The Esmerelda, Chapter 5

The Esmerelda

Chapter 5 (Still in progress!!)


            The sun was beginning to set as Rhonwen quietly made her way through the maze of tents and lean-tos. Sunset was not a quick thing in this place. The sun leisurely tracked downward through the sky in a myriad of bright colours, taking upwards of an hour every evening. Each day it took Rhonwen's breath away, and she wished she could catch the vivid colours on canvas.
            As she walked, Rhonwen recounted the meeting that had recently taken place, where Captain Middleton had spoken to all of the Esmerelda survivors, telling them of the decisions that had been made. The meeting had confirmed most of the information that Springford had already imparted to them. They would remain at this spot until they had more information regarding their location, but a party would be sent to Acco with the Perla guides when they returned in two days. Hopefully in Acco the party would be able to discover their true location and also find accommodation for those still stuck on the beach. In the meantime, Captain Middleton would try and win an invite to the Perla village and also see if any supplies could be procured from the Perla, as the beach camp was woefully under-equipped.
            The sky was growing darker, and Rhonwen could hear the voices of displaced families and sailors as they gathered around their individual cook-fires for a meager evening meal. The conversations were louder and more cheerful than they had been since the shipwreck. The knowledge that they were not fully alone on a deserted island, and that there were towns and villages nearby, calmed many fears, and Captain Middleton had helped the situation more by suggesting that a ship could be procured, or at least passage arranged for most, in the town of Acco.
            Rhonwen quickly came to the edge of the camp, and there she kept walking, towards the edge of the beach where the water almost reached the trees. Though it was dark, and her more sensible side told her it was far to dangerous to be walking alone like this, Rhonwen needed the time alone. After several days surrounded by nervous and edgy shipwreck survivors, she was feeling more claustrophobic than she had even on the ship. And she needed time to sort out her thoughts.
         Anna still clung innocently to the hope that they would indeed find a ship ready and willing to take them home in Acco, but Rhonwen was beginning to think that perhaps it wouldn't be that easy. As much as she wanted to believe that they were stranded on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the Perla men had been very convincing in their argument that they were in an new land, and it wouldn't be so simple as just finding a ship and sailing home. Rhonwen's practical nature told her that there was no reason for the Perla to make up such an elaborate story. They just had no reason to lie.
         Before she knew it, Rhonwen found herself deep in the bush, much farther than she had intended to go. She turned, meaning to return in the direction from which she had come, but a small light flickering near the barely visible water stopped her in her place. Frozen, she held her breath, hoping whoever traveled along the waterline would quickly move away and not notice her standing among the trees. If it was someone from the beach camp, she would only get into trouble, and if it was anyone else, well, that Rhonwen didn't want to consider.
         Several moments past by, and the light did not move. Rhonwen's curiosity was aroused. She could not hear any sounds of movement, nor see any shadows. And the light seemed to be dimming. Against her better judgment, Rhonwen slowly made her way towards the light, being sure to keep to the shadows. From the shelter of a thick tree trunk she cautiously peered out towards the source of the light.
         And was absolutely amazed.
         Rhonwen caught her breath, sure that her mind was playing tricks on her. What she saw in front of her was impossible, unreal. She tried to tell herself that it was a figment of her imagination, that such things did not exist in reality. But although she tried hard to convince her mind otherwise, her eyes knew that what was in front of her was very, very real.
         For there, lying at the edge of the water in a faint pool of light, was the small, unmistakable form of a dragon.
         It looked nothing like the magnificent creatures Rhonwen had seen at home in drawings and paintings, yet there was no doubt in her mind as to what the creature was. Something about it screamed "dragon".
         It was small; no bigger than the cocker spaniel Rhonwen had owned as a child. And there was nothing reptilian about it; while the creature had scales, they looked velvety soft and displayed a rainbow of colours. The light that had drawn Rhonwen out of the bushes was coming from the dragon itself. The creature glowed, although now only faintly. Rhonwen quickly saw the reason why.
         One of its small wings was resting at an awkward angle, bent so far forward that it could be held in the dragon's short front paws. The poor creature's head was bent over the injured wing, and Rhonwen was now close enough to hear the faint mewling noises it was making, as though in great pain.
         She began to back away, meaning to silently slip into the bush without disturbing the dragon, but something stopped her. The pained noises it was making wrenched at her heart, and Rhonwen found she simply could not leave an injured animal alone without at least trying to help it.
         Slowly and cautiously Rhonwen moved out into the open, hoping she wouldn't scare the undersized dragon. The dragon lifted its eyes and hissed as it sensed her movement. Rhonwen froze for a moment, and then she crouched low to the ground, making soothing noises. She moved forward, hoping that the dragon wouldn't decide to bite or claw at her. Or, God forbid, breathe any sort of fire at her.
         The dragon hissed once more, then fell silent. It's long nose sniffed suspiciously at her, and Rhonwen noticed the creature's emerald green eyes for the first time. They were the most amazing colour she had ever seen.
         "You poor thing," breathed Rhonwen, keeping her voice low. "Here, let me see your wing."
         She reached towards the injured appendage,  only to have the dragon hiss yet again and scramble backwards.
         "Well I can't help you if you won't let me look at it," Rhonwen pointed out reasonably.
         The dragon made a noise that resembled nothing less than a distinct "Harrumph!" and lifted  it's nose in the air. Rhonwen got the impression that it meant the equivalent of  "Nice try, lady!"
         Rhonwen wisely backed off and sat a short distance away, deciding to give the dragon a few moments before trying to approach again. But before a minute was up, the dragon slowly moved towards her, no doubt out of curiosity. It came close enough that Rhonwen could feel the heat radiating from its scales.
         Just as Rhonwen was sure the creature would scurry away again, it did something quite surprising. The dragon lifted up its tiny front paw and placed the soft pad directly on Rhonwen's outstretched hand. And as it did that, the most unbelievable thing happened.
         Rhonwen felt a peculiar rush of heat enter into her hand and through her body, and there was a crackling in the air. It took her a moment to realize that the crackling noise was coming from the dragon itself. She watched in astonishment at the broken wing on the dragon's back began a delicate  transformation, growing and strengthening until with a slight "pop!" it was whole again.
         Once this transformation was complete, the soft glow that surrounded the dragon noticeably increased.
         Rhonwen felt numb. And tired. She couldn't quite comprehend what she had just witnessed, and she wondered if she would soon wake up and find the whole experience had just been a dream.
         She sat as still as a statue until the dragon, who now seemed unmistakably to be a he, intruded on her silent confusion by making a loud purring noise. He watched her for a moment, and then promptly climbed into her lap, nuzzling his long nose under her chin.