[Reviews - 24]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 2260 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 4

http://www.lundyisland.co.uk/ (For those of you who are interested!)






“………………I bought them in a sale after Christmas, now they’re too short for him, look!”

“What’s that love?” Spike watched as Billy tried to pull the jeans down to meet his sandals, or then pull them up from his hips, and it was no good – they were too short for him

“Those jeans of Billy’s, the bottoms look like they’ve had an argument with his socks he’s growing so fast!”

“Well, rip ‘em off at the knee, take the socks off, he doesn’t need them, he can look like a proper pirate, he won’t mind especially if I wear my cut offs too. Has he got a stripy tee shirt? – He’ll look the business, like a pirate and love it – won’t you son?!”

“Yeah!”

“See – go on, don’t worry, leave it to me, you see to Izzie”

“Are you sure the weather will be calm?” Buffy asked with some trepidation

“Honestly love, like glass – there’s no need to worry!”

Buffy had everything ready for their trip to Lundy, the picnic was made up in the fridge ready to be packed into the cool boxes. Cold chicken, crusty ham cobs, sausage rolls, cheese and onion quiche, mixed garden salad, and the surplus Cornish pasties from the day before, there were also various cakes, fruit and potato chips to fill up on, and several bottles of pop to drink.

Despite only being just gone 8.00am, the sun was high in a cloudless blue sky, on what promised to be a scorcher of a day. Buffy made sure she bought sun-cream and had already lathered the children with it to be on the safe side.

“Just toast for breakfast, that okay with you?” Buffy asked

“Fine, we can pig-out later!” The phone rang, it was Sam

“Hi Sam – you okay?”

“Fine, are you nearly ready?”

“Sure!”

“Good, I’ll come and pick you up then – is Willow okay?” Spike grinned

“She’s fine, don’t worry!” Spike ended the call and shouted up the stairs,

“Sam’s on his way…Billy”

“Yes dad?”

“Bring your telescope would you, it’ll be useful”

“Great – can I bring a book to read on the boat dad?”

Spike smiled

“Sure”

“Daddy...can I bring Princess Twinkletoes?”

“Better not honey-bunny, she might get dirty, but I know, how about if you bring one of her books instead, hmm?”

“Okay”

“Good girl, go and fetch one then”

“Did you say that was Sam?” Buffy asked coming out of the bathroom

Spike nodded and then frowned as he watched Buffy pop a tablet

“Got a headache?”

“No, it’s a ‘Quells’ – a sea-sickness tablet, just in case”

“Oh right”

***************


“Budge up a bit…there, um oh, the picnic boxes have got to be put in yet, we can’t go with out the grub, can we…erm…tell you what Iz, come and sit on my lap pet”

Spike plucked his daughter up and sat her on his lap, shifted further down the van and Sam slid in the cool boxes, along with the basket of goodies aunt Peggy had prepared.

Buffy had her arm around Billy, who was really pleased with his new ‘cut-off’ jeans. He was also got his special ‘book-bag’ he’d bought his two latest books and his magnifying glass as well, he wanted to do some ‘exploring’ while he was there.

Sam carefully drove down to the quayside, where he gave Willow the cabin keys so that she and Buffy and the children could go on board while he and Spike bought the food and checked the supplies.

Ten minutes later they were off, Sam letting Billy and Izzie take it in turns to press the horn to signal they were leaving port – the fisherman were ending their day, mostly they’d sold their catches and were checking their nets in the bright sunshine. They waved to the newly named ‘Redwillow’s crew as she chugged slowly out of the harbour.

Despite it being a hot morning, it was windy up on deck and the children went down into the cabin, both of them sitting and reading.

Willow and Buffy chatted, Buffy was amazed how big and cosy the cabin was.

“That bench seat pulls out and makes a proper double bed” Willow explained to Buffy, pointing to where the children were sitting

“I see!” Buffy said grinning

The sea was like glass, smooth, hardly a ripple on the surface and they sailed out into the Bristol Channel, heading for Lundy Island.

******************

“With a risk of sounding like one of the kids, how long will it take us to get there, any idea?” Buffy asked Willow

“Erm, I think Sam said something about around two hours...want some coffee?”

Willow went over to the little Calor-gas stove and put the kettle on after filling it from one of the fresh water containers

Spike put his head down the hatch and called Billy.

“Want to come and see this big cruise-liner out in the Atlantic?”

Billy climbed the six stairs and went up on deck.

They all sipped coffee as the boat merrily chugged along, the kids loving it, even Buffy began to relax.

Taking the empty coffee mugs back down into the cabin, Buffy said

“I don’t know why I’m so nervous, I think it’s because of what Xander did that one time, in the boating lake…told me it was bottomless and was larking about, he nearly over-turned the boat and after I’d been, (she then dropped her voice and mouthed ‘drowned by the master’ , so the children wouldn’t hear,) I’ve always been a bit nervous around water”

“It’s understandable – but today is calm” as soon as Willow said that, the boat bobbed

“Whoa!” Billy and Izzie looked up from reading and smiled, the sensation from that small swell was akin to the quick rush you got from an elevator or a slide.

Buffy looked at Willow, but said nothing

Willow rinsed the coffee mugs and slotted them back in their holders in the tiny cupboard. No sooner as she’d done that, the boat ‘bobbed’ again, this time more steeply

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee---it’s like a roller coaster!” Billy said grinning, holding one hand on his tummy

Buffy didn’t look quite so happy the boat bobbed again, and again, and they all suddenly noticed that it was like a light had been switched off, it had got suddenly dark as the sun disappeared.

“Mommy, I don’t like it!” Izzie looked worriedly at her mother

“Don’t worry honey, it’s okay – uncle Sam knows what he’s doing” She pulled Izzie onto her lap and the boat pitched again, it landed with almost a bang, ‘belly-flopping’ in the water, and all of a sudden the noise of rain, or hail, like marbles hitting a tin-bucket could be heard.

“So much for being calm!” Buffy said

The boat was being tossed around, and Willow was just going to go up the steps to the top cabin where Spike and Sam were, when the hatch opened, and a load of seawater slopped in, Spike quickly came down the stairs soaked, followed by Sam, who slammed the hatch door and bolted it, he too looked like a drowned rat.

“I thought you said - - WWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA! It would be calm!” Willow said

“I…honestly………don’t know where this has…come from………sit down…everybody, and hold on, careful not to fall………” Sam went to a cupboard and opened it up, and switched on the radio, one linked to the one in the cabin up on deck, but like the one up there, this one too only gave out static noises as he twiddled the knobs.

“Mommy, I’m frightened!” Izzie began to cry, and Billy too began to get a little worried

“Don’t fret everyone, this’ll be over before we know it!” Sam said with a grin, trying desperately to get something other than static crackle out of the radio.

The pitching and tossing suddenly stopped as soon as it started and Izzie stopped crying
Billy turned and knelt on his seat, looking out of the porthole

“What can you see, son?” Spike asked, struggling to stand up on the wet floor

“Nothing…it’s all foggy”

Turning up the volume to full blast, all Sam could get was static crackle from the radio, so he switched off

“Spike, I’m going up to the top cabin, lock the hatch after me”

“Sam – be careful!” Willow said, not wanting him to go

“I’ll be okay love” Sam snatched a quick kiss and went up, Spike said,

“I’m going too Willow, lock the hatch after me”

“Be careful Spike” Buffy called Spike went up after Sam. All they could see through the cabin window was a thick wispy white misty fog swirling around

“What’s up Sam?” Spike frowned, Sam too was frowning

“Buggered if I know, and the gods alone know where that storm came from, there wasn’t a bloody cloud in the sky………the girls will kill me, I promised them it was going to be like glass, with no rough weather – but there was nothing on the shipping forecast!” Running his hands through his wet hair to stop it dripping in his eyes, Sam continued

“Radio’s on the blink – she’s just had a major overhaul, this is a new bloody radio! – All I can get is static!”

“Er Sam…have you seen this – I’m no sailor, but that can’t be right, can it?”

Sam came over to where Spike was standing by the binnacle, to see the compass needle spinning round freely

“Oh my god – fu-jeez- look at my watch too!” Sam noticed that the hands on his watch were spinning round and round too. Spike looked over Sam’s shoulder out of the window, it seemed to be getting lighter, and the misty fog began to clear

Sam turned and tried the radio again, but again he only got static noises

“The fog, it’s clearing – look, blue sky!” Spike said the relief in his voice

After another thirty seconds or so, the mist had cleared completely, and calm sea and blue sky had returned

Spike went to turn to go down to the others in the bottom cabin when Sam said

“Oh my god!”

Spike quickly turned and looked worriedly at Sam,

“What, WHAT –What is – oh bloody hell!” Spike and Sam stared at each other round eyed, they couldn’t believe what they saw in front of them………





You must login (register) to review.