The Logs of the TDFS Tindome

Chapter 3

Eïr chats with Sam, in hopes that the latter may say something about this pirate island.

Sam's interests are more immediate. She is disconcerted to realize that she feels really hungry, although, since it never got light, she must have been in the water only one night. Eïr explains that day and night doesn't happen here, and she isn't used to it either.

Eïr asks Sam to describe again what happened to her and her family, but in greater detail. Sam explains that she and her siblings were on their father's sailboat, when this enormous storm came up, and there was a tsunami or wall of water. She got her brother and sister into the lifeboat, and got it overboard. She tried to swim to it, but failed. She saw "a tall thing." She clung to a bit of wreckage. She further explained that her father is a financier, by way of accounting for the boat.

She breaks off. "Why did you ask for my brother's jackknife?"

Eïr explains that we are using it to follow the mental "scent" of her brother, Mica. Sam is bewildered, by that and by her healing. They talk about dowsing, which Sam had only seen on TV. Eir explains that this is searching for people with a mind, not for water with a fork. They discuss footgear, and decide that Sam can remain barefoot, for traction. Hesitantly, Eïr next asks her if she knows anything about pirates.

Sam does. Mostly, however, she's used to them being people with fast speedboats and automatic weapons, south of Miami, Florida. Here, Eïr gently explains, they are the kind with square-rigged ships and skull-and-crossed-bones flags. She also mentions dragons.

Sam starts to believe she is in a Different Place – if there really are dragons here. Eïr solemnly assures her that there are dragons, although it is unwise to stand to close to them when you talk. Sam confesses that she had thought that "the tall thing" had looked like it might be a… sea serpent.

Bay slips in to explain why they stopped and reversed: there are pirate ships in the harbor ahead. Eir replies that Sam has no familiarity with pirates, and must be from a different realm. Sam agrees that this must be a different "realm" entirely, because she knows nothing of dragons, pirates, dwarves, or feys. They make their way up on deck. Bay finds out that Sam left port on April 17, 2005, centuries before he was on Earth. This makes things ticklish. Bay assures Sam that we believe her, but that this is indeed a different continuum. "We are looking for a way between Earth and Here, so returning you and your brother and sister will be very important to us." Bay also explains to her that he is part dwarf, and is called a Santa's Elf, and that Mandorak is a full dwarf, but of another sort. Sam is very unhappy.

Teller comes over to learn things, so Sam tells her about the Bahamas, and catamarans. In return, Teller explains that his job is to tell what happens, and explains that the brother (Eric) pens things. Sam becomes more confused.

Eïr takes Sam to the upper observation deck, away from Teller. We start to circumnavigate the pirate island at a cautious distance. Eïr sets the forward observation window to full magnification. Part way around the island, Eric does a second dowse, and confirms that the island contains their target. It's a good-sized island, with a pointy mountain in the middle. The mountain has a reddish glow to its top, and there's some smoke coming out of the top. The harbor remains fog-shrouded, and there is a town around the harbor. There are no obvious settlements on the far side.

We decide to land on the far side, and work our way closer to where Mica, and sister Sarah, might be. We sail up onto the island, and anchor to some trees. Mandorak persuades Teller not to throw the lines overboard again. Manorak encrypts the engine, We pull out our favorite weapons (knives, mostly). The engineers augment the power on a sighting laser for Bay, and put another sighting laser on the ectoplastic mending "gun". Sam explains that she does aikido (gymnastics, then ballet, then ballroom dance, then butterfly), and Eric turns a scroll into a 150 x 3 cm. staff for her. Finwe provides her with a pair of his boots.

We agree that it would be really desirable for the ship to become invisible. Bay makes a note. Teller insists that if we all think it together, the ship can become invisible.

We climb down the ladder. The process is a bit awkward, and Bay makes another note.

We are now ready to cross the island to the foot of the volcano, then walk over the shoulder of the mountain, down to the town on the bay.