Maria Beyond the Sea

Maria and the Unicorn

In the deep bows of the Karaboudjan, a young teen was attempting to read: she was a curious creature, who was willing to try anything – despite her difficulty in reading and writing. Well, in reality, there was no difficulty: she couldn't read or write at all. Yet, there was something about that book.

It had beautiful bright colours, many pages, drawings of children, and animals and large words:

Sing a song a sixpence,

A pocket full of rhyme:

Four and twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie.

When the pie was open,

The birds began to sing:

Wasn't that a dainty dish,

To set before the King.

On the other side, there was a sketch of a lady expressing an aghast look on her face as she stared down at the blackbirds in the middle of the pie.

Soon, she was ready to turn over. Scanning, she was trying to find another "story" but to no avail. Her impatience grew. Well, that explains why having one book can be frustrating. Suddenly, something caught the teen's eye. On the first front page, she noticed a little message:

To my darling Maria-Mary,

Whom God blessed you with love and beauty. Happy Birthday, little plum. Your loving Mummy. Xxx

Why didn't see this message before? Who was Maria-Mary? She knew her name was Maria but she didn't anyone with that name. She sank into deep thoughts.

'Maria!'

Maria jumped to her feet, when she heard a familiar voice. Standing in front of her was a tall figure, with thick, curly brown hair, sharp dark eyes, a long red waist coat and large circular glasses. He was Sakharine, a villainous brute with a twinkle in his eyes. Why he was happy? Well, Maria was about to find out.

'Maria', he said, 'I'll be going to ashore shortly but I won't be staying long. I have some important business to attend too'.

Maria then noticed a strange object clasped in his hands. She knew it was a ship. She'd been sailing all her life and knew what they looked like. However, Maria had never seen one this one before. It was different from the rest. She couldn't help herself; it was beautiful.

'Ah', Sakharine noticed, 'I see you've met the Unicorn. She's a beauty. Yes, tripled masted, double decks and fifty guns. They don't make ships like this anymore. Still, it's an antique worth keeping. I'll make sure it's kept in good condition'.

Suddenly, Sakharine snapped one of the ship's masts. Maria squealed, afraid that he was going to break the ship piece by piece. Luckily, he didn't. Then, he gently shook the model upside down and Maria saw an old scroll on the floor. To his delight, she saw a huge smile on his face. He picked up the scroll and opened it with curiosity. He then read out aloud:

Three brothers joined,

Three Unicorns in company

Sailing in the noonday sun shall speak.

For it's from the light

That light will dawn

And then shines forth,

The Eagles cross.

'Soon, I shall have the other two. Then, the Haddock's fortune will soon be mine. Maria', he instructed, 'I need you to look after them until I come back. And don't play them. These are not toys'. Carefully, he handed them to her; Sakharine didn't trust Maria but he had little choice. She was the only person he knew. There was nobody else. Well, at least that's what Maria thought.

'Sir', she asked, 'when will you teach me to read?'

Sakharine was annoyed; since she had been in his company, Maria had asked the same question over and over again. And every time she brought it up, Sakharine would give her the same answer: 'Maria, you don't need to learn. You are too delicate for that'.

'But you read the scroll, so why can't I?'

Sakharine suddenly whacked his cane in front of Maria, making her whimper and crawl away. He then sat next to her and placed his mouth close to her ear. 'We don't want to repeat our last incident do we?'

Maria shook her head.

'Good', he answered. 'I shall see you soon. Be a good girl, Maria and no funny stuff'.

He closed the door behind him and once again, Maria was alone her dark, badly light cabin. She curled up into a tiny ball and cried herself to sleep. What will become of me? Will I see land one day or I am to be a prisoner forever? But little did she know that Maria was about to embark on an adventure: one she'll never forget.