I walked back through the forest towards the city. As I got closer to the city the trees became more and more black – like they had been charred in a forest fire.
When I kept walking forward I could see a large net obscuring my path. It was a trap that did not feel very subtle at all. It extended far on either side. I was unsure how long I would have to walk to get around it.
As I got closer to the net — suddenly the ropes came to life and wrapped around my limbs. They held me tightly and began pulling me slowly up past the tops of the trees. When I cleared the forest, I looked out across the valley and was astonished by what I saw.
I first noticed that the city had been completely leveled. There wasn’t a building in sight. Large rivers of green water flowed through the barren black valley surrounded by mountains in the far distance. The air was filled with white birds, and most surprising of all, I saw massive ships sailing through the air alongside the birds — flying far above the surface of the earth. I was being pulled into one of these ships by the writhing nets.
I slid over the side of the ship and was immediately met by a gruff looking large man dressed from head to toe in fishing gear. I expected to be handled rudely — but with a wave of his hand the ropes loosed completely. He offered me his hand and I rose to my feet. My knees gave out and I fell back down to my hands and knees.
“You don’t look right. Let’s get you something to eat.” The man said casually. As if everything that was happening was normal. I was very hungry though, so I just went along with it. “You’re safe up here,” the man said as I scarfed down a full bowl of a delicious savory soup. “Where the hell am I?” I said. With a hearty laugh, the man replied, “You’re on one of Xavier’s ships.”
I shot a look of hate and distrust at him, “Xavier took everything from me!" He looked at me with empathy, and I thought he was someone I could trust. But it became clear the more I spoke with him that he had a deep respect for Xavier. I uttered quietly under my breath, more to myself than anything, "You’re brainwashed!” “No I’m not,” the man replied. “I’ve been serving Xavier for months now, and my mind has never been clearer.” I held my mistrusting gaze. “I know you don’t feel it — but you’re safe here. And you’re welcome to stay as long as you wish.” “Why would I want to stay here?!” I replied harshly. The man pointed out towards the horizon, “I hate to break it to you, but wherever you go, there’s no running from Xavier.” I looked over the edge of the ship, and that’s when I saw that far in the distance – what I thought were mountains was the gigantic monster. His large green eyes looked over the valley, and his tentacles waved slowly through the air, like a puppet master. My heart was filled with dread. The man again reassured me, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You may as well stay here. But if you stay – you’re going to help around the ship — there’s lots of work to do.”
I considered leaving the ship immediately. But I figured I’d stay and learn as much as I could about Xavier. I had resigned to understanding nothing now, but if I could learn how to get my daughter back — that’s what I would do. So I stayed. I played the part and learned as much as I could. The more time I spent around the other fishermen and women, I could tell they weren’t all brainwashed; like the man said. I learned that the man who pulled me in the ship was named Chris. Some were brainwashed, but the ones who had been there the longest, like Chris, seemed the most present. But to my confusion – these people were the ones who honored and understood Xavier the most.
WE WERE FISHING FOR lost souls like myself. I wasn’t brought into the ship by accident. These fishermen were looking for people like me. The white birds in the air were doves, and they swarmed around individuals lost in the woods. This is how the fishermen knew where to cast their nets. When stragglers, as we called them, were brought into the ship they often reacted like me. All of us had lost things that we loved dearly. And to Chris' word, if they wanted to leave we let them.
In addition to letting down nets on land, we would hover by the green rivers and fish out spirits with rods. The rivers, like the forests, were also filled with lost souls. However, these people were just spirits now, and you could only really see them when you were close. I felt trapped in some horrific bizarre dream that I couldn’t wake up from. But I’d felt that way long before Xavier had arrived.
The longer I stayed on the ships, the more I came to respect the people there. Except for the brainwashed ones; they were fanatical and blind to their and my sorrows. But the ones like Chris were compassionate and had all their memories. They told me stories of how Xavier had saved them. Every time I heard something like this I felt like puking. I wanted to grab the person by the throat and silence them; and I might’ve if they weren’t so clearly sincere. I could tell they really had a deep love and respect for Xavier. I just had hate and anger in my heart. The only love I felt was for Sadie. The longer I stayed on the ship and heard the fishermen speak of their families, lost or present, my resolve to save Sadie grew stronger and stronger.
WHILE FISHING ON THE banks of the green rivers, I hoped that I wouldn’t pull out Sadie’s spirit one of these days. The spirits were cold and disconnected. They were dead in body and mind, and were simply wandering — driven by every whim and churn of the current. When we caught them they instinctively walked onto the ship and disappeared into the woodwork. You couldn’t speak to them; it’s like they didn’t even know you were there. But I constantly felt their presence on the ship, they were in the floors and walls. It unsettled me.
While reeling in a spirit, Chris leaned over to me and said that was enough for now, and that we were almost full. When we got too full on the ship with living people, a new ship would appear. The crew would be divided and a new captain chosen. This was done by the doves; they would land on your shoulder and that’s how you knew you were meant to go. But our ship had just been split and we had plenty of room aboard now.
I inquired of Chris, and he explained that there were too many spirits. "The ship is bursting and we need to unload it." I resented how every time something like this was explained to me, it was done as if I already should've known this. After impatiently pressing further, I learned that unloading the spirits meant sailing to Xavier. My heart leapt. I knew this was my chance to confront the monster and find Sadie. I felt with every fiber of my being that he still had her.
I went back on the ship, and prepared for sleep. My hammock, below deck, was next to Chris’. As I tried to fall asleep, Chris turned over to me and asked me about my life before Xavier. I cared for Chris, and though I didn’t understand his love for Xavier, I knew I could trust him. I told him everything. I told him about Megan, my father, the story of when my mother died. As I recounted my story I was surprised to find that what finally brought tears to my eyes was the story of when we got our dog Kilo. I loved that dog, and it surprised me how much I cared for him and missed him.
I finally told Chris about Sadie, about her being taken from me in the field. Chris laid there quietly and just listened. He gave my words a minute to settle and we sat in silence for a moment. Breaking the silence Chris simply said, “I can see why you hate Xavier. I’m sorry.” Chris paused again, I knew he was thinking about what to say. I was angry and I could tell he was trying hard to not offend me. Without surprise, he told me why he trusted and loved Xavier. It still made no sense to me, but I could tell that he was telling the truth. He loved Xavier. I respected and cared for Chris, he was a good man. I knew I would miss him. He was there for me when no one else was.
WE GOT TO XAVIER EARLY the next day. I could see that he was somewhat immersed in the largest lake I had ever seen. As we got closer, the spirits flew from the hull, mast, and sails of the ship and plunged into the lake. This was my chance. I felt a sudden fear paralyze me. Chris watched in concern. He could see something was very wrong with me. Suddenly, one of the tentacles in my mind pulled my love for Sadie to the front; I was filled with courage and jumped from the ship.
I expected Chris to try and stop me, to throw down a net again; I suspected he knew I was up to something. But he just watched me as I dived overboard and into the water below.
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