The Black Shard (20 page)

"It figures!" Davina bellyached. Then with a disgruntled expression, she looked up at Elzwur and said, "And don't
even
expect me to remember all the names of those queer plants and fruits you tried to get us to eat. I hate almost all fruit."

"That's why God made candy—it's much tastier," Hester said under her breath.

"And more practical, because it doesn't rot," Davina added.

So immature,
Kristina thought.

"Thanks for the pearls of wisdom, but believe me when I say, I surely wasn't expecting you two to remember the plants' names," Elzwur said disdainfully.

"I took Kristina to see the other side of the fall," Werrien said to Elzwur.

Davina suddenly perked up. "Can you take us as well?" she asked enthusiastically.

"No!" Elzwur said adamantly, running his hand down the length of his beard. "For one thing, there are dangerous fish in that water."

Werrien winked at Kristina, and Kristina smiled, once again picturing Elzwur wrestling with a small fish caught at the end of his beard.

"And for another, we need to get back to the ship," Elzwur added.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get going," Werrien said as he and Kristina began walking back to the beach.

"Oh, there is one more thing I need to tell you," Elzwur said, his little legs moving quickly to catch up with Werrien and Kristina, who were already a few yards ahead of him. "Our rowboat hit something at the shore, and now it's no longer seaworthy. I'm afraid the three of us will have to tag along with you two back to the ship."

The mood was somber as Werrien rowed the boat back to
THE KRISTINA.
Davina and Hester sat quietly, still brooding over the fact that they didn't get to go swimming, and Elzwur looked worn out, probably from having to spend the day with the two of them.

The sun was setting on the horizon, casting brilliant, pastel colors over the sprawling clouds in the sky. It could have been a perfectly glorious evening, and on any other occasion, Kristina would have been totally enamored with it, but instead, her heart felt as heavy as the anchor holding
THE KRISTINA
stationary in the sea, and as for the beautiful pastel colored sky, it only reminded her of the necklace that would soon be sending her home.

B
ack on the main deck of the ship the mood was anything but somber. A festive spirit lingered in the air, along with the smell of freshly baked bread entwined with the salty scent of the sea. Right after they boarded the ship, Werrien told Kristina he had something important to take care of and that he'd be back in a few minutes. Kristina watched him walk off, and then she turned toward the galley and saw a long table set up for an outdoor dinner party. Leacha was setting a large basket of fresh baked buns at the far end of the table. Kristina went to say hello to Leacha, and curious to check things out as well; Davina and Hester followed behind her. Just as they reached the galley door, Kurdy pushed through it, carrying a large black steaming caldron, and from the way he carried it—bent over slightly and with hurried short steps—it was obvious that the cauldron was very full.

"Hope you've worked up a good appetite," Kurdy said in a strained voice. He winked at Kristina. "Looks like someone got sun-kissed."

"More like bitten," Kristina said, starting to feel the effects of the sun. Her usually ivory-colored skin had turned a salmon pink, and her nose and arms were now clustered with tiny freckles. Werrien who was already on his way back to join Kristina, had only become more tanned, making his blue green eyes pop out even more, especially with his scruffy, sun-bleached hair.

Slouching near the table, Hester eyeballed the food for any signs of sweets. Then she glanced down at the clothes she was wearing.
I'm not at all impressed with this island-excursion attire that Elzwur provided for me and Davina,
she thought.
Of all things, he would have to give us his extra pants, which fit us like long shorts, and his extra white shirts that are too short on our arms and too baggy around our waists.
The clothes at least kept them from getting burned—that is, except for their faces. Hester tried to make her shirt look more fashionable by tying its ends at the side of her waist. Davina, on the other hand, could not have cared less how she looked, and let her white shirt, now wrinkled, hang out over her shorts.

Werrien noticed Kristina's burn. "Does it hurt?" he asked her.

"Not really. It's actually only a little warm," Kristina said, rubbing her arms like she was cold.

"You remind me of one of the delicate, pink orchids around your neck," he added smiling coolly.

"I'd say more like a red lobster," Hester ridiculed under her breath.

Davina went to the table and looked inside the steaming caldron. Then, with fogged up glasses, she hollered across the table to Leacha, "You've got to be kidding! I sure as heck hope you've got more than what's in this pot to feed everyone."

Leacha scowled at Davina. "You'd best be grateful for what you get, or I won't hesitate to put you back to work in the galley, and you'll miss the festivities tonight," she said, shaking a large wooden spoon at Davina. Then Leacha headed back to the kitchen. "Ungrateful urchin," she added.

Behind Leacha's back, Davina quietly mocked her.

Hester had overheard the word "festivities" and quickly went to Davina to get the scoop on it. "So fill me in on the happenings?" she said.

"I have no idea. The old bag didn't give me a chance to ask her," Davina said as she snuck a bun off the table. She shoved half of it in her mouth and the other half in her pocket.

"I think that I'd like to get changed," Kristina said to Werrien.

"Meet you back here within the hour?" Werrien said. Kristina agreed, and they both went their separate ways.

As soon as Kristina cracked open the door to her cabin, her nostrils instantly filled with a familiar floral fragrance. The cabin was dark except for a candle burning softly on the night table to the left of her bed. Its warm light added a charming ambience to the room. On the right-side night table was a vase filled with colorful meadow flowers. She glanced at the bed; laid out for her there was a summer dress, white with a pale blue orchid pattern covering it. Filled with awe, her mouth fell open and she immediately picked up the dress—and a note fell from it to the floor. She quickly picked up the note and read:

Dear Kristina,

I hope you like the dress. I picked out the material myself and had my tailor make it especially for you. I tried to match the blue to your eyes. If I didn't get it just right, I have no doubt you'll look great in it anyway. I hope you'll wear it tonight.

Werrien

p.s. Look under the bed.

Kristina looked under the bed and found a pair of white flat shoes. She placed them on top of the bed. Then she picked up the dress again and went to the mirror and held it against her body. The pale-blue orchids matched her eyes perfectly, and the crystal necklace, still unchanged, reflecting its pastel colors, complemented the dress perfectly.
Werrien has great taste. I absolutely love it,
she thought. She glanced up at her face again and saw that it looked normal—not great, in her opinion, with its being so pink and covered in freckles, but at least the green tinge, bags under her eyes, and hideous wrinkles were gone. She let out a sigh of relief.
Maybe the disgusting way I looked before really was only a figment of my imagination, and if it was, then it could also be possible that the gruesome old hag who tried to drown me wasn't real either,
she thought—at least, it was more comforting to think of it that way.

She changed into the dress, and put on the shoes—both fit very comfortably. Then she picked up the gold comb lying on the vanity and combed her long blonde hair. When she was done, she began twirling, watching the dress flare out. It made her feel like she was the stem of an upside-down flower. After a number of twirls, she stopped abruptly and faced the mirror. Feeling quite dizzy, she viewed something in the mirror so horrid that her stomach twisted like a wet sponge being rung out. Staring back at her was the ghastly, old hag who had tried to drown her earlier that day. She had on the same dress as Kristina, and she leered at Kristina with a loathsome hatred in her hollow eyes. She started laughing, softly at first, and then louder, and then hysterically, like an insane demon.

"No!" Kristina cried, covering her face with her hands. She looked through the cracks between her fingers and saw the hag walking slowly toward her, reaching with her bony, pale hand for Kristina's throat. If she could have, Kristina would have run out of the cabin, but her legs felt so heavy, like they were shackled to the floor with lead weights. It took all the strength she had in her to back away from the mirror. She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. Then suddenly, the hag's hand reached through the mirror.

The back of Kristina's knees hit the side of the bed, and she fell back into a sitting position. She could feel a deathly chill in the air as the hag drew nearer to her, stretching out her arm and hand toward Kristina's neck. Then, just as she was about to grasp Kristina's throat, someone pounded on the door. In the blink of an eye; the old hag's arm was drawn back into the mirror, with a black, smoke-like vapor trailing behind it.

Kristina stood up and slowly approached the mirror. The hag seemed to be gone. Now, Kristina could see only her own reflection. Another rude knock came at the door.

"Just a minute!" Kristina shouted agitatedly. Then, with trembling hands, she reached out and touched the mirror. Nothing at all seemed unusual about it.
Bang, bang, bang
sounded the thuds at the door again. She grabbed the orchid necklace off the bed and placed it around her neck again to hide the crystal necklace, and then she headed to the door. As she opened it, Davina and Hester fell into the room, giggling profusely. Hester was wearing a lavender, summer dress with white polka dots. A thin velvet lavender ribbon was tied in a bow around her neck. It brought back memories for Kristina of when Hester used to wear a different colored bow in her hair each day of the week at school, even up until the past year.

Davina was dressed back in the original clothes she had worn when she first came onto the ship—dark maroon pants, a white shirt, and black leather boots.

"What do you want?" Kristina snapped at them.

"Wow! Nice welcome," Hester said, her eyes enviously scanning the room. She sat down on the bed and ran her hands over the silk bedding. "So, this is why you didn't want to let us in!"

Davina went to admire herself in the mirror.

"What are you talking about, Hester?" Kristina said impatiently.

"Have you had a chance to see our room?" Hester said.

"No, I guess I haven't." Kristina already knew what Hester was getting at.

"Well, it's definitely not—" Hester began loudly.

"Okay, Hester!" Kristina interrupted. "What's your point?"

"My point is, you get treated like royalty, while we get treated like third-class passengers on this ship."

Davina took the lipstick out of the drawer and held it up in her hand. She turned around, smirked, and said, "Worse than that—more like slaves enlisted to do the scary-looking, little people's grunge work."

Kristina saw something sparkle on Hester's wrist. Hester slid her arm behind her back.

"Is that a bracelet?" Kristina asked Hester.

Hester couldn't help but smile. She held up her wrist on which she wore a silver bracelet with a small, pastel crystal embedded in it. "Just a little something from Heerzek, to prove to me how much he appreciates my coming along on this trip. He also said that my being with him on the ship makes his workload more bearable."

Kristina looked surprised. "Heerzek gave you this bracelet?"

"You would have to say it like that!" Hester said defensively, abruptly pulling her arm away from Kristina.

"Okay, I'm sorry—I really didn't mean it that way." Kristina was still feeling irritated from the frightful sight she had witnessed a few minutes earlier. This time, more gently, she took hold of Hester's wrist and ran her thumb over the small smooth stone. It was slightly warm, and she was sure she felt it pulsate.
Actually, that was a pretty good idea, having Heerzek give Hester her going-home bracelet,
Kristina thought.
It just might keep her out of her usual killjoy mood.
"It's really pretty, Hester," Kristina said, her demeanor also becoming more mirthful. "Did Davina get one from Sepel?"

"Show her yours, Davina," Hester said enthusiastically.

"Do I have to?" Davina whined teasingly. She applied the lipstick to her lips and continued admiring her refection in the mirror.

"Come on, Davina," Hester pressed.

Davina suddenly spun around and held her arm straight out, just below Kristina's nose. "You like?" she said, grinning wildly.

"You have got to be the weirdest girl—no, wait ... let me rephrase that—the weirdest person I've ever known," Kristina said, pushing Davina's arm down and away from her face. Then she grabbed hold of Davina's arm and held it a little farther away to admire Davina's bracelet, which was slightly different than Hester's. Hester's bracelet had an oval stone where Davina's had a rectangular one.