Houdini (Part 4 - final part)

He smiled at her slyly.
“And now it’s mine” he sniggered, as he swung it mockingly.
“You wanted to know why I was so keen to acquire this supposedly worthless piece. Well now I’ll tell you what your brother was so unfortunately late in discovering.”
His cocky emphasis on the word ‘unfortunately’ sent her reeling, but she held her nerve through gritted teeth.
“This stone is from the Temple of Atlantis, the city of the deep.” He announced.
His revelation drew a mixture of gasps, whispered comments, and sceptical outbursts of ‘Liar’, ‘Impossible’ and ‘Rubbish’.
Sternglass’s steely expression remained unchanged; she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her helplessly enraged.

Blackfoot stared into her eyes as he spoke, hoping his words would generate a flicker, if only momentarily, that she was jealous.
“Your brother wasn’t the only one who knew of fabled mysteries” he continued “but whilst he was burdened by the hows, whys and wherefores I trusted the myth. If you believe in it, it believes in you. It’s such a shame that he died before discovering that it is more than a fragment of a ruin. It has its own power, the power to give life and strength beyond all comprehension. And now its mine” he said greedily.

He took the rough blue stone in his fingers and examined it closely before clasping a dirty fat hand around it. His smug grin made her blood boil. She wanted to punch him, scratch his eyes out, kick his stubby wooden foot, yank the big golden hoops from his ears and pluck every last hair from his head.

But it wasn’t long before Blackfoot’s smug expression turned to one of strain. His round face turned from dirty grey to deep purple and his pockmarked cheeks puffed out like a balloon. He tried to speak but his face had grown so fat that he could only open his mouth wide enough to emit a deep moan. Everyone watched rigidly as Blackfoot’s entire body got wider and wider and rounder and rounder. He had become so plump that you could barely make out where his head finished and his feet began. Everyone was mesmerised by the transformation. They weren’t sure whether to laugh at the sight or run for cover for he had became so round he began to sway from side to side. The swaying became rhythmical and grew faster and faster until the swaying turned to shaking and that too got faster and faster. Everyone was beginning to feel slightly nauseous as they watched, seasickness was one thing but watching this was quite another, it was a stomach churner. He shook so much he began to bob around the deck. The crew of both ships jostled around desperately trying to avoid him, afraid of what was going to happen to Blackfoot next.

And then there was an almighty explosion. It sounded like a thousand oranges had being blown to smithereens.

Everyone shied away, trying to shelter themselves, some with arms covered protectively around their heads, others with their backs turned. As the noise subsided they slowly looked back at where Blackfoot had been standing but nothing was there. It was as if he’d just disappeared into thin air. Not a single trace of the villain could be seen, except for Sternglass’s necklace that glinted in the sunlight on the deck.

************

A few days later the crew of The Destructor, still dumbstruck from previous events, had been formally assimilated into Sternglass’s crew. As she settled into her new, plusher quarters on The Destructor, she prised open the last crate that had been brought on board from The Sea Breeze and riffled through its contents.

It contained some spoils from previous conquests; a small pistol that was loaded and cocked, which she placed carefully on the table of her quarters; her brother’s diary; the necklace with the blue stone and a strange book she didn’t recognise until she read the front cover “Mysteries of the Deep”. She chuckled to herself. It was Leon’s book, how did that get in there she thought.

“Calderman” she shouted.

Moments later the Quartermaster entered.
“Yes Captain?”
“Return this to Leon will you please” she asked handing the book over to him.
“Leon, Captain?”
“Yes, Leon, the cabin boy” she added frowning.
“But there is no cabin boy named Leon onboard Captain, not even in Blackfoot’s crew” he replied nonplussed,
“But that’s impossible I…oh my goodness” she gasped as she clasped her hand over her mouth. It all seemed to fall into place.
“Captain?” Calderman asked concerned.
“It was my mistake. That will be all Calderman, you may go about your business”

When the Quartermaster left her she sat down.
“Leon” she said as she stroked the cover of her brother’s diary, her fingers traced back the letters of her brother’s name on the cover “L…E…O…N”

She picked up “Mysteries of the Deep” and it fell open at the page on ‘The Remains of Atlantis’. Her eyes were drawn to text that that been underlined on the page and she read it slowly.

“…Legend has it the stone gives strength and power for those who believe in it, but when taken by those who wield it for evil shall feel its wrath”

She placed the necklace around her neck and patted the stone gently.

“He knew,” she whispered contentedly.

Jessica’s eyes sprang open. One glance at her watch told her it was 6.15am and her mother would be frantic. She jumped out of the deckchair, threw it under her arms and scrambled up the beach and over the dunes, she had to get back before her mother woke but not before she turned to look out over the ocean and said…

“See you tomorrow”.