The Passage 1

Laughter lingered in the atmosphere. Young and old men, slutty women middle-aged and youngsters all crowded in the room. The place oozed of beer and rum. Hysterical laughter varying from grunting to giggles was the usual atmospheric endemic in the room.

"Hahaha!" A man whose eyes were bulging and red laughed, his veins showing. He raised his beer glass up into the air. "To the sea and aboard, we say goodbye! Till next three months! Aye!"

"Aye!" The rest of the people chorused and they drank their rum and beer in one gulp.

The laughter continued to circulate and the air was boisterous.

At a corner, some men were playing drafts, one was losing, he disagreed and scrambled the game. His partner flared up and insults appraised him from all angles. "Cheater! You'll rot in hell".

"Loser! haha!"

"Cheat!"

"Parley!"

"Yes parley!"

And it went on and on for as long as it could last.

Leon and his friend Pete sat at the deck of the ship, their own beer and rum in thier hands, Leon smoking and Pete concentrating on the full moon that illuminated their paths to home.

He sighed heavily and said in a drunken stupor, "Tomorrow...." he grinned and looked at Leon. "We arrive Chandels tomorrow". He laughed and shouted. "I have long waited for home. After 5 years at sea, finally. Tomorrow, we go home." With that, he sipped from his bottle of rum that was half empty.

Leon was calm, concentrating more on his smoke and thinking of something. He smiled when he remembered and took another draw of the tie. "We go home".

"Tell me my dear friend, what will y-you do for five months until the boarding huh? Tell me there is a girl you like aye!" He grunted and laughed.

Leon shook his head and drank his beer, smiling at his friend's drunken state. Pete had never been this drunk before, only tipsy. He was a great opponent of drunkenness and the reason he was in this state was because they had a bet. When they found the aisle to home after Five years if being lost at sea, he would drink and drink until it was okay with Leon. And Leon had told him he could rest for this was his last bottle. Pete had said "Nay. I will take more because I never thought I could see home again. What a world. Nobody would believe if we told them we went into David Jones Locker and came out alive!" He grinned as a sense of achievement crawled in his spine.

"I must agree that I haven't seen a pretty girl in a while. Who knows, I might find one and fall in love. Whatever that means". He drew from his smoke and allowed the fragrance to linger in his mouth before passing it out slowly. His draw finished and he threw the patch into the sea. He dusted his trouser and stood up. He offered his hand to Pete. "Get up chap"

Pete looked at the hand, threw his bottle of rum away. Leon laughed. He was sure another mate would come pick it up later. Pete took the hand and stood up unsteadily. Leon aid him by crossing his hand over his shoulders for support.

"Hope you can walk?" He asked.

Pete didn't reply, his head bowed.

"I will take that as a no -- or a yes". He smiled and applied pressure on his feet as he helped his friend to thier cabin.

~~~~~~~

What just happened?

"Where am I?"

Everywhere was dark as night. It was quiet to a scary point it heightened Sofia's defense senses. She shivered.

Find the portal. A voice echoed. Find the path that leads to Huie. You and only You.

"Where is my mom?" She asked no one.

She is not worthy. When you find the portal, everything would unfold to you. Find the path to Huie...

Sofia sat unmoving on her bed as the events of the last few minutes played in her mind again and again and again. Ma. She shivered. The staff is evil. Very evil. It killed Ma.

She looked at it and moved away . Defani Hansabti. The whispers filled the air and it became frequent and louder. Was she going insane? She thought as she shook it off, afraid to sleep for the fear of nightmares.