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Day 18– Has it really only been a little over a couple weeks…?
Something was out there again. I was just testing the damned fog horn when something— I don’t think it’s a someone anymore— responded.
To say I pushed my poor boat to its limits would be an understatement, I wasn’t no better. Shaking like a right leaf in the wind, I’m not sure if I ever believed in ghosts before, but I’m not sure what else it is. Surely someone’s not messing with me… right? What would even be the pay-off to that? Make the new fella ram himself into the damn rocks outta fright? Real fuckin’ funny.
But, well… I suppose it ain’t the only odd thing. I didn’t really consider this journaling until lately, more so, cause of the dreadful dream I had last night. More of a nightmare to be honest, has me ready to stay on land until the sun comes up fully. I’ve had nightmares before, but this one felt much too real for my liking.
It just… it didn’t start out horrible, not by any means. I had left in my boat, headed from the dock after investigating this odd campsite, I wasn’t really headed nowhere in particular. I was just drifting, I think I was searching for something? I’m not too sure, but I was taking care to mark my map. Noting all the shipwrecks I found on my way, there were just… so many of them.
Everywhere I turned, another wreck, and not just small ships mind you, fuckin behemoth ships jutted out of the waters like hungry beasts. All manners of make, age, and wear to them. It was so puzzling, and just, I felt like there was something else about it.
I think this part of the dream was effected by me visiting that Collector fellow a few days ago, dropped off this peculiar key, chatted with him some. He’s an odd one that man is, something, something not quite right bout him. And that book of his, those words, it just— nevermind it. I think I was looking for something else to bring the lad, maybe outta busted pride, heh. I ain’t sure, but the sun just fell quicker than I felt like it should.
I was standing on the deck, staring out, and it was such a sight. Beautiful, stretches of water before me, and then the darkness came in. The winds got going, the sea seemed to grow hungrier, and the night consumed just bout everything around me.
That’s when the whispering started, like a dull hum in my ear, voices that sounded familiar and almost understandable but just, something wasn’t right about it. It makes me shiver just thinking about it, it wasn’t right, even if it was just a dream. Just, I can’t put it anyway else, it was so wrong.
I took off in the boat then, had to get away from it I figured, it felt like something bad would happen if I didn’t, but me and the old ship weren’t nowhere close to town or a dock and the waters were getting rougher.
Probably was cause of the storm that swept through, made me think of it and my nightmare saw it was the perfect situation to toss my frazzled mind into. Yeah, yeah that was probably it. So I’m pushing the boat to her right limit, trying to make it to somewhere safe, the whisperings are surrounding me and I swear something’s fucking hunting me again.
And then, something rose from the depths, like a giant tentacle or writhing serpent? I can’t quite remember but I know it was red as blood, it rose above the waves and towered there like a great monolith. I think it caught me off guard, I froze, and the ship, I swear it was shoved down into the waves there before surging back up.
I was soaked to the bone, my breath catching in thick gasps, the whole ship shuddering and barely holding itself together! I strained that poor boat and I couldn’t make it before something else surged from the depths and I woke up.
It was right horrific, one moment I swore I was drowning as something dragged me into those whispering, wicked depths, the next? I’m gasping, sitting upright on solid ground, sweat drenching me as I realized where I was.
That’s the thing, I don’t remember setting camp up there, on that little island, near that burnt down campfire. But, I must admit, I been pushing myself harder than I probably should. Maybe that’s why I had the dream? I’m not sure, I feel so disconnected from myself right now.
I don’t feel like… it don’t matter. I’m here, I’m breathing, I’m fine.
Just gotta shake it off, right? Heh, letting all these ghost stories and superstition get to me. Though, that… ship in the fog seems real, so what else could be out there…?
And then, things in the water… those odd fish and, and well. Well— I think it was a trick of it, but I could have sworn a week back I saw a massive shark? The shadow was almost as big as my boat, but what are they called again… basking sharks or something? Those things I’ve heard about, large fish but damn harmless? I ain’t sure, but ha, I suppose if there truly are monsters, they might as well be in this odd place!
Probably worrying myself silly again, but I may be sticking closer to shore, just for sound of mind.
I suppose I’ll keep this writing going if I have anymore odd dreams. Yeah, yeah sounds bout right to me. Hopefully I don’t need to set to writing about this anytime soon though.