Crocodile Queen

by Phil Armstrong

  "For many long patient years, I had believed relentlessly, and then I’d managed to track down the existence of this mysterious necklace using vague references in poems and the cryptic lyrics of long since forgotten songs. To see it there, peeking out from under that smug looking woman's fancy shawl, well, let me tell you, it was a day I'll never forget. It was validation, finally, for all my efforts. I wasn’t bonkers, or some crazy woman, it existed. The following year, I doubled my efforts, and tracked the necklace through London, where the trail went cold for a while, but it eventually surfaced again, it was mentioned in the year 1895, within an old dusty manuscript, a recorded transaction between two families living in London. A friend forwarded the manuscript to me; she worked in the bowels of a records archive in the city of London. You must understand, people who work in these types of jobs, keeping and maintaining meticulous records, are always neglected and ignored. The minute I expressed an interest in her work and her inventory, my new-found friend was only too eager to help me. Sort of what I’m doing with you. She forwarded me a copy of the transaction; it recorded the sale of a building, a watch repair business, a small amount of livestock, and a parcel of land, in exchange for an amount of silver, and what was described as an ornate necklace originating from Wales. The Cartwright family were the sellers of the necklace, the transaction transferred the necklace to the Williams family, located in the south west of London, in 1895." Ethel shook her head in defiance she looked angry and proud.

  "Listen to me now and take heed, throughout its storied history, many have accused the necklace of being cursed, I’ve never been one for superstition, but you have to look at its history. Lady Amelia, the smug looking lady in the oil painting, she died in a house fire while visiting her sister. Ivor Davies, the man that acquired the necklace from the cabin in the woods, a death record in a remote Welsh church records that he was hung, drawn, and quartered by a mob, presumably for his religious beliefs. The Cartwright family consisted of two daughters and an heir, a young son called Robert. Robert's sisters both drowned while playing near a river, Robert was killed in a freak riding accident, where the horse was spooked and fell upon the boy crushing him. John Cartwright had bought the necklace from a London jeweler, later in the day after he had retrieved the necklace, the jeweler died suffering a fatal heart attack, an event recorded within the obituary columns of the London Standard. John Cartwright held onto the cursed necklace throughout his family's tragedies, until his dear wife slipped tragically in their home, she snapped her neck on a wide stone staircase and died instantly. John, like me, was not a suspicious man, but he'd been warned about the necklace, and its fatal consequences upon its owners. His wife's death was the final straw, racked with guilt, he sold the necklace to Rhys Williams, a prominent, wealthy, and eccentric, Welsh slate mine owner. John died that week from a hunting accident on his estate, and so the curse continued."

  It struck Dan, as he glanced around the drab square shaped room, that Ally, and the Crocodile Queen, were hanging on every word that Ethel uttered. She had them mesmerized, caught within a foggy trance as they concentrated on remembering every detail. Ethel, lapping up the attention, talked at length, as if she were un-burdening herself of a great weight before leaving this world. She pulled gently at the collar of her knit cardigan sweater, she inched forward upon her chair.

  "Rhys Williams was a fine upstanding man, by all accounts, his family and his workers spoke very highly of him. It was rumored that he belonged to a powerful and influential group of Welsh businessmen, a group that evolved from the secret society originally formed by Ivor Davies. Rhys had purchased the necklace originally as a gift for his wife, it’s unclear if he knew of the necklace's fatal reputation, perhaps he felt that being part of this society would protect him from its harmful effects, I think he thought that bringing the necklace back home would somehow insulate him from these harmful occurrences. Not long after acquiring the necklace, Rhy's health started to suffer, he complained of vivid violent nightmares, which shook him to the core. He confided to his wife, that he felt scared, the visions in his head were so vivid, so realistic, he couldn’t separate them from reality."

  Ally couldn't help herself, she shot a sideways glance aimed at Dan to see if he was picking up on what was happening to Rhy's. Dan had noticed Ally's attention; he nodded discreetly, "Rhy's became agitated and irritable, he dreaded falling asleep, for the nightmares were too lifelike, too graphic. After a couple of weeks, he started to manifest signs of physical injuries, wounds. I've had difficulty confirming this, but I managed to obtain a damaged journal from his doctor reporting deep lacerations, welts, and cuts he’d suffered while he was apparently safe, sleeping in his bed, next to his wife. She swore it was not her, and instantly blamed the necklace. Reluctantly, Rhy's agreed upon the next course of action, he would get rid of the necklace. He knew he couldn't destroy it, for that would likely bring irreparable harm to his family, he knew it couldn't stay, for the powers contained within the necklace needed to be harnessed and used for good. Rhys was convinced that evil spirits were using the necklace to do their bidding." Ethel glanced at the door.

  I've never told anyone this,” she stopped as if to consider her next words carefully, “it’s vitally important, if you want to locate the necklace. My conscience will only be eased if I issue you this stern warning, if you ever find Myrddin’s necklace, you’ll need to learn to harness its powers and use those powers for good. Throughout its history, others have purchased it for vanity and status; the necklace has often been associated with a fatal consequence. I don't know the real reasons in your heart for wanting to find this necklace, but I warn you, it has a way of dealing with imposters. If your motives are pure, it will be attracted to you, but if they're not, well, my conscience is now clear, I’ve told you." Ethel stopped and rubbed her nose again, a gesture Dan recognized as her way of punctuating the point she’d just made.

  "It was June12th, 1902, a day that Henry Davis boarded the R.M.S. Numidian, a ship registered to the Allen Line sailing from Liverpool and bound for Canada in the new world. Henry Davis was 21 years old, and from my research, I've identified him as being born in a small coastal Welsh town called Llanrhystud, situated on Cardigan Bay. I suspect Rhys Williams offered Henry a paid ticket to a new life, and a chance to form an import business for fine slate, quarried in Wales, and sold from the mine owned by Rhys Williams. Historical manifests show that Henry travelled from the Merseyside docks, in Liverpool. Eventually landing on the east coast of Canada. Henry Davis is important to our story, as I've managed to confirm, through old letters that he wrote describing his journey, that he was asked to deliver a sealed wooden box to a business associate of Rhys Williams, a fellow Welshman, and former member of the secret society of Myrddin, now living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. His name was a Mr. Walter Seams."

  Ethel winced quite visibly as she mentioned Walter's name, Ally noticed this and changed her facial expression to show concern; Ally wondered if Walter Seams had meant something to Ethel, perhaps a relative, or some connection into her husband? A searing hot pain shot through Ethel's chest, her chest tightened and restricted her breathing, like it had done almost every day for the last month. Her spasms were growing in intensity with each passing day. At work Ethel could hide behind a bookshelf or sit in a corner until her discomfort passed. Nobody really paid much attention to Ethel so disguising her deteriorating health was easy. Today she was sitting at a table with three young, intelligent visitors, and the timing of this attack could not have been worse, Ethel felt embarrassed. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, ignoring the stabbing pain, "I'm sorry, let me continue," she implored, "I'm almost done. Letters were written and mailed between Walter and Rhys, these letters outlined their arrangement in some considerable amount of specificity before Henry had sailed. It looked to me like Henry wanted to be exactly clear, in writing, what the expectations were of his role in this agreement. The men communicated through correspondence and arranged the details
for the necklace to be transported and delivered, sealed within a wooden box. I've read some of these original letters, but a few of the key letters written by Walter and Rhys are missing. I know this because of references contained within the letters point to other correspondence, they are unaccounted for, missing, and I can’t even find a trace on their whereabouts. It’s frustrating because it blocks my investigation, it’s a long way of saying, I don't know what happened to the missing correspondence, but I firmly believe someone has them, a collector, an enthusiast, or perhaps the secret society. I’m certain additional information exists within these letters, definite clues that point to the whereabouts of the necklace. Because I've never been able to locate these missing letters, this is where my investigation goes cold. I can confirm that Henry was successful in his mission, for there are historical records of him registering a business in eastern Canada to import slate and stone. From that, one can assume that he arrived safely, and he conducted his business with Rhys, importing from the mine in Wales. From this we can assume that he delivered upon his pledge to give the wooden box, and the necklace contained within, to Walter Seams."

  "What happened to Walter Seams?" asked Ally, disappointed that Ethel’s trail had ended so abruptly.

  "It's a good question, one which I have ruminated upon, I'm a tired old woman, I know, I don’t have many days left in this world, so I decided that I'm not going to spend my final days chasing a fool’s dream, especially one that's consumed far too much of my time already. In a way I feel guilty, perhaps instead of chasing a stupid necklace, I should have been enjoying my time with Percy.” Ethel stopped and gazed off into thin air, it was like she was watching a movie of her own life flashing before her eyes. “Good luck to you all, occasionally, when I can stand it, I like to be honest with myself, this usually happens when I'm alone and feeling a bit sad. I can tell you, I was totally convinced that Myrddin’s necklace existed, I still am today, but I've realized after many years that even though it may once have existed, that’s certainly no guarantee that it exists today. After all that research, I've proven the necklace once existed, and I’m convinced it held special powers, but finding it today, intact and in one piece, I'm not so sure."

  The Crocodile Queen sensed her sadness and regret, she wanted to tell Ethel that the necklace did exist, but that would lead to questions that she was not prepared to answer. "Is there anything else you can tell us that might be helpful? We know we've taken a lot of your time already, but we all wanted to thank you Ethel, you've been most helpful." Ally and Dan nodded their appreciation in unison.

  Ethel thought carefully, "Yes, some lose facts, Walter Seams was a stone mason, I firmly believe he joined the army, and I think there's a connection to South Africa. We don't have access to military records in Canada from here, and our South Africa section isn't that big. I'm afraid that’s all I have; I think I've told you everything except one last important detail. I did manage to read some of the original letters written by Walter Seams, letters that were stored in the historical business archives in Canada. Unfortunately, these letters were lost after a fire swept through the archives a few years ago. Walter’s letters didn’t offer much in the way of additional information, but I do remember vividly, he was an ardent admirer of a man called Allward, Mr. Allward. I got the feeling that Allward was a military buddy, and I think he has a role to play in this mystery, I just can’t piece together how. That’s what I was working on when I ran into a brick wall, but I have a strong hunch that Mr. Seams and Mr. Allward are connected somehow, Allward leads to you to Toronto, Canada, but hey, I might be wrong."

  Ally flashed that brilliant smile again, "Thank you," she said, reaching out to hold Ethel's cold clasped hands, "you've been so helpful, and an absolute delight to spend time with. I wish you could have met out father also, he would have really liked you." Ally had a way with words, but her greatest gift was making people feel good. Ethel finally smiled, feeling the burden of this knowledge fall away from her. Everyone in that room tried to put a brave face on the meeting, like a sage who can see into the future, they all knew with some certainty that Ethel would pass away soon and have that chance to spend more time with her husband Percy.

  It wasn’t long before Ally, Dan, and the Crocodile Queen huddled together outside of the library, facing the busy street, "Let's find a quiet place where we can talk," whispered the Crocodile Queen as she scanned the surrounding buildings. They walked a couple of blocks before finding the perfect place, a narrow alley between two tall buildings, used for storing three large metal garbage containers. "Quickly, follow me," she barked, Dan and Ally followed the Crocodile Queen into the darkened alleyway ahead. Ducking behind one of the large green metal bins the Crocodile Queen grabbed Dan's hand, extending her other hand in Ally’s direction. Ally reached out gripping the Crocodile Queen’s cold hand, the alley exploded with a flash of bright golden light, resembling the flashes used in the old-fashioned cameras. When Dan opened his eyes, they were not in 1940's New York.

  * * * * *

  The Fifth Realm - Earth

  Chapter 8: The Fragrant Harbor.

  Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.

  “How helpless we are, like netted birds, when we are caught by desire!”

  The sweltering heat coerced the hot dry air to spiral around their faces, they were huddled together within a tight passageway, wedged inconspicuously between two high-rise buildings, the passageway was strewn with litter, and an unpleasant pungent smell seemed to amplify in the heat, "Hong Kong, modern times," stated the Crocodile Queen in a serious tone, "follow me, and both of you stay close."

  Ally noticed her clothes had changed, she found herself wearing a beige t-shirt, with an uncomfortably itchy bra that seemed too small, khaki colored shorts, that she would never select herself, and white sneakers that she really liked. Dan was wearing a plain white t-shirt, and long black pocketed surfer shorts matched with black and red striped sneakers. Ally knew that Dan would hate that look, but she thought it made him look good, modern, and contemporary. The Crocodile Queen wore jeans and a white t-shirt, Ally studied her closely, as women often do, she was a thin lady, but her thighs looked strong. The Crocodile Queen was in amazing shape, as she barked out her next order, "Come on, we don't have much time."

  They exited the narrow passage and quickly merged into the busy street packed with an assortment of locals, visitors, and the occasional Caucasian straying off the beaten path. They cut through a densely populated side road that could not accommodate any more people, the Crocodile Queen would occasionally turn around and flash a worried glance their way to ensure they hadn't been swallowed by the crowd, "This way, follow me, and don't lose sight of me, stay focused."

  Dan thought she was over-reacting, it was true there were a lot of people milling around, but it was easy to follow her along. They suddenly turned into a narrow street, situated next to a small park adorned with lush green trees; Dan glanced at a dirt stained street sign attached to the corner of a building, Yuen Po Street. The crowds of people grew denser, a market outfitted with an assortment of stalls quickly came into view, Ally heard the distinctive sound of chirping birds; these sounds reminded her of the park back home in Westtown. Dan's eyes started to wander, first he saw an assortment of elaborately woven wicker cages of all shapes and sizes hanging from poles, hooks, and roof edges, some were lined up on the ground.

  Then, he noticed the colorful birds perched within their cages, some had blankets covering the cages to protect them from the strong rays of the sun, it was clearly a bird market, where people visited to buy birds, seeds, and cages. The bird’s plumage contained yellows, greens, and an assortment of blues, a welcome splash of color within a drab, dreary, part of town. Some sang, some chirped furiously, and some screeched loudly, while others fluttered, most sat silently resigned to watching the people in the market file by. "Focus," hissed the Crocodile Queen, knowing the bird market was a huge distraction, Dan was looking at the variety of colorful birds when something
else caught his eye, a young oriental woman working at the approaching stall. She wore tight fitting black jeans, a loose blue t-shirt, with her long black hair pulled back from her face and gathered into a ponytail. Her skin glistened as she worked in the relentless heat; her eyes were almond shaped, like a majestic cat. The sun caught her face, illuminating the deepest brown eyes he'd ever seen. High cheekbones framed her radiant face, she wore no makeup, and her dark eyelashes looked like natural eyeliner. Strands of her hair were meticulously tucked behind her ears, and it glistened in the strong sunlight. She smiled as she saw Dan walking towards her family’s stall; Ally was hidden from view walking behind a couple of shoppers. It appeared as if Dan was walking with his elder sister, or perhaps his young mother, the Crocodile Queen.

  The young woman clearly liked what she saw; she flashed Dan a flirtatious smile that he would never forget. Surrounded by wildly colorful birds, she managed to outshine them all, with her simple understated beauty. Dan smiled back, just as Ally came into view by sidestepping a portly older man who was ambling his way down the aisle of the Mong Kok bird market on a Sunday afternoon. Ally's timing could not have been better; she saw the dark-haired beauty smiling at Dan. She had the audacity to casually reach up to her face and pull away strands of dark hair, as if wiping away her perspiration, it was clearly an excuse to fuss with her ponytail and flick her long luxurious black hair around while attracting Dan's attention. Dan had his back to Ally, but she could see he’d turned his head and was clearly looking at the pretty bird seller. At first, Ally just smiled reveling in the irony of it all, a young woman surrounded daily by demonstrative exhibitionism, in the form of attention seeking birds, yet here she was, performing her own mating ritual right in front of Ally’s eyes. As they approached the young woman’s attention moved to Ally, who deliberately positioned herself closer to Dan. Her smile faded suddenly, as Ally flashed her the meanest stare she could muster, Ally narrowed her striking green eyes, crinkled her forehead, and locked in on her competition’s gaze.