Wordsmiths Fiction Week 1: The Disappeared Leader
"Hello Steemians! How are you? Hope you are all fine and doing great work. Meet me first, I'm Abdul Sameer. Today, I'm going to take participate in Steemit Challenge Season 24: Wordsmiths Fiction Week 1: The Disappeared Leader. I want to share a mysterious story that begins with a brutal storm, a lost captain, and an island that seems to exist outside of time. This is the story of the Crimson Marlin, and what happened when the ocean gave us more than we bargained for, so let's start;
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Main Character
Ship Name: Crimson Marlin
Captain: Elias Thorne
Second-in-Command: Deputy Commander Cyrus Thorne
Cargo Helper: Ollo
Crew Members: Emma and Daniel
The storm had come without warning, the violent winds wept in the open seas, defeating the small cargo ship Crimson Merlin. For three days, the crew fought to keep the ship alive, but the equipment failed one after another until it drifted. It was uncertain about his location and unavailable, and the radio cried out in static language before reinforcement. The crew then discovered a small island on the horizon, like flickering chaos.
The island was a sanctuary and was not influenced by human civilization. They managed to secure the ship near the bank, but the damage was done. The fuselage was cracked and the crew was exhausted. Captain Elias Thorne was a man known for his mild pressure and assured him he would be found as soon as the storm was over. They settled on the island and prayed that the storm would be nothing more than a nightmare of the past.
But that was just the beginning of her difficulties.
On the morning of the fourth day, Elias was gone. The ship was empty. His cabin was uninterrupted and his personal belongings were available. One of the rescuers was missing and there were no signs of a fight. No explanation. The crew stood on the deck, staring at the calm waters, wondering how her leader had disappeared tracking.
Deputy Commander Cyrus Thorne spoke first. "He couldn't leave without telling us. He didn't just leave us. The crew was busy and we searched for the island until the very end. They combed the jungle. I looked up the rocky cliffs and searched for the surrounding water.
However, Elias was not found anywhere. Every hour, she felt a deeper discomfort. "Something's wrong," Cyrus muttered as he stared into the distance. "I am asking for a rescue mission.
We have to find it. You shared your own with the search team, but when you dared to leave the ship, the island seemed endlessly stretched. The tree symbol had a strange mark where none of them was recognized. Some of the crew said they would hear whispers in the wind and give insight to characters moving in the shade. However, there were no signs of Captain Elias.
As the days wore on, frustration gave way to fear. Elias, the calm, steady leader, had always been the rock in their storm. And now he was gone. The crew began to talk tentative conversations filled with doubts and suspicions
"Do you think he just left?" asked Ollo, the crew helper. "Could he have gone mad? Gone off to survive on his own?"
No" Silas, shake his head. Elias will never leave us. There's something else here that you won't see."
The unease spread. One night, as the crew gathered around a campfire, Silas addressed them. We need to stay together. We don't know what's out there, but we do know one thing: Captain Elias wouldn't leave us behind without a reason. We have to figure out what happened to him.
The Discovery
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On the seventh day, Silas and two other crew members, Emma and Daniel, decided to search deeper into the island. They found themselves standing before a dense jungle that seemed almost unnatural.
The trees grew in narrow clusters, and their trunks twisted like old roots as they kept trying to keep the cleaning up. In the middle of the clear was a giant stone arch covered in moss and grapes. It did not belong.
"Is this real?" Emma whispered, her voice trembling.
Silas stepped forward, brushing away the vines. The stone arch was intricately carved with strange symbols. They looked like a mixture of ancient languages and pictographs, but there was no mistaking what they felt this place was no ordinary island.
Then they saw it a small stone altar, and on it, Captain Elias's watch.
Silas picked it up. The watch was still ticking, but the time on the face wasn't right. It showed 17:03, and the hands moved in reverse. Reyes' heart raced.
This isn't just an island," Daniel said, his voice quivering with realization. "lt's.. something else. A place out of time."
The Truth Unfolds
That night, Captain Elias returned. But he was different. His eyes were looking too much, wide as if his clothes had been thrown. He stumbled over the campfire and his hands shuddered.
Where have you been?" Silas asked, stepping forward, his voice harsh with emotion.
Elias's eyes flickered to the horizon, then to the stone arch behind them. "I had to go," he said. His voice is distant. The island called to me. It is not an appearance. I was shown things. The island is a crack. As we understand it, it is a place where time does not exist. It shifts instantly between reality."
Where did you go?" Ollo asked, his voice a mix of anger and desperation
"I went through time itself. I saw ships lost, crew members who disappeared, and islands like this one, scattered through history. I couldn't leave. The island chose me. It's connected to something bigger something ancient.”
He stopped as if he was carefully measuring the following words. "The storm was no accident. We weren't just caught in a random disaster. It was meant to bring us here. To this place. And we are not the first to find it."
The Resolution
The crew was in amateur silence and processed Elias. The truth was incredibly, more frightening than they could imagine. The island was not just a shelter, it was a goal. A place where time is twisted and folded in a place where past, present and future collide.
Elias disappeared into this crack and moved to a world where no time rules occurred. He had seen things, things he wasn't sure they could understand. But now he was back, and he had brought a warning.
"We have to leave.”Elias said "The island's influence rows stronger. If we don't escape soon, it will pull us all into its depths.”
And so, with heavy hearts, the crew made their choice. They abandoned the island and sailed away, leaving behind the place where time had no meaning, where their leader had vanished and returned.
But in the back of their minds, they knew one thing for sure, "The island hadn't finished with them yet."
Now this is end of my post and Thanks for reading, Dear Steemians. If this story piqued your curiosity, gave you chills, or got your imagination racing, leave a comment below!
At the end I would like to invite, @suboohi, @josepha, @chant, @sualeha @faran-nabeel to participate in this Contest as soon as possible.
Best Regards,
Abdul Sameer