Page 22 of Drowning in Sins
“It’s been a while since anyone wanted to look at that old site. Makes me wonder what they know that others don’t.” Frederick half-smiled.
I nodded in agreement. “I wish I knew.” I signed a confidentiality agreement in case I overheard things, but I wondered the same thing.
The mystery of the broken ship was something several research companies and explorers wanted to find answers to too. They weren’t alone; we had our local legends as to why a shipwreck out here was missing half of the boat. The area had been scanned, and it was nowhere to be found, as if it ceased to exist.
Scientist at the beginning blamed it on all sorts of weather and natural elements, as if it was simply destroyed. Seeing the things I’ve seen, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something unworldly about its disappearance.
Chapter Twenty-One
ROSALYN
There was a rush that came with holding one’s breath. An exhilarating feeling as lungs screamed for fresh air. When we’re little, it’s all about who can stay under the water longest before coming up for a breath. It seemed so innocent, looking back. That head rush and thrill of it all. As a kid, I was only ever in competition with myself. Always trying to beat my own record.
It never occurred to me how often I chased that feeling of being so close to the edge. Not until I was older anyway. I’d never considered myself a thrill seeker. But sometimes, oh sometimes, there were those moments that made life worth living.
It was different in the depths of the ocean. Maybe because it wasn’t as quiet as the pool that allowed me to focus. Holding your breath in quiet water was easy. It was more surprising going from the practice pool to actual open water.
Wearing the mask allowed me time to calm myself and take it all in. The tank gave me the ability to breathe under water. The more time spent focusing on my surroundings and taking it all in, I realized the truth.
It was a different world down here.
A world within our own. Not as many people took advantage of exploring as they should. It was something I never wanted to stop doing. Grams told me to never stop learning, and it was something I’d like to think would always stick with me.
We learned in our everyday lives, like sponges absorbing everything around us, even when we didn’t realize it. It’s why I wanted to explore new places and people. It was part of the reason I chose the field I did. There was something about learning from our past.
It was a reminder that I was in control of my life. Plans weren’t laid out for me without detours and choices. Even when my mother chose to remind me who was in charge growing up—not that I could blame her. She was the parent and therefor assumed she knew best. At the time, she had more experiences than me.
I wouldn’t hold it against her. We all did the best we could with the lives we were born into. Even in the dark moments when we gasped for air and clarification, we were still in charge. It was part of what kept me going. The thoughts and opinions of my mother wouldn’t hold me back. I had something to prove. Whether that was to her or myself was undecided. Perhaps both.
I kicked off the ground and swam away from Tyler. I wanted to go deeper into the wreck. We stayed close enough to get the attention of one another, but both of us were looking for something that could’ve been missed the first time around.
It grew darker as I entered the area. The light from the sun could only reach so far. There was something about this that we kept missing, a bigger picture maybe. Call me Nancy or Harriet, but I was determined to get to the bottom of it.
The Jones Maritime Collective had reported back on the findings after the first trip out. They weren’t satisfied. To be fair, if I was paying to explore an area, I’d want to see the wholesite too. It wasn’t like the other half of the ship could’ve just vanished.
My eyes flickered to the numbers on my tank before I moved away from the wreck. My eyes scanned the damaged pieces and the way the ship curved. It was almost as if just the end had broken off. That didn’t match the ship though. Half of it was clearly missing, so I swam farther away.
Tyler motioned to ask what I was doing, but I shook my head and swam even farther. He must’ve given up wondering what I was trying to see, because he followed me and turned to examine the ship with me.
It dipped at the top, partially due to pressure and age no doubt. There was something else off about the whole thing. I signaled to Tyler to swim back up. I wanted to see some of the original designs and reports. The damaged end was too close, as if pulled together by some invisible force. It was simply sunk. Something wasn’t adding up.
After turning the camera in to Alice and changing out of my gear, I grabbed some of the files and took over one of the tables in the little dining room. I made a pot of coffee and spread everything out.
“Thought I smelled coffee.” I glanced up to see Joe enter the room and head to the coffee pot. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” I smiled. “I made plenty.”
There was no shortage of coffee on the ship. It seemed there was always some in the pot and that everyone drank it. It was nearly never empty. The last to drink some was responsible for putting on a fresh pot, or at least prepping it to go again.
He proceeded to make himself a cup, then walked closer to where I was looking over everything. I wasn’t worried about him seeing something he wasn’t supposed to; everyone on theMaribethsigned documents to not repeat or share what they saw on this expedition.
Most of the papers I had spread out on the table were public knowledge. It was an old shipwreck with many mysteries. Plenty of reports and articles had been written about it.
“The mysteriousRoyal Douglas.” Joe chuckled as he sat down across from me. “The real mystery is where James Douglas got it all to begin with.”
“I don’t follow.” My eyes scanned over the papers before landing on the old man sitting in front of me.
James Douglas had been the captain of the ship when it went down. They suspected it was a storm during one of the trips for the East India Trading Company. There wasn’t much mystery other than part of the ship missing.
