.
“That wireless set is not on the blink”, said Ransey, determindedly “I know I’ve kept it disconnected for much of the time, but I have kept it well serviced. We should be picking up SOMETHING”.
“Let’s not go trying to find trouble before we have to”, said Hillyard, squeezing his shoulder.
They all anchored a few miles out to sea, just far enough to keep the line of the Old Continent in sight on the horizon. There was much scanning of it through telescopes and binoculars, but it only seemed to confirm what Ransey had found with the wireless set, that there wasn’t much sign of life at all. No smoky plumes from chimneys, no signs of boats going out from or returning to land, no air-buggies.
“This is all starting to feel a bit alarming”, Adam confided to Joby, up on the main deck.
“Come on”, said Bardin, striding down the middle of the deck “Let’s get this over and done with, before everyone drives themselves nuts letting their imaginations get out of control”.
All of the yacht crew, apart from Glynis and Doctor Xavier, decanted onto the galleon, and Bardin, Hillyard and Ransey moved from the galleon to the yacht. The ones staying behind watched the yacht move away, all feeling a great deal of trepidation. It was curious that they felt more uneasy than they had travelling round the New Continent. Facing the human race again was a more daunting prospect than seeing demons. It was impossible to explain this, other than the knowledge that humans could be so damnably unpredictable and irrational.
“C’mon gal”, said Hal to Elaine “Come below to the dining-room with me and I’ll show you some card tricks I picked up back in the Village of Stairs”.
“I trust that is not a euphemism, Hal”, Adam teased.
Down in the dining-room Umbert settled himself at the piano, and spent a good portion of the afternoon playing gentle tunes. It seemed to fit the atmosphere of nervous anticipation.
At 4:30 PM a shout went up topside, and then they knew that the yacht was returning. There was a general stampede up the quarterdeck stairs.
The yacht glided back into its customary mooring place alongside the galleon. The Stay Behinders were relieved when Bardin appeared on the sun deck, reassuring them that no, the yacht hadn’t been commandeered by armed guards who were now coming to arrest the lot of them. The main deck was jammed with everyone all jostling to practically drag the others back on board.
“Here you are”, said Hillyard, handing a bright green case to Finia “A brand new First Aid box. Don’t look like that, there’s another one too, but that one can stay on the yacht. Does no good to keep everything in one place”.
Bardin moved through the crowd, looking lost in his own thoughts.
“No hostility I hope?” said Julian, when Bardin approached him.
“No I suppose there wasn’t any of that”, said Bardin, taking off his cap and running his hand through his hair wearily “Everything went very smoothly, almost textbook”.
“So why the look of weary resignation?” said Julian.
“It was like dealing with a bunch of automatons”, said Bardin “We went mainly to a warehouse depot just outside the town. We were told they were a ships outfitters, and could supply anything we needed, and they did just that”.
“I still don’t understand the dejected look you’re wearing”.
“It was all chillingly efficient. There was no curiosity shown by anyone, no general chit-chat, no deviating from the script at all. We might as well have been on a conveyor belt”.
“But what’s the problem?” said Bengo, nearby “Did you expect everyone to clamour for your autograph? We’ve all been going nuts with worry about what could happen, and now you tell us it went as smooth as silk”.
“I can’t explain it, Bengo”, said Bardin “It all just felt Off”.
“But at least no one attacked you Bardin”, said Lonts.
“Bardin, you look like you need a cup of tea”, said Adam “Bengo, take him below”.
“Bengo doesn’t understand what we’re getting concerned about”, said Bardin, sitting chatting to Kieran a short while later. Both were sitting on either side of the fireplace in Bengo and Bardin’s cabin “He thinks we should just be glad we got in and out quickly with no problems”.
“Well it was a bit of anxious time for us all waiting back here”, said Kieran “It’s hard to keep a lid on the imagination at times like that. We had no idea what was happening over there. He’s just relieved you’re back in one piece”.
“I guess you had to be over there to see it for yourself to understand the concern”, said Bardin, sombrely “It’s very hard to explain. Perhaps we are making a mountain out of a molehill, I’m hoping that’s the case. As everyone keeps saying we have no idea what has been going on these past few years. We should’ve stopped to pick up a newspaper or something, but to be honest we were too intent on getting the vital supplies we needed”.
“There’ll be plenty of time to find out what’s been going on”, said Kieran “Perhaps it’s just isolated to that town”.
“The trouble is, I remember Magnolia Cove as being a pretty lively place”, said Bardin “It’s impossible to imagine staging the Clowns Festival there now!”
“Places can change”, said Kieran “It might be nothing more than that. It’s extremely hard to form a judgement until we’ve seen a few others”.
“Well we can’t go backwards that’s for sure”, Bardin sighed, nursing a large mug of strong tea in his hands “The original plan is best. Sail north to Snow Lake and then probably up sailing over the top. I’m looking forward to that”.
“We are nomads after all”, said Kieran.
“It’s a strange thing”, Bardin sighed “This has not exactly been the easiest of voyages by any means, but I’m almost reluctant to bring it to an end”.
“We’re not bringing it to an end though”, said Kieran “We’re just moving into the next leg of it, that’s all”.
There was a brief knock on the cabin door, and Joby poked his head round.
“Just thought I’d better tell you”, he said “Supper’s ready”.
“Thanks Joby”, said Kieran.
Joby left the room again.
“Come on now”, said Kieran, patting Bardin’s knee “I know I’m a fine one to talk, but there is such a thing as over-thinking things you know. Let’s go and eat”.
T H E E N D
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