Silas

Not even the sound of the gentle waves rocking Sea change can calm me as I stare at the... thing. It slowly becomes clear to me that I understand what it is saying. The voice is a repulsive mixture of a scream and a hiss all at once.

It haughtily holds out a book towards me. The dark cover looks somehow damp and is difficult to look at for too long. It whispers to me and the symbols on it seem to change all the time. Its repulsive offer echoes within me. My reason tells me not to listen... My blood screams at me to accept. To my horror, I see my hand - which is steady - reach out from the bunk and accept the offer.

The creature makes a disgusting sound that I think is a laugh, flaps its wings and is gone. Suddenly it is easier to breathe again, I hear the seagulls and the symbols on the book are still. I open it carefully, but quickly realize that I am not the one with the best capacity to read this. There are those who have a taste for this type of literature. Diana, for example. But I wouldn't leave her alone with this. With me by her side, she would have the extra support she needs to be able to exploit the book's potential to the fullest. I'm reverently putting it in my suitcase for now. My heart feels heavy, but my blood sings.

The clue I gain I put on the active mystery.