Fury's Island

by Sue Perkins

  “How can you be so certain?”

  “They look like Ellen, the ghost in our house in Cave.”

  “How can you be sure she wasn’t a memory from the past?.

  “First of all my two friends saw her as well as me. Plus she left me the house in her will which had been written over a century before.”

  Eion gave a low whistle.

  They had opened the trapdoor when they arrived and Fury watched with delight as the pirates marched down the stairs with the caskets on their shoulders. This time she had her phone ready and she snapped a few photos. Despite the flash going off the pirates didn’t seem to notice. She and Eion peered down into the lower cave but the scene cut off at the same instance as the last time.

  “Did you see them properly this time?”

  Eion shook his head. “Not really. I could see figures but no details. It was better than last time though.”

  Fury started the stopwatch again and they made their way back to the eyes.

  “It is faster!” she announced with delight when they stopped at the eyes. “We got back about three minutes quicker than it took us to get down to the cave.”

  “We were probably walking faster.” Eion sat on a rock and began to unpack his lunch.

  “I don’t see how it that’s possible. We were coming uphill on the way back.” Fury also began to get out her food, but stopped and took out her phone. “Let’s see what my photos show.”

  Eion looked over her shoulder as she called up the photos. To her disappointment all that showed was a thin mist.

  “That’s exactly what I see.” Eion peered closer to the phone. “No details, just a mist moving across the floor.”

  “Strange. I can see them, their clothes and the chests on their shoulders. Maybe it is because I’ve had dealings with a ghost before.” Fury put the phone away and took out her food. “About the speeding up. Let’s make a note of the times and we’ll write down our future trips. After a few visits we can compare them and see if it does get quicker, or merely changes depending on how fast we walk.”

  They sat in silence looking out over the sea while they ate their food.

  “So what do we do next?” Fury asked as she packed away her picnic wrappings.

  “Like you said, we need a shovel or trowel. I think a trowel would be best. Less conspicuous when we put it in the kayak. After we’ve cleared the glass, we see what the pirates do.” He stood and offered Fury a hand to help her up.

  “Maybe they’ll bury their treasure. Or the captain will kill his men to stop them telling where the treasure is located and bury them with the chests.”

  Eion grinned. “You have some gruesome ideas don’t you? You could be right, but for now I think we should get back to shore.”

  They walked up the beach toward the car park to put the boards on Eion’s car.

  “See you tomorrow, Fury.” Eion waved at someone the other side of the car park and Fury looked over and saw his mother and the girl who always seemed to be with the older woman. “I’ll bring the trowel if you bring some rags to clean the glass.”

  Fury nodded and watched as he walked across to his mother. When he reached her, the girl reached up and pecked Eion’s cheek. Although he didn’t touch her, Eion looked down and smiled with pleasure.

  Fury scowled then turned and walked across the grass toward the villa her family were renting.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eion had the kayaks ready when Fury arrived at the beach the next day. She threw her bag into the her boat and they launched into the sea and paddled out to the island.

  “I’ve brought a trowel with me,” Eion commented, as they climbed the path to the eyes. Once there Fury started the stopwatch on her phone before they delved down into the depths below the rocky isle.

  “I’ve brought a collapsible step.” Fury hoped her mother wouldn’t notice the step had gone missing. She didn’t want to ask if she could take it as her mother would then demand to know why she wanted it.

  They descended to the cave with plenty of time before the sun shone through to illuminate the trapdoor. Fury unfolded her step but was still unable to reach the glass.

  “Let me try.” Eion climbed onto the step and with his added height and the length of the trowel in his hand, he reached the earth covering the glass. It took a while but he managed to scrape the earth away until a metre-wide window appeared in the wall. The dirt clinging to the outside still filtered the light.

  “Wow, that lets in a lot more light. It would be better if it was cleaner though.” Fury’s could feel the excitement build up inside her. What difference would this extra light make to the pirates visit?

  “We shouldn’t make any attempt to clean the glass.” Eion shook his head. “Apart from it being dangerous, it hides the window from prying eyes. With the dirt on it, the sun won’t glint and attract curious people.”

  “Even if it did, they wouldn’t be able to reach it without finding the tunnels.” Fury stated stubbornly.

  “Better if they don’t get curious in the first place.”

  Fury had to admit it would be better to keep the caves secret.

  They sat down to eat their lunch and wait for the pirates to arrive with the rays of light. Fury glanced at her stopwatch, which she had clicked off when they arrived at the cave.

  “Eion, we’re definitely getting faster on our journeys to and from this cave. We’re only taking half the time we used to.”

  Fury had to wait for him to reply as he sat thinking for a few moments before he turned to her.

  “This is getting weirder and weirder. We discover a tunnel and caves behind the eyes, which no one appears to have seen for at least a hundred years. We find one opening hidden behind a bush in the cliff and one glass covered opening. Then a light shines through and pirates appear and descend to the room below. Now our travels in the tunnels appear to be getting shorter and shorter. You’re the expert on the supernatural. Do you think we should carry on with this?”

  “Do you think it’s dangerous?” Fury wanted to know his thoughts on the danger before she replied.

  “I’m not sure. You seem sure the mists I see are ghostly pirates, so I guess they can’t harm us, and the only other thing that’s really dangerous is the tunnel under the sea, but the whole thing is weird.” Eion stood and walked over to the trapdoor. “Let’s see what happens today and then decide what to do next.”

  Fury glanced at the time on her phone and saw the rays of the sun would shine through in a few minutes. Hopefully the widened array of glass would mean they would be able to see the pirates’ actions for a longer period.

  The sun glinted on the glass pane and then the rays of light shone down on the floor. Immediately the pirates entered and went to the trapdoor, where they climbed down into the cave below. Fury and Eion crept over to see what the ghosts were doing: once again the pirates were piling the chests in the centre of the floor, but this time the light continued so they were able to see what happened next.

  As soon as the chests were piled up, the pirate crew went over to the wall – where a stand of shovels stood. Fury knew there had been nothing there before and assumed they appeared at the same time as the pirates. Each man took a shovel and crossed to where an ‘X’ decorated the cave wall.

  Another thing that wasn’t there until the pirates arrived.

  They dug beneath the ‘X’ until a large hole had been excavated. Then, one by one, they dropped the chests into the hole. Before they finished, the light faded and the pirates disappeared into thin air.

  “I saw the treasure, but couldn’t see the pirates properly!” Eion blinked to clear the vision from his eyes. “They were burying the treasure, weren’t they? “

  “I wonder if it’s still there. Do you think they came back and dug it up to take it away? Or perhaps someone in the past already found it.” In her excitement Fury could see visions of her and Eion digging for the treasure and finding gold and gems.

  “We can dig for it, but we’d
need a spade. I think it might be best to pick a time when the pirates aren’t around. It would be weird to be digging while they’re dropping the chests in the hole.” Eion grinned at her. “It would be fun to find treasure, wouldn’t it? I’m not sure if we’d be able to keep it. Some countries only give you a finder’s fee. Depends if its historical or not.”

  “Let’s go and sit on the beach,” Fury suggested. “There’s nothing more we can do here today and we’ve spent a lot of time underground, let’s go and enjoy the sunshine.”

  They reached the eyes and Fury checked the stopwatch. “Faster again, we really are speeding through time. Do you think it’s got anything to do with the pirates?”

  “Not the pirates, but the ghost part of it might be responsible.”

  After returning to the beach, they left the kayaks on the car and went for a walk along the sand with the sun shining down on them.

  “Your hair looks really lovely in the sunlight.”

  Fury looked at Eion in surprise. Why had he mentioned her hair? To her chagrin he changed the subject.

  “Pirates are usually aggressive. I wish I could see them more clearly. Everything appeared blurry to me.” Eion frowned. “You’re obviously more susceptible to seeing ghosts than me. Perhaps because you’ve already had interaction with one.”

  Fury felt confused by Eion’s comments. First he praised her hair, then he said she saw ghosts better than him. What did he mean? She had slipped off her shoes when they began their walk, and now she went to paddle at the edge of the water. As the water covered her toes she ducked her head, not wanting Eion to see the confusion in her eyes. He didn’t seem to notice as he casually took her hand in his. A blush crept from the contact, up her arm and neck to her face.

  “Fury, I really do want to see you after the summer. I’ve looked Cave up on the map and it’s less than a couple of hours drive from Christchurch. I could easily come to see you for a weekend, if your parents would let me stay with you. You could show me where the ghost lived.” He said the last with a grin and she shyly smiled back.

  “I’d like to, Eion, but I’d have to check it with my mother first. Maybe we’d better wait until you’ve settled into uni before we ask. We can keep in touch by email and messenger.”

  He nodded and pulled her close. Fury held her breath, not sure if he wanted to kiss her. Despite being eager for his embrace, she pulled away.

  “I’m sorry.” Eion looked crestfallen. “I’m taking things too fast, aren’t I?”

  “No, no.” Fury wondered how she could explain her reaction, and decided to tell him the truth. “My mother thought we were becoming boyfriend and girlfriend and she started to freak out. I promised her I would let her know if we became more than friends. I think a kiss takes it one step further. I’d rather not lie to her, but if I tell her you kissed me she’ll insist I don’t see you anymore. She thinks I’m still a child and considers this to be a holiday friendship. In a few months, when she sees we’re still friends and want to go to the next step, she’ll be more receptive.”

  Eion grinned. “Phew, thank goodness. For a moment there I thought you didn’t like me.”

  They returned along the beach and discussed their plans for the next few days.

  “Can we go and dig for the treasure tomorrow? I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight as I’ll be thinking of gold and jewels all night long.” Fury grinned but her stomach fluttered at the thought of finding treasure.

  “I think we should do something else for a few days. It would avoid any suspicion of us going out in the kayaks or boards. Any ideas?”

  “We could go for bike rides I suppose.” Fury’s reluctance was obvious. She didn’t like having her dreams of treasure hunting dashed.

  “It’s okay, Fury. If there is treasure there it isn’t going anywhere. I’ll meet you here tomorrow morning and we’ll go along the bike trails.”

  Eion patted her shoulder and turned toward home. As Fury walked toward the villa she went over their earlier conversation about meeting up when he got to uni. She wondered why she hadn’t asked Eion about the girl who showed a fondness for him.

  I think it’s a case of – if I don’t mention her, I can pretend she doesn’t exist.

  Satisfied with her explanation she headed home to help her mother prepare the evening meal.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Over the next few days Fury and Eion biked along the many cycle tracks, taking a different route each time. Fury used a few afternoons to put the final touches to her landscape for her mother and wondered when to give it to her. Should she wait until the holidays were over, or should she give it to her now? The morning after she’d finished it Fury wanted to ask her father’s advice but he had told them not to disturb him as he had another conference call set up with his office in Timaru.

  I’ll speak to him later. She decided and hid the painting safely at the back of the wardrobe then hurried off to meet Eion.

  They hadn’t referred to his attempted kiss since the day it had happened and Fury wanted to leave it there. She knew her mother’s request showed a strong degree of overprotectiveness, but a promise was a promise, and she meant to keep her word.

  No definite plans had been made for today so they sat overlooking the beach while they decided what to do.

  “We’ve only a short time until you return home.” Eion sighed. “We should make the most of it. What would you like to do?”

  “Why don’t we plan a visit to dig in the pirate’s cave? We can have a look at where they buried the treasure, and make sure we leave it looking like no one’s ever been there.” Fury laughed. “Unless of course we find the treasure, then I suppose we’d have to tell someone.”

  “Today is Monday. When do you go back?” Eion waited for her reply.

  “Wednesday of next week. Dad has to be back in the office instead of working from home, and Mum wants to be there for my brother who’s due back the next day.”

  “Hey, I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  “Jonah’s older than me, about your age. He’s been working as a counsellor in a camp in America all summer. He’s okay, but we don’t have much in common.” Fury turned to look at Eion. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No, there’s only me.”

  A sad expression crossed his face and he turned quickly away.

  Fury frowned. What had she said to upset him? “So when shall we do our big cave finale?”

  “The weather for the next few days will make the water a bit choppy so let’s make it this Thursday. Then if your mother decides to involve you in packing next week it won’t interfere with our plans.”

  Fury agreed and they settled down to work out what they would need.

  “We’ll have to take the kayaks.” Eion had produced a pad of paper and a pencil from his backpack and he began to write a list. “We’ll take the crowbar in case we need them. I have a camping shovel that collapses so I’ll bring that and a picnic lunch. Can you think of anything else?”

  “Some rope, the torches and lanterns? Probably best not to take anything else as we won’t be able to carry too much up from the kayaks.” Fury felt relieved when Eion nodded. She didn’t fancy lugging heavy loads up through the ‘eye’ cave and then down to the pirates’ cave. Apart from anything else they’d have to bring it all back to the kayak again when they’d finished.

  When she got home in the evening, Fury took her father to one side and asked his thoughts on when she should give her mother the painting.

  “You’ve finished it? Good. I’d suggest waiting until we begin to pack things up, then you can give it to Mum and tell her it’s so she’ll have something to remember our holiday.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’ll wait until next week.”

  Fury and Eion spent a few days paddle boarding but didn’t go near the island. Fury longed to land and trudge up the tunnels to the pirate cave, but she had to keep her excitement under control.

  “I know you want to get on with the search, Fury. I d
o too, but look at the clouds in the sky. It might not be raining but the dullness will stop the sun shining through the glass into the pirate cave.”

  She saw Eion glance at her and nodded.

  “I know, it’s just so frustrating not being able to get on with digging for the chests.”

  Despite not being able to visit the caves, they collected the items they had listed and packed them in Eion’s car ready to take with them.

  Thursday morning arrived with a clear blue sky and brilliant sunshine.

  “Nice day to be going out in the kayaks,” Eion said as they shoved off. “It’s a good idea to start earlier than usual, we’ll have plenty of time to do all we want.”

  They paddled out and were soon on the other side of the island, where they pulled the kayaks up onto the small beach and made sure they were fastened securely to the rocks before they unpacked and began their hike up to the ‘eyes’.

  “I’m going to miss this walk,” Fury said, as they turned on their torches and began to descend to the lower levels. “I’m getting exercise while investigating a mystery.”

  They soon reached the sandy cavern above the pirates’ hidden treasure cave, and quickly unpacked their bags.

  “I timed our walk through the tunnels.” Eion looked down at his watch. “You’re right, our trip is a lot quicker each time we do it. It must be something to do with the pirates, it only started happening after we’d seen them.”

  They soon had the trapdoor raised, and clambered down into the pirates’ cave.

  “Do you want to dig first, or shall I?” Eion waved a hand at the wall. “Look you can see the faint mark of the cross.”

  “I’ll start,” Fury eagerly grabbed the shovel. “If we dig for ten minutes each then swap we won’t get too tired. While one of us is digging the other can move the loose earth out of the way If there’s anything to find we should get to it by lunchtime.”

  Eion nodded and they followed the timetable she’d set out. Fury dug for ten minutes, then Eion took over while Fury moved the earth. Near lunchtime she climbed up to the cavern and set out the food. Time still seemed to be passing quickly and she finished getting things ready as Eion climbed up the ladder.