A Boy's Hammer by Alex Grass

Author:Alex Grass [Grass, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Horror, Humour, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781735888545
Google: nFgvzwEACAAJ
Amazon: B09SYDZ23K
Goodreads: 60523606
Publisher: Dickinson Publishing Group
Published: 2022-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

Thirty-One

The captain brought the Sea Dragon into port at a painstaking crawl, a wake barely trailing behind her. He’d long ago decided that his precious boat would need to be moored. And that made sense, at least in some way, in Alan’s mind. It became clearer when they reached the remote port where they docked in Helsinki.

Men stood on either side with ropes to tether the ship. Overall, it was a smooth landing, considering what the Sea Dragon had undergone. Alan had also been affected by the incident and he did not know what more was to come. Uncertainty and fear ruled his thoughts, and he clung, almost involuntarily, to one word.

Watchers.

“Ya ready, ya big bastard? By the great testiclees of the lord of bowel-shaking thunder, I ne’er wish to see a thing like that again. What ya done for us was insane, aye, but grand. Would’a gutted my ship, the fookin’ seaguana. T’ousand yeers ago, dey moight’ave called ye a god, t’least a king. Certain’n for true, dey would call ye a man.”

Alan had placed a trembling leg on the dock while the other remained on the edge of the Sea Dragon. The captain pulled him into a bear hug. Mattim stood behind the captain, looking at Alan with ceaseless wonder, every now and again nodding while the captain spoke, like the young Portuguese shipmate was in a trance.

“Didn’t have a choice, Captain. It was more out of…” Alan trailed off. His mind couldn’t make the simplest connections within this new flood of fear. He could barely recall being afraid out on that dark ocean. Now, though, he was choking on fear. Aside from the plane crash, the last time he’d truly felt scared this way had been when Van had sent him to Tuonela.

“A-yuh. Awright, awright. Just self-preservation then, lad?”

Alan nodded. “Uhm-hmm. Yeah… that would be it. I mean, I hope I would have helped if it was only a threat to you guys. I’d like to think I would, but I don’t—”

“Ah, none’a that now. We know ya would’a. Yer not a bad lad. Mad lad, indeed, but bad lad? Pshhh,” the captain replied, waving a newly-freed hand in front of his face. For once the corncob pipe was not attached to his lips. “I dunno what to say to ya. We all experienced somethin’ ’ere. When ye see somethin’ no man ne’er seen out in Neptune’s great blue graveyard—well, suffoice t’say we’r’ll remember ye when we’s long forgotten all but else. The mighty Sea Dragon and her crew will always be there to take ya back home, lad.”

“Or to hell and back,” Mattim spoke low but clear as anything from behind the captain.

Alan shook his head, and looked up at the sky. The sky that had stolen so much from him. It was strange that it was only the second time he’d actually gazed up at the clouds and stars over Helsinki. His eyes remained locked skyward as he spoke. “I don’t think I’m coming back. After all is said and done…” but Alan couldn’t finish.

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