What Lies Beneath the Fog

》18《

I left Claire and Dean in front of The White Lady, and made my way home alone.

Claire was staying in the pub, in one of the rooms freed by the birdwatchers. I was quite jealous of Dean to have her so close. Me and Emma, on the other hand, had all the island spread out between us.

I had to smile when I realized the direction which my thoughts were taking. Dean and Claire were a proper couple, whereas I had only just met Emma. I didn't even know for sure how she was feeling about me.

What did she do to me? I had never met a girl like her before...

Lost in thoughts, I hadn't even noticed that I reached the road leading to my house already. It was nearly dark, and when I paused to recover my breath after the climb, looking down into the valley, I noticed the fog creeping slowly out of the deep waters of the harbour, spreading noiselessly around, like a soft blanket, knitted from air and water, protecting the island for the cold of the night.

I resumed my walk, and when I reached our cottage, the bright cone of light from Byron's Lighthouse illuminated the front steps for me.

"The lost adventurer is back!" Dad shouted as soon as I walked in, making me jump.
How long has he been waiting for me there, hidden behind the door?!

"Did you have a good day?" he asked.

"Yes, great," I responded, not really in a mood to reveal too much. "What's for dinner? I'm starving," I said, trying to avoid Dad's questions.

I walked past him towards the kitchen, where Mum was setting the table. When she noticed the scent of seawater in my hair and the tiny, white crystals of dried salt covering my skin, she sent me to take a shower before she allowed me to join them at the table.

While we were eating, I told them about our circumnavigation of Foggy Island. Dad recalled how once, years ago, he did the same with Mum, in the very same boat. Then he asked me about the otters and the castle ruin.
Only now I realised that Dean hadn't mentioned the castle at all. Most probably it had been under the water, invisible from the boat.

"You'll see it tomorrow," Dad promised. "I'm taking you two sightseeing in the morning. And after that, we will have lunch in the village, at Lynn's. What do you think? It will be our last day together, before your mum leaves."

"Yes, fine," I agreed eagerly. Going down to Cala meant more chances of seeing Emma again.

After the meal I started feeling tired, the day had been long and eventful. I helped Mum to clear the dishes and wash up, while Dad sneaked out of the kitchen silently, carrying his glass of wine to the sitting room. Once all was done, I kissed Mum goodnight, and dragged myself up the stairs.

Using the last energy I had left, I walked to my window. Everything was silent outside, eerily silent. The light wind that had been blowing all day long exhausted itself, there was no trace left of it now. The distant rain clouds were streaked with a few weak flashes of lightning, which came and went away quickly, making them visible for instants at times. The storm was still too far above the sea to be heard, or look really threatening. It was cold; I decided to shut the window tonight.

Then I crashed on my bed and fell asleep immediately.

I dreamt the whole night. In my dream, the events of the day came back to me, changed, distorted, frightening. I saw myself alone in the boat, sailing around the island. The sea was rough and deep blue, there was no sunshine. It was a cold and windy day, probably at the beginning of winter.

As the boat reached the dangerous cliffs resembling enormous claws of some ancient sea monster climbing out of the water under the Byron's Lighthouse, I saw the broken body of Walter Byron pierced to the tip of one of them. I heard distant voices falling from the cliff high above, shouting and crying. A group of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes was standing up there, pointing towards the soulless corpse of the lighthouse keeper. They just found him.

The boat didn't pause though, it was taking me towards the beach. It stopped when it reached it, and I jumped in the freezing waves in the same spot as the day before. But this time, I felt like I was drowning. The icy water, full of millions of tiny, iridescent bubbles was suffocating me, filling my lungs, pulling me under. When I thought I'd never resurface, something pushed me up, and I emerged on the beach.

The water dropping off my clothes was morphing into icicles, the echo from the cave was making the angry sea roar in my ears. I reached the cave, finding the entrance straight away, and walked directly to the dark corner where I had found the passage. A shadowy female figure dressed in white detached itself from the rock wall and laid its cold hand on the small of my back, its touch colder than my already freezing body.

Another, warmer hand touched my arm. I looked towards it and found Emma standing by my side, her beautiful eyes, two enormous pools of dark sea water, her hair floating around her body like it did when she was swimming.

"What's wrong?... Emma?" I asked her, worried.

"No Liam, I'm not Emma," she responded, her voice just a hoarse whisper. She started to change, morph into someone else...

I opened my eyes. Mum was touching my arm, trying to wake me up.

"It's nine o'clock," she said simply, smiling, but not asking about my dream. "We should get going soon. I promised Lynn we would eat with them today, and your father wants to show you the island... Come on, get ready."

She walked out of my room, leaving me on my own. I sat up on the bed, still feeling dizzy and confused from the weird dream. I didn't know what it all meant; I needed to talk to Emma.

Maybe Anne Byron chose the two of us to solve the mystery surrounding her. I had no idea why me and Emma, but I didn't really mind, as long as she was involved, too.

I walked to my chest of drawers to get some clean clothes for the day, and froze in my tracks. The broken key lay there, neatly arranged on top of its wooden box, looking whole and perfect. How did it get there? I was sure I didn't take it out of my backpack, I had completely forgotten about it last night.

Indeed, the backpack was still on the chair by the door, complete with my wet swimming trunks, and the towel I used the day before. Hopefully Mum hadn't noticed.

But how did the key get out? What was I missing here?  It was... weird and creepy. I needed to see Emma. We were in this together.

"Liam, come on!" Dad's voice urged me from downstairs. "Your breakfast is ready, and we have to go. Bring your rain jacket, it might rain later."

I got dressed quickly, leaving my bed undone. They were rushing too much. Then I went to close the window, peeking out at the cloudy, but so far fogless day.

Didn't I close the window last night?! I was sure I did... Yet another strange and unusual thing to think about. Or better not.

I put the broken key in my pocket and rushed down the stairs, jumping at the sound of the creaky step.

Only now I was properly awake.