Liz sat on the deck of the boat, basking in the May sun. As second honeymoons went, this jaunt to Bimini had been delicious–seven days in one of the poshest resorts in Bermuda. She smiled to herself, running a hand through her brown hair, determined to squeeze every last bit of enjoyment from this day.
“It’s time to head back, you know,” said Charles from his perch behind the wheel.
Liz sighed as she slid off her perch and moved to stand behind him, draping an arm seductively around his shoulders.
“Charles,” she whispered in his ear, “can’t we stay out a little bit longer?”
“Mmmm, you make me wish we could, but you were the one who wanted to get packed up tonight.”
“Thirty minutes?” She ran a hand playfully through his hair.
“Now you sound like Hannah.”
Liz smiled at the mention of their daughter. It would be good to get home and see her before the busyness of the end of school came in and claimed all her time.
Charles’s[O1] green eyes glittered as he reached over to give her a quick kiss, but his wife put a hand on his chest, her eyes staring out into the water.
“I don’t believe it.” She looked past her husband into something that seemed to be rising from the water. It was still several miles away, but from here it looked like it could be….
“Oh, come on. I was kidding. If you want to stay out a little later, it’s no big deal....” His voice trailed off when Liz put a hand to his mouth to silence him.
“Look,” she pointed toward the starboard side of the boat. His eyes followed her hand. “What? It looks like an island with a hill or something on it.”
Liz’s heart began to pound as Charles steered the boat toward the island. The knot that had formed in her stomach began to grow as the image before her became clear.
“That’s not a hill.” She looked at him, blue eyes blazing. “It’s a pyramid.”
Charles inhaled sharply, and Liz laid a hand on his arm.
“So you found it,” he said as the color drained from his face.
“I’m afraid so.”
She grabbed a camera from the bag at her husband’s feet and began snapping pictures. Most people would be thrilled at finding a piece of the lost continent of Atlantis, but this meant the beginning of something that might not turn out well for her. There was just one consolation.
“Hopefully, we can end this now, and Hannah won’t have to be involved.”
Charles squeezed her hand. “Let’s hope so.”
He[O2] steered the boat closer to the island, which didn’t appear to be more than a mile or so across. The pyramid rose from the center, with the ruins of smaller structures surrounding it. The pyramid was the only structure that was still intact.
Liz handed the camera to her husband and ran to the side of the boat to throw up, her nausea having nothing to do with seasickness. She’d known the island might be found in her lifetime, had prayed it would be found before Hannah was born. Now that she was faced with the implications of it, she had only one emotion. Fear.
When the isle du Tuk’abu rises from the sea…
“Do you want me to try to land?” Charles asked quietly.
What has been foretold will commence…
She wiped her mouth, grabbing a bottle of water out of a cooler. No, she didn’t want him to land, but yes, they had to land. She had to be the one to end it.
The two lines will converge…
“Yes, let’s land. It won’t be dark for a few hours.”
One line will meet its end…
Charles circled the island. “I’m not sure I can find a place to go to shore without banging up the bottom of the boat.”
“Just drop anchor here in the shallows. We can swim to shore.” She tried to make her voice sound more confident than she felt as she stripped off the cover-up to her bathing suit. Without waiting for her husband, she climbed over the rail and dived into the water.
Copyright © 2013 Fran Veal
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