Chapter 3
https://www.miraclenovela.com/2025/07/Asmaa_01316299310.html
The Island of No Return
By Asmaa Nada
chapter 4
The first mate looked ahead and said,
"The path twists like the body of a serpent, coiling around and between those icy mountains. It's dangerous, Captain Danyan. Look—once we reach that point, we won’t be able to use the engine."
The captain replied,
"We can rely on the sails."
The first mate nodded. “Alright, I’ll update the coordinates and steer the ship.”
"And I’ll go inform the others," said the captain, turning away.
The group of young passengers was still seated in the same spot, absorbed in a game of "Truth or Lie." As the captain approached, calling out to Mark and Raymond, everyone turned to him. Mark raised his hand and joked,
"Don’t tell me—it was my father on the radio line again?"
The captain chuckled,
"Yes, it was. But that’s not why I came back. I have some great news... about that map you gave me."
Raymond stood up quickly and moved toward the captain.
"What is it? Is there a mistake or something you can’t read?"
"No, no," said the captain confidently. "I could read it perfectly. And I’ve discovered a shortcut—it’ll get us to those islands in just two days!"
The youth burst into cheers and gathered around the captain, dancing and chanting,
"We sail with the greatest captain!"
The captain laughed,
"Thank you, thank you. But now, make sure you’re well prepared—we won’t be staying long on that island. Mark’s father is terribly worried. Also, wear heavy clothing—you’ll need to use your blankets like coats. We’re heading straight into snowy mountains."
Two days passed, filled with rising excitement from the young travelers, the captain, and the crew. Raymond, the most cautious among them, had wrapped the island’s internal maps in plastic to protect them from water in case of any unexpected incidents. He strapped the bundles tightly to his body.
As the snow-capped mountains came into view, the engine cut off and the sails rose. Still, the ship surged forward swiftly. The sky was clear, and the moonlight reflecting off the snowy peaks cast an eerie beauty that unsettled everyone on board. The girls huddled together, and though the boys tried to act brave, they too sat close to them.
Meanwhile, the captain’s heart was a mix of excitement and dread. His biggest fear: an avalanche. He gave firm instructions to the crew and warned the youth to keep their voices down.
Night spread its dark curtain, lit only by the ship’s lights reflecting like mirrors off the snow and the full moon casting silver beams on the semi-frozen sea, bouncing upward in shimmering threads. A heavy silence fell over the ship, and suddenly its motion slowed.
Antoine approached the inner railing and peered into the water, whispering to distract the girls from their fear:
"Look—something’s moving down there. I think it's penguins… or maybe those sea creatures they call elephant seals."
Mary moved closer to Antoine, following his gaze. She squinted, then suddenly recoiled in terror, covering her mouth with her hand. The others rushed toward her, and Clark asked in a hushed voice,
"What is it? Did you see… a ghost?"
Mary whispered,
"They were human skeletons… chained together."
A hush fell over the group. Raymond quickly moved closer with a flashlight in hand. He pointed the beam at the water.
"There’s nothing. I see nothing," he said firmly.
Antoine and Mark leaned in too, searching the depths.
Mark whispered, "Aim the light up there… near the base of that mountain."
Just then, the captain’s voice came from behind, soft but steady.
"Those are just your reflections—nothing more."
Mary shook her head.
"No, I saw skeletons. Human skeletons."
The captain hesitated for a moment, then said,
"It's possible. The islanders often send their dead into the water. It's nothing to be afraid of. Now, all of you—head to your cabins. You need rest. By morning, we’ll reach the shores of the Shoun Islands."
Reluctantly, everyone stood and made their way inside.
But Mark lingered. He stared up at the moon, now shifting for a brief moment—its shape distorted into the head of a massive serpent, its eyes glowing red.
---
The sunlight began to pierce through the clouds, dissolving the night’s darkness into gleaming day.
At the ship’s bow stood the captain, his hand resting on the cold metal railing. Six hours had passed since the youth went to sleep. He closed his eyes, listening to the wind sweeping through the icy mountains and beside the ship’s hull. He drew a long, cold breath into his chest and thought—for a moment—that this quiet might be one of life’s rarest comforts.
But he never had the chance to exhale.
A deafening sound rang through the air. Not a bell. No, it was deeper—like the violent shake of a rattlesnake's tail magnified a hundredfold.
He opened his eyes wide, scanning the mountains above.
Where moments ago the snowy peaks had kissed the sky in serene beauty, now they turned catastrophic.
That sound had triggered an avalanche.
"AVALANCHE!" the captain shouted. "Wake up! Sailors, to your posts—raise the sails! No, forget that—fire up the engines! We need to move, now!"
The sailors leapt from their bunks, scrambling across the ship. Some hoisted sails, others rushed below to ignite the engines at full power.
Meanwhile, the youth had gathered on deck, staring in stunned silence as torrents of snow thundered down the slopes, crashing toward the sea on all sides.
Clark scanned the deck and spotted, in the lower cargo area, a large wooden crate filled with vegetables and fruit.
"Mark! Antoine! Everyone—come help me empty this!"
They rushed over, unloading everything without hesitation.
But the ship was shaking violently under the pounding weight of snow falling from the mountains. Clark fastened lifting straps onto the crate and pulled it toward the railing. With help, they dragged it to the rear deck—just above water level—then opened a hatch known as the loading gate.
"Everyone in!" Clark ordered.
The wooden crate had already been pierced with many small holes in its lid. Once they were all inside, he tied the lid shut from the inside using a rope. One end was fastened to Clark’s body, the other to Mark’s.
The rest of the group squeezed in between them.
Raymond, still uneasy, muttered,
"What good is this going to do?"
Clark responded calmly,
"Theoretically, wood floats—even if it fills with water. Practically, we’re trying to survive if the ship goes down. Antoine, you're the most grounded one physically—hold onto that device I gave you and do not let it go, no matter what!"
Alice asked, "What device?"
And Mary added, "Some sort of water pump or lifter, I think. I don’t know what Clark’s planning."
Suddenly, they all heard shouting from the sailors above—and a thunderous crash shook the ship. Something massive had struck the hull. Water began seeping in.
Mark peered through one of the holes in the crate and saw sailors running toward the lifebuoys.
"Damn it!" he muttered. "Clark, we didn’t put on life jackets!"
Clark immediately untied the rope from his body, flung the lid open, and rushed to grab as many life jackets as he could.
One of the sailors reached for the same stack, and Clark nearly struck him, but the man shouted,
"I’ve already got one—go! You can’t carry them all by yourself!"
Clark let him help. Together, they hauled a bundle of jackets back to the crate.
The youth hurriedly pulled them on while the sailor barked,
"Hurry! The ship’s going down—we’re out of time!"
Clark stepped back into the crate and turned to the sailor.
"Come on—there’s room. Get in!"
The man, clearly older—past his forties—shook his head solemnly.
"You’re kids. You have to live. If I get in, who’s going to push you out?"
Clark sat back down, stricken by the reality of it—someone had to stay behind.
But Raymond interjected,
"Listen—after you push us into the water, jump! Land on top of the crate and hold on to the rope!"
The sailor nodded, eyes determined. He called out to another sailor who was unloading cargo from nearby boxes, asking for help to push the youth’s crate into the sea.
The crate dropped, hitting the water hard, then quickly righted itself and floated.
The sailor grabbed two oxygen tanks used for diving, sprinted, and leapt into the water beside the crate, clambering up to sit on top.
He watched as his crewmates pushed other crates and helped more people escape.
Meanwhile, the captain and some sailors had made it into a lifeboat. From there, the captain spotted the youth’s crate drifting in the water.
He steered the small boat toward them, hoping to tie it to his craft. But the ship was beyond saving now, sinking fast, abandoned—its decks vanishing beneath the relentless fall of snow from the mountain slopes.
Just as the captain reached out to grab the crate, a massive snowball slammed down, striking the water between them.
The impact capsized the lifeboat and sent the crate drifting far out of reach.
The youth inside lost consciousness one by one. Mark was the last to go, barely clinging to awareness as he heard the sailor above weeping, crying out:
"Forgive me, Captain… I had to choose between saving the children… or saving you."