Lost Origins

     Your curse is you.

     A plague not of death, but of preservation.

     For what good is a heart of stone, if not to live forever.

     To endure in isolation, amidst destruction and decay,

     And relive the horrors of your actions each friendless night and dismal day

     Only when truly broken, in mind, heart, and spirit, can you ever be free.

     But to be free, you will always be broken...

     We studied the words of Fila's curse, look for hidden meanings, hints, loopholes. Several attempts ended in failure, with me waking up groggy and covered in new burns and gashes. Most instances Flip had to fight off the Sceadwe and drag me back into the cabin before they could finish me off. After the first few failures, Flip started going out alone while I brainstormed from the safety of the cabin, shadowy faces staring in through the windows. I had never felt more like an animal in a zoo - on display with greedy eyes peering in, shoving each other aside to catch a glimpse of me, and tapping at the glass to get a reaction from the creature trapped inside.

     After each failure, Flip would drag himself through the front door, gaze lowered and before I could even ask, he would shake his head, signalling our defeat. He would try to make a charming joke to lighten the mood, but it never really worked on either of us. Then he would sit down at the table and we would sit in silence until the next morning when we would move on to the next idea.

     One day, after yet another dismal failure, Flip walked in looking exhausted " I can't take any more of this. Curse or no curse, I think if I stay on this forsaken island any longer I am going to lose my mind. We need a plan, and I am done playing by Fila's rules.

     I gazed over at Flip, a question written on my face "What did you have in mind?

     He met my gaze with a mad gleam in his eyes, "The curse can't reach me in the cabin right?

     Yes, but...

     Well sweetheart, what if the cabin could float?

     -xXx-

     The next several weeks were spent drawing diagrams, determining how much material we would need, how we could pull off construction while maintaining enough wood to prevent the Sceadwe from prying through the remaining boards. The creatures left Flip alone for the most part - any strays quickly recoiling from the glowing blue flames he shot towards them - but they were desperate to get at me. They had been waiting for any opportunity to pluck me from the safety of these four walls, to erase any evidence that they had made a mistake and let one living thing past. We finally decided to deconstruct one room at a time, hiding me wherever it was safe, to balance our need for material with the dangers lurking outside.

     The ship would be no bigger than a sloop, a single-masted vessel with a hull of well-worn wood. Once we were certain of our plan and confident in our design, the two of us began pulling apart the living room, making the bulkheads and any smaller structures within the cabin. As we progressed, the cabin was slowly picked to the bone. Every breeze passed through the thin walls and a permanent chill settled over the rooms. When it was finally time to scavenge the wood from the outer living room wall, I was confined to my bedroom with the door sealed tightly shut. The Sceadwe were clearly unhappy with this arrangement and spent most of their time howling and clawing at the boards outside my window as I sorted through and packed the essentials for our trip. The ship's narrow body would be built for speed, not heavy loads, so I made sure to narrow down our cargo to the necessities. When I had packed all that would fit in the hull, I started piecing together how to survive the weeks of preparation for our voyage; weeks I would have to spend without the protection of the cabin.

     -xXx-

     The day came when we had done as much as we could in the confines of our now half-assembled home. I could no longer hide in the relative safety of the house. Flip had reservations, doubting that he could hold the Sceadwe off of me for long once I stepped outside.

     Maybe I could build you a caravan to hide in until construction is finished," Flip speculated.

     Yeah, so the Sceadwe can push it into the ocean and drown me, or grab me when I clamber out," I sad sarcastically, "Besides, we both know that you need every piece of wood to finish this ship; there isn't enough left over to build a new hiding spot for me. And there's no way that you can assemble the ship alone; I'm coming out.

     Your funeral Sweetheart," Flip said as he stepped back from the door, eyes flashing with blue fire at the ready.

     But what Flip didn't know was that I had been working on a project of my own; something my grandmother had taught me from a day that now felt like a lifetime ago. I emerged from my room wearing decorative wooden bands around each leg, and tribal beads plaited through my mane and tail. The jewellery was carved from scrap wood pulled from my sparse bedroom furniture, and unused planks from the inner walls of the cabin, and were engraved with tribal patterns and symbols that my herd mates believed offered protection.

     You have been busy," Flip remarked, eyebrows raised "But I don't see how it will help.

     I spent the next few minutes explaining the significance of each carving, what powers my people believed they possessed, "I don't know if it will be enough, but I have to try; you can't do this all alone."

     I have never been one to believe in mystic island Hoo-doo and I have grown up surrounded by my fair share, but we don't have any better ideas." Flip sighed, "If you believe it will work, I'll do what I can to help the magic along," and with this Flip lowered the tip of his staff to each masterpiece, closed his eyes and with a flash, his icy blue fire imbued the wood causing each carving to glow in the dim light.

     I smiled a hopeful smile at him and took my first tentative step outside in months.

     Instantly the shadows flocked towards where we stood, circling hurriedly, but Flip and I stood our ground. The menacing Hissi-Sceadwe that I had encountered on my first day slithered towards me with a fierce grin, finally believing that it might finish the job that it was imprisoned here for. Darting towards me at last, the dark creature reached out to sink its razor talons in my flesh, but its pointed grasp stopped short. Then it happened again. And with the next creature. Each time any of the shadows approached, the carvings would flash bright blue and their claws would glance off the air around me as if I were wearing armour of steel; talons recoiling as if burned.

     They howled and screeched in frustration, but were powerless against the charmed wood. Flip and I let out a collective breath that we hadn't known we were holding and started towards the beach. A parade of shadows trailing behind like angry bees.

     -xXx-

     Hoist the ballast, raise the sails," Flip's voice rang clearly through the murky light of an early May morning. The waves were rising and falling steadily and the rolling clouds offered a cool overcast when we finally cast off, saying goodbye to the bleak island that had been our prison. For me, over a year; for Flip, much longer. We took a final glance at the shore where the Sceadwe were pacing back and forth, hissing and spitting in our direction, then turned our eyes to the horizon. To freedom.

     -xXx-

     We were sailing along steadily with the island just barely in sight, daring to hope that we could finally put the past behind us, when it happened. Out of nowhere, the wind picked up to a gallop as if it were alive and we had startled it by sailing past. The waves started to grow steadily in size, and an undertow developed out of nowhere, pushing and pulling our little sloop towards the dark monsters awaiting our return on the shore.

     We both jumped into action.

     Quick, trim the sails, it's trying to push us back toward the island," Flip's voice rang through the howling wind as he fought to keep the hull pointed straight. Try as we might, the wind shifted with each adjustment until our sails were fluttering wildly and we were being tossed around like nothing more than a toy boat in a bathtub. Before we could correct it, the ship had drifted sideways, the hull now perpendicular to the swells.

     Watch out!" I screamed and grabbed onto the wooden railing as a large wave crashed over the deck, pitching our ship to the side.

     And then another. And another...

     The waves kept beating our poor little ship as she swayed violently, tipping this way and that. Flip and I hung on for dear life, powerless to steer through this storm. Finally, she could take no more and rolled over into the sea, throwing us into the water below.

     I resurfaced a minute later, coughing as I struggled to stay afloat. The waves wasted no time; ripping the beads from my hair and swallowing them into the depths of the ocean's watery stomach. The current pulled this way and that trying to tug the carved bracelets from my legs.

     I looked around for Flip in the rough waters to no avail. A similar day from many months ago flashed into my mind, making me search the horizon more frantically. Finally, I spotted his pale figure treading water on the other side of the mast, Creven hung limply over one arm. I paddled towards him, my legs kicking through the waves as if we were locked in a deadly boxing match and I was determined to deliver the final blow.

     But the waves didn't seem to waste their energy on us any longer; their only goal - to thwart our escape. They roiled and leapt over the side of our toppled ship, trying to pull it below the surface with a team of invisible hands. As I approached Flip, the waves took hold of the bow, pitching the stern into the air like a scene from the Titanic.

     Are you okay? What happened?" I yelled over the gurgling of the sinking ship.

     I should have known," Flip called back, " Fila said as much in her curse; I can never escape of my own accord, not even with help from you.

     The words of Fila's curse flashed through my mind; I wouldn't bother trying to leave, you won't escape by any hand of your own - after all, you can never truly escape from yourself...

     We both looked back towards our island prison, knowing that we would have to swim back eventually and face the torrent of relentless shadows, forevermore without the sanctuary of our cabin.

     We will figure something out..." I began, trying not to panic, but Flip cut me off, "No sweetheart, it's over." Resolute to his fate, he began to stroke towards the shoreline as I bobbed in place.

     Just then, a splash sounded to my right, spraying me with seawater. Startled, I looked over to the source of the noise; where a moment before there was nothing, a ring buoy floated, bobbing up and down with the choppy waves. I stared for a moment, not quite comprehending what I was seeing. I must be dreaming, I thought to myself. Then my eyes moved from the buoy, following the length of rope up to a steel vessel floating a few hundred feet away, half-obscured by coastal rock formations off the shore.

     Flip, wait!

     He turned back to look at me and saw the vessel that I had spotted only moments before - his face a mask of the same confused disbelief.

     Come on," I gestured as I grabbed onto the ring. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and swam for the buoy, grabbing on just as the rope went taught, dragging the buoy towards the steel sanctuary.

     Flip and I collapsed on deck in a soaked and spluttering heap. After coughing up the seawater that filled my lungs, I rolled over to look up to our saviours. My eyes were met by an odd collection of weather-worn sailors and a few lanky Neopets wearing lab coats. One such Neopet, a Fire Uni wearing scholarly glasses stumbled through the crowd.

     Ah, very good then." She said, looking at Flip and I still tangled in a puddle of water on the deck. "We spotted the unique weather as we were sailing by - very interesting indeed, I wish I had time to stay and observe it," she said, getting lost on a tangent. "Yes, the scientific implications, they would be very interesting indeed, hmmm..."

     Realizing that we were still there, she adjusted her glasses, "Ah yes, well Captain Dodds saw your ship capsize as we were passing by; excellent eye Captain." She praised a rough old skipper in uniform. "I'm Sweetpea, I am the head of this expedition. We are on our way to the Southern Sea to search for new potion ingredients. Always looking to advance the industry, you know..."

     The three of us looked over at the ocean, where the stern of our boat was disappearing below the lapping waves with a loud gulp, "it doesn't look like we can do much for your ship at this point, so you will have to come with us. We will drop you off at the port of Mystery Island on our way back.

     Sweetpea turned "Dodds!" She called, "get these two dried off and assign them bunks; we will find them jobs tomorrow!

     -xXx-

     Flip and I travelled with Sweetpea and her research team on their ship, The Curious Nuranna, for several months until they returned to port in the early Fall, stocked with new potion ideas and plenty of strange new ingredients. Immediately, I set out in search of my lost herd and the grandmother that I had missed so dearly, but no one had seen or heard from them. After many months of fruitless searching Flip and I went to live in a Neohome of our own with a new owner; a relation of Sweetpea's owner. Luckily I already felt like I knew her since we had heard plenty about Jesse on our long sea voyage.

     We lived a simple existence amongst our new brothers and sisters, relaxing on the beach, hiking through the dense forests that surrounded our beach house, and travelling the varied lands of Neopia every chance that we got. I still missed my herd and Flip was still tortured by nightmares, but the difference was that now we were safe and we would always have each other to help weather the storm.

     We would often sit up late into the night, long after everyone else had gone to sleep and talk about everything that had happened in our short lives. We would spend hours speculating whether the curse could ever truly be broken, or whether my herd had survived that first violent storm. It wasn't quite happily ever after, but life rarely is. And on those nights when I would stare up at the sky under a blanket of stars, I held onto the hope that my herd was still out there, staring at those same stars thinking of me.

     The End.