Coated with Valour (Book 2 of the Purple Chronicles)

Bryce: Commotion in the Ocean

Bryce: Commotion in the Ocean

Lavander.  Bryce thought of her sister’s name. There was no chance that she was coming back, the room fell silent for as long as Bryce counted the seconds that passed by. No nurse not even the man who saved him came in. The superb hearing didn’t came handy at all, the constant sound of the beeping heart monitor only made him feel sick and annoyed. 

With more practice Bryce’s pinky now moved back and forth but very slowly. He tried moving his other fingers but only his right pinky only made the response. Two girls were about to came in, they were chattering about some building that fell or destroyed, Bryce didn’t had much of the conversation figured out.

It was dark in his visions but all of a sudden a strange blue light came dashing in pulling his consciousness upwards. Bryce knew he was still at the hospital but he felt that he was ascending up into the blue light slowly engulfing him until he spun and spun then stopped in a watery place. Bryce thought he’s senses were back as the smell of the ocean tingled on his nose and the tickling feeling of the small fishes passed over his foot made him jump a little.

The water was only ankle high but the depth of the ocean was unseen from where he was standing. All around him was just the vast ocean with no land or sky, just the darkness above him. There were neither stars nor the moon, there was just the dark sky that made the whole place looked bleak.

“Hello?” Bryce shouted out over the horizon. It was a foolish idea for no one was arund to hear him. It was weird for him, he didn’t fall asleep so it wasn’t a dream, it was an invisible entity dragged him there for some reason. “Hello?” he cried out loud once again.

From the corner of Bryce’s eye he knew he saw someone. It was an old man with skin as wrinkled as a crocodile skin and was tanned to every last inch of his face. He had a beard so white and long that it went up to his waist. It was curly and not well taken cared of for it had tangles and bits of wooden debris littered around them.

His eyes were the dullest color of blue that were almost gray. A sailor hat was covering his bald head that Bryce thought was wrinkled and wasn’t polished. Despite of his pitiful old man look, his pin stripe suit was first class accessorized by his gold ring with a sapphire stone in the middle.

“Hello?” Bryce asked as he slowly went closer.

He ordered him to stop. “That’s okay my young man,” he spoke in a distinct Irish accent as he took out an old pipe and smoke it. Bryce stopped a few meters away from him.

“Do you know why you’re here young man?” he said. The smoke from his pipe made small circles that slowly disappeared on the empty space.  

“No sir,” Bryce softly said, quite afraid of the old man.

“Speak up my man, I could hardly hear you with the ringing in my ears,” he shouted in a commanding manner. It definitely shook Bryce and his eyes widened even more as he straightened his back and looked him in the eye.

“No sir.” He said more firmly and loudly.

“Good,” the old man said, “it’s been a long time since I’ve been out in the field young man so I don’t remember if I’m doing it right.” He grinned.

“What’s happening anyway?”

The old man sighed. “Will you accept what I shall offer you young man?”

He looked at the old man with total confusion. “Accept what offer?” Bryce asked and looked around him. The eerie feeling that this was all a joke lingered around him.

“The responsibility,” he said and threw his pipe on the ocean, Bryce followed its shadow as it descended on the darkness of the abyss never to be seen ever again.