The Other World

By D. D. Riessen

In 1883, Oskar left with his uncle to get an education in the city. But he was surprised to learn that he was part of a losing bet in a card game. For one year he was assigned to be a cabin boy for the Captain of Nerissa, a sailing ship headed for Teluk Betung. There were rumors of a magical fire stone on board, though no one had actually seen it, and a collection of wild animals bound for private collectors.
Had it not been for a storm sending the ship off course and a chimpanzee that had escaped from its cage, all might have gone well. In the chaos, Nerissa runs into an uncharted island and is stalled until repairs can be made.
Bardolf, the owner of the animals, goes onto the island to search for his chimpanzee and, taking Oskar with him, discovers that there is more to the island than meets the eye. Everyone knew that something unusual was going to happen when the moon rose above the horizon, big as a pumpkin, glowing blue, but no one had any idea that this event would transcend time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D. D. Riessen
• Release date: Mar 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311762184

D. D. Riessen

Dave's work revels with the fanciful, ponders the inscrutable and enigmatic, and examines the human character.

Book preview

Facts:

A blue moon is the second full moon in a single month.

A blue moon is the third full moon in a quarter that has four.

Several blue moons followed the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 and many more have followed since, due to some natural disaster that fills the upper atmosphere with a fine dust that filters out red light from the sun, causing the moon to appear blue.

Once in a blue moon. Maybe such a thing is not a time, a place or a color..., certainly not an event that can be predicted.

Perhaps a blue moon is born at the first hint of something not following the natural order of things, not behaving.

It challenges the reality of what is and a chain reaction begins…,

Setting Sail

Ben let out the Genoa sheet and watched the sail fill with the cool breeze coming in from the stern, waiting until he felt it tug before tying off to the cleat. He walked the boom across the deck to the opposite side and adjusted the sheet so that the main sail could fill as well.

This was a gentle ride, stern of the boat rising gracefully with the incoming swells, pushing the boat along, sails collapsing slightly as they glided with the wave, glowing with the orange tinted, waning light of the day.

Ben glanced over at the dog sitting on top of the cabin, his nose raised into the air.

Wing and wing. That’s what they call it, Capn. Easy ride into a pretty town. Lots a pretty girls here, too. And I’m gonna find me one.

Capn didn’t know about any of that. He jumped down to the deck and made his way up to the bow where he found a good place to sit and watch.

Gonna be some free anchorage comin’ up, said Ben. Let me know when you see some boats at anchor. It’ll be on yur left.

Capn didn’t know about any of that either. What he did know is that he smelled land and that it was a good smell compared to the month of damp, salty air out on the open ocean.

Sitting there, gliding with the boat across the glistening water, still a half mile from their destination, he had already detected wafts of grilled meats, fried tortillas, hamburgers and fries, a thousand other scents mixing together with the distant sounds of the freeways, horns, the steady buzz of a vibrant city.

Heads up! Ben untied the halyard from the cleat and began to let the front sail drop. Clanking against the mast, they formed a loose pile across the deck, still wanting to balloon out with the breeze.

Ben came forward, folded the sail and pulled it back toward the cabin where he tied everything down. He brushed his hands off on his pants.

That’ll cut our speed in half. No sense hurryin’ to get anywhere. Just have to do more work sooner. Mm, Capn. You smell that? Tacos. Carne asada. I’ll get you some, too. I see your nose is wet. You’re as excited as me, aren’t you, boy?

Ben knelt down, opened the hatch and retrieved the rusty anchor that he stored inside. He made sure the chain was secured to the ring and pulled out several more feet, until he came to the rope attachment. Seeing that the connection was good, he set the rope out so that it wouldn’t tangle, felt it hit bottom and played out another fifty feet for good measure. He tied that off and then wandered back to the stern.

Yep. Gonna be a good night, Capn. We’ll get somethin’ to eat and lay low until morning. You’re gonna have to stay onboard until I take care of some business.

He was taking too long. Capn climbed the steps leading up to the deck for the hundredth time, spotted Ben’s dinghy tied up at the dock and searched the shoreline for Ben. Nothing.

Two days, waiting, food dish empty, water dish stale and running low.

Capn considered jumping overboard, swimming to shore and searching for Ben. But if he couldn’t find him, then what? He knew he couldn’t get back on board without Ben’s help.

No. He said to stay and guard the boat. That’s what he said.

Capn circled the deck, checking for new scents and, finding none, went below, jumped up on Ben’s bed and waited. There was nothing more to do.

It was late afternoon when he heard human voices. Coming up on deck, he spotted the harbor patrol boat approaching and began to bark.

That did not stop them. They pulled up to the boat, tied off to one of the cleats and boarded, all the while talking calmly to Capn, who retreated back down into the cabin.

When they followed, Capn curled his lips, showed his teeth and snarled. The humans retreated, and when they did return, shot him with a tranquilizer dart...,

Wincing at the smell of some kind of potent antibacterial wash, Capn opened his eyes and found himself lying on a hard-concrete floor.

This was a small enclosure, three windowless concrete walls and a steel screen in front, with enough room to get up and turn but not enough to walk around a bit. Attempting to stand, his legs got wobbly and he fell into a metal dish full of water.

You’re in the bad cage.

The voice had come from across the aisle, from another dog, one with a freshly brushed long, silky coat and freshly clipped nails.

What?

You’re in the bad cage. Dogs that stay in that cage don’t make it.

I’m not staying.

There’s no way out, except when they come get you.

They?

The humans, in the morning. She pointed with her nose. They’ll take you to that room over there.

And this is bad…, how?

It’s a death room.

How do you know?

Dogs and humans go in. Just the humans come out.

Maybe they let them go. Maybe…,

I don’t think so.

How come they don’t take you?

I’ve got a collar.

A what?

Around my neck. It lets them know that my master will come get me.

But I have a master, I…,

You don’t have a collar, said Magic, You’re as good as dead.

Capn turned away. If true, how could this be? Surely his master would come get him and they’d go back to the boat and sail off to the next place like they always do.

He sniffed the corners of his cage pushing here and there with his nose.

If you can get in there’s gotta be a way out. It only makes sense.

But the screen, steel hard, did not budge and refused to be chewed and the ground was as hard as cement.

Kathryn kicked off her shoes, leaned back in the chair and put her feet up on the coffee table. She turned on the light at the side of her chair, took a sip of wine and retrieved the book from the table.

Two hundred pages. Are you ready?

Paul plopped down on the couch and pulled a pillow in behind his head. It’s gonna go all night?

Until we’re done, whenever that is.

OK. It’s your birthday. I can think of a million other things I’d rather do for mine.

This is your punishment for forgetting. And for getting a D in Science.

Mr. Cobb. I hate that teacher. He just puts me to sleep.

First class after lunch. Maybe that’s it.

No. It’s him. His voice is monotone. He doesn’t show any enthusiasm. And if he doesn’t have it, how can I? Paul turned so that he was on his side, facing his mother. OK. What’s the title?

The Other World.

What’s it about?

Says here, beware if we read this story on the night of a blue moon.

What’s a blue moon?

The third full moon in a quarter that has four.

What?

Twelve months in a year, right?

OK. So?

How many months in a quarter?

Three.

How often do we have a full moon?

Every month.

Actually, it’s every twenty-nine days. So, if we have four full moons in a quarter, the third one is called a blue moon.

I thought ‘blue moon’ meant the moon looked blue.

Could be. What would cause that?

I don’t know. Dirty air?

You know what blue moon means, don’t you? A rare event, once in a blue moon. You’ve heard that?

I’ll go with dirty air. What should we be aware of?

It says that this accounting took place on the night of a blue moon. He warns that if this story is read on the night of a blue moon, these events might somehow transcend time.

Riiight. Where’d you find this book?

Higgins Bookstore, downtown.

That place is creepy.

You’re the teenager. You’re supposed to like creepy.

You’re the mom. You’re supposed to not like it.

Gotta keep my mind young. Here goes…,

Does it say what that event is?

It says, read on…,

"In 1883, I was a cabin boy on the sailing ship, Nerissa. On this, my first voyage, two days out, I learned that we were carrying, besides passengers, a shipment of wild animals bound for private zoos.

There were rumors that someone on board possessed a stone, a firestone with great magical powers. No one knew if that was true, or if it was, who had it. The manifest stated common jewelry but a brother-in-law of the second mate said he saw the container that held it, itself with magical properties to keep the power of the stone inside. Of course, all of us were curious.

Being forced to help in the galley, not one of my primary duties but where I spent most of my time, I was unable to investigate the whereabouts of the stone, but I always kept my ears open to the scuttlebutt when the crews came down to eat.

On that second day, we encountered a terrible storm and, while weathering that, ran into an uncharted island.

While the crew was attempting to make repairs, I was told to accompany Bardolf onto the island. I missed the rising of the moon, but talking to Flabby Max later on, I heard that it came out of the clouds as large as a pumpkin, glowing blue.

Everyone on board knew something big was going to happen but no one had any idea what. This is my story."

Oskar – 1883

My father died when I was twelve. My mother needed help in the fields so I was forced to quit school. I didn’t like it but there was no way that she could work the fields, handle all of the chores and still take care of my baby sister.

One night, sometime after supper, my Uncle Fernando showed up on our doorstep. He and my mother got into a big argument.

The boy needs an education, he said.

So does my daughter. I need him for the harvest.

One year. Just give me one year.

They argued past my bedtime. Next morning, I was surprised to learn that I would be leaving with my uncle. Two days later we arrived at Mogadishu.

I had never been in a city before and was amazed by all of the commotion, people haggling over prices, sitting in the shade sipping tea, all the colors and noises and smells. I was in awe of everything.

But on our first night in town, Fernando got drunk and lost me, that’s right…, me, in a card game to the captain of a ship.

I thought I’d never see my family again and was greatly saddened. But when I saw Nerissa, such a beautiful ship, I couldn’t believe my luck. She had three masts and I couldn’t even count how many sails.

For one year my training would be as a cabin boy, starting the next morning when we headed out with the tide. When I asked where we were going, I was told that our destination would be revealed once we were at sea.

I wanted to talk to the crew and find out where they had been and what kinds of work they did. It was a whole new world and I couldn’t get my questions answered fast enough.

I was given a damp, sweaty-smelling bunk next to the galley where I shared a tiny room with Sulley, the ship’s cook, who smelled bad. Sulley was not a happy man…,

Clear them dishes, boy. Get ‘em washed and put away! Hurry up! They’re gonna wanna eat and you’re slowr’n molasses.

I have to help up on deck.

You wanna go up there? He handed me a bucket full of garbage. Here. Empty this. Ya got one minute. If ya ain’t back, I’m comin’ to get ya.

I hauled the pot up the steps thinking that this might be a good thing. But the wind caught the door when I opened it and it pulled me right out onto the deck.

I wasn’t used to the rolling of the ship, lost my balance and fell over to the rail where an errant wave came out of nowhere, filled the pot and ripped it out of my hands...,

Where’s the pot?

Got away.

Got away...., where?

A wave caught it.

What?

I was goin’ overboard.

Better you than the pot!

It happened so fast that…,

Can’t do nothin’ right, ya worthless pile a dung!

You would think that working with Sulley would be the worst part of this voyage. That’s true. But for the first two days, I was so seasick that I couldn’t eat. It did not help that I was forced to stay below and clean dirty pots and pans while the walls swayed with the rolling of the ship.

I took every opportunity to get away. The rest of the ship was magical, to me anyway. In the forward hold I discovered where the animals were kept. I would’ve gone inside but the door was locked. I waited for some sounds, hoping to discover what kinds of animals, but heard nothing more than the occasional snort or quiet growl.

I was instructed to stay away from the ‘special passengers’ onboard. Two of the women from that group always came to the galley to take food back to their cabin, accompanied by one of the men.

One of my duties was to pick up the dirty dishes. They never opened their door more than a few inches, just enough to pass the dishes out and they always stood in the doorway so that I could not see inside.

Once, standing at the rail, mid-ship, just outside the crew’s quarters and looking aft, I saw the entire party, a sickly old man, white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, looking out over the rail, two younger men, one with a closely trimmed black beard and short hair, the other with longer hair, almost shoulder length, and a goatee. Neither of them looked friendly.

I counted three middle aged women. I know there were three because they all wore different colored scarves, and a younger girl about my age. Our eyes met once. Hers were dark and curious. We both quickly looked away...,

Flabby Max was shading his eyes with his hand and looking up at the sky when I joined him at the wheel.

Got some weather comin’, he said, pointing at the eastern horizon.

I don’t see anything.

Keep lookin’. In ‘bout an hour you’ll see some clouds.

How can you tell?

A big grin, Flabby Max touched his nose. I can smell it.

What happens to all of those sails? If they get wet, do they get too heavy? We won’t tip over, will we?

He laughed. No. Uppers will come down, maybe more if the winds pick up. I’m thinkin’ it’s gonna blow pretty good since the storm’s that far away and already I can smell it.

Who’s taking care of the animals?

Bardolf. Don’t think he likes to sail. Saw him at the rail last night spilling his guts.

When does he check on the animals?

Don’t know he has. I think he’s gotta get over being sick first and that ain’t gonna happen until after this storm.

Do you know where we’re going?

Flabby Max shook his head. No. Captain gives me new coordinates every so often, mostly east. I guessin’ Singapore, maybe some place in Sumatra or Indonesia. If we was headed to Perth, we’d be headin’ south more. Captain keeps calling it the other world. Don’t know what he means by that.

Do you know anything about a magical stone?

Flabby Max made a face that went from a smile to a grimace. That’s the other thing. We got them strange folks onboard, don’t want to talk to nobody, Lord knows what kind of animals. Their cages were covered when they brought them onboard. The captain with all of his secrets and some kind of magical stone. What kind of magic, I’m wonderin’?

So, you don’t know anything either?

Make you a deal, Oskar. You keep your ears open down in the galley and I’ll keep mine open up here. You hear anything you let me know and I’ll do the same.

It’s a deal.

Sails sounding like thundering drums, the rain hit in several short, sudden bursts before it really came down.

I told the captain we was headin’ into weather, said Flabby Max, yelling over the wind. But this is a green crew. Most of ‘em never been in a storm at sea before. If they had, they’d a worked a little faster gettin’ them sails down.

I was getting nervous about Nerissa’s bow. It seemed to be dipping deeper and deeper into the swells. Are we going to sink?

Flabby Max shook his head. No. We’re in open ocean. As long as we don’t run into nothin’ we’ll be all right, soon as we get them sails down. It’s gettin’ dark, gonna be harder to see.

Something I can do to help?

He laughed. Don’t ask them kinda questions, Oskar. They’ll put you up there on the spars and that’ll get you killed for sure. Look at ‘em. Wet canvas is heavy canvas, wind blowin’ like the devil. No, Oskar. Get below. I know you don’t like Sulley, but he’s better than a wave washin’ you overboard. You know we can’t turn around.

Flabby Max was right. But once I got down inside the crew’s quarters, instead of going toward the galley, I went the other way, toward the cargo hold. I spotted Bardolf before he saw me and hid behind a row of crates as he passed by, looking green. When he was gone, I continued on to the door where the animals were kept and discovered that it was unlocked.

As I was opening the door, the bow of the ship pitched upward and, had I not been holding onto the handle, would’ve fallen down. I felt light on my feet, almost like floating and it was eerily quiet until we smashed into the next wave. I heard a loud crash come from inside the room and, hanging onto the handle to steady myself, pushed the door open. But before I could go in, Sulley appeared out of nowhere.

Going somewhere?

I was just gonna check on the animals.

Since when’s that yur job?

Bardolf’s sick. I was gonna help.

He grabbed me by the ear and started dragging me back to the galley.

We got work to do!

But....,

I never even saw it coming. He spun me around and kicked me in the butt so hard it hurt for the next two days.

Ever I catch ya sneakin’ off like that again, I’ll flog ya myself! And if ya lose another pot I’ll throw ya in after it! Maybe a shark’ll getcha and take yur legs off. You’ll bleed to death while fish are eatin’ ya. How’d ya like that?

But....,

Move!

When Sulley’s neck got as red as his face, there was no arguing. Back at work in the galley, I had time to wonder about what was going to happen next. I wouldn’t have long to wait.

They could barely see where the water was coming from, pouring in through the air vent above, but they could all tell that it was getting deeper. Hitting that wave, the force of the collision broke the tie holding the chimpanzee’s cage to the bulkhead. Sliding across the floor, following the rolling motion of the ship, the cage crossed the room and crashed into the opposite wall. Bars slightly ajar, Baby squeezed out through the opening and stood on top of the cage.

Baby! Come here! Come to Mama.

Baby was not paying attention. Everything’s going crazy! It’s so loud! She turned and ran to a stack of crates, climbed up to the top and folded her arms over her head.

Ama!

Amber tried squeezing through the bars, tried pulling them apart, but no matter what, she could not get through. Baby! Come here!

Shivering and afraid, waiting for her mother, Baby noticed another sound, clank – clink..., clink – clink.

Always the curious one, she found a ring, a large brass ring hanging from a hook, banging against a wooden beam. She touched it lightly and then, wanting to be sure, poked a little harder. Finally, she plucked it from the wall.

All of the animals had seen how this thing was somehow linked to the opening and closing of their cages. And all of them knew it held some sort of magical power over their freedom.

An older chimp, Far, watched from a dark corner of the room. Baby, he said, gently. Come here. Show me your new toy.

Baby knew that voice. They had played together not long ago, out in the forest, swinging through the trees. Yes. That voice reminded her of good times, sitting in the shadows of a sunny day eating fruit…, happy. They had played tag together. She found her way to Far and showed him the keys.

Bro, said Bander, pleading at the bars after Far had figured out how to work the lock. We gotta stick together.

Later, maybe.

You’ll need protection, said Kintar, a cheetah. I’m the one for that.

Right, said Far. Just what I need.

He fiddled with the lock on Amber’s cage until it clicked. Coming out, she gathered up Baby from Far’s shoulders and headed for a drier spot.

"I can help," said Kintar, pacing.

Far shook his head. What am I? Bananas?

Over here, said a voice from the corner. I’m the one you need.

I don’t think so, said Far.

You won’t have a chance later. They’ll just shoot you. We’re in this together.

Riiight, said Kintar. The one thing we agree on.

Makes no sense, none of this, said Far. And it makes less sense to have you two running loose in the same place as me.

You’re gonna have to fight your way out.

True, said Far. But I’ll know my enemy is in front of me. He glanced over at Amber on his way to the door. Stay here. I’ll be back.

A single lantern turned down low, creaking with the rolling of the ship as it swung from the steel eye screwed into the beam above, was all that lit the room. Bunks, stacked high on either side, stinking with the smell of humans, wet clothes and damp wood, provided lots of places for someone to hide. Far cautiously crossed the room and discovered two sets of stairs leading up, one on his left and one on the right. Both had doors at the top. Going straight, a dark hallway with another door at the other end, closed.

Sitting, Far studied his options. The scents coming from the tops of the stairs, from beneath the drafty doors, were those of the ocean, not like home, but at least it was fresh air. Going into the hallway? Possibly a dead end.

Suddenly, the door on his right swung open. In came the rain, the wind and humans, soaked and dripping.

Thought I was gonna die! Rope wrapped itself ‘round my leg!

Shoulda seen him dancin’!

Got hit by that wave, someone mumbled. Coulda been fish bait, hadn’t a been for…,

Far hid behind the stairs, crouching beneath the steps. The humans turned up the lantern. Their shadows danced thickly across the walls.

Holding onto the bunk for balance as he doffed his oilskins, one of the men spotted Far behind the stairs. His mind whirled with the impossibility of what his eyes were seeing and, for a few seconds, was speechless. But then…,

Monkey! We got a monkey in here! Behind the stairs!

Far turned and ran into the hallway but did not have time to think about how to open the door. Humans closing in, he turned, raised his arms, showed his teeth and charged straight at them, shrieking. Everybody stepped aside and let him pass.

A few stragglers were coming in through the door at the top of the stairs. Before they even noticed his presence, Far scampered up the steps, nudged his way through their legs, ran out onto the deck and discovered the storm as the door slammed shut behind him.

Shielding his eyes against the salty spray, he made his way to the railing and looked out over the dark sea. Nothing but angry water, big waves and whistling wind.

Using the side of the cabin for shelter, Far made his way back toward the stern, where Flabby Max spotted him and started yelling.

Over there! A chimpanzee!

Seeing the humans advance, Far found refuge up in the rigging and hid in the sails between the men above and those on the deck below. And there he waited, looking out between the spars and staring at the endless watery horizon.

Shielding his eyes from the rain, he wondered what had happened to the lazy days where he could find a quiet branch with a little food and spend the afternoon. What had happened to the times when he could close his eyes, listen to the chatter of the forest and not feel afraid?

The crews were working two hours on, two hours off. They rotated through the galley around the clock. I had no time to do anything but clean up the constant mess. I had to work two hours before I was allowed one hour of sleep and that’s how it was all night long.

Sometime around midnight, there was great commotion about an animal loose on the ship. Some said it was like something they’d never seen before, with four legs, long hairy arms and able to leap through the spars, looking for blood. Others said it was a gorilla that was going to gnaw at the rigging and destroy the ship.

I heard that the captain was going to shoot it but between the waves sweeping across the deck, the ship tossing about like a toy in the storm, face-stinging salty spray and the gunpowder getting wet, the chance of a ricochet back down to the deck, he decided to wait until later.

After that, I heard that Bardolf came out of his room long enough to spot the animal, saw that it was a chimpanzee, said it was harmless and that he would take care of it in the morning. When everyone kept bothering him by banging on his door, he claimed that he would shoot the next one that did so. That’s the last that I heard about Bardolf.

Sometime around five, I began to notice that the storm was waning, not that I could go up on deck and see for myself, but that Nerissa was rolling more steadily with the swells.

I was curious to see what the weather was like and certainly needed a breath of fresh air. Down in the galley, air is already stale before anyone does anything. Add to that, the smell of Sulley, his terrible cooking and the constant mess and you’ll know why I was always wanting to get away.

I also wanted to see the animal trapped up in the rigging. What must it be thinking? How were they going to get it down? I was pretty sure the captain would not put up with it for very long.

While cleaning pots and pans, I had lots of time to think about things…,

Understanding quite quickly that Far’s ability to maneuver through the rigging was superior to theirs, the humans stopped chasing him. In the end, Far had the best view.

But looking in every direction, he saw only mountains of water, rolling, angry, windswept and endless. Not a tree to be found.

A huge disappointment. Confined in the cage, in the dark, rolling belly of Nerissa, Far imagined that, given the chance, they could make their escape back into the forest. But out here, there was nothing. Why escape if there’s no place else to go?

Looking ahead, into the direction that they were going, Far noticed, standing out against all of the other moving shades of gray, one darker shadow, a vague outline stretching up from the sea on his right, disappearing into the clouds and then reappearing on his left, continuing back down to meet the water. Far wasn’t sure what to think of it. Whatever it was, it was not bothered by wind or sea.

Fascinated by this unmoving thing in front him, Far climbed even higher in the rigging to get a better view. Whatever it was, it appeared to be getting closer.

Long blurred, black vertical streaks within it began to look like rock slides. Other dark patches began to look like stands of trees up near the ridge.

I think I know what it is. Still..., too dark to tell.

I was standing at the cabin door waiting for them to give me the dirty dishes when I heard someone shouting. I couldn’t hear what, but from the excitement in their voices, I knew it was important. I ran over to the rail hoping to hear what they were saying, a dangerous move in this weather. Several of the crew were pointing and yelling, shouting. Land! Land! Dead ahead!

Flabby Max had said there was