Bing Gananda 31

18 Found at Sea

"I don't know what to tell you sir. At first we thought the boat was empty. But there was an old man there laying on the bottom. He's alive, but doesn't seem to know we're here.
"He seems to be an Englishman.
"The boat itself, is quite old, and so is it's gear."
"Surely you don't think he's been out here at sea for all that time!" said the captain in irritation.
"No, sir," the lieutenant said quickly. "That would be impossible."
The lieutenant handed the captain a book.
"This was with him, sir. It's a journal of some sort."
The Captain began to flip though the pages. The first entries were over sixty years old. He stopped when he reached the part where the His Majesty's Ship, Mary Anne had reached the Island. Tindor had given the location. The captain realized that this was approximately where they were now.
From that point the entries changed. From here on they were primarily pictures. Pictures of Strange plants. And strange creatures.
He was interrupted by one of the sailors.
"The man, is dead," he said quietly.
"What?"
"He was talking to himself. He must had been mad. He kept talking to someone named Bing Gananda. And then, he just died. He was smiling.

...The motion of the boat had ceased. Tindor could see the jungle all around him. The moon glowed in the sky above the trees. But there was another glow among the forest, and it was drawing closer.
And he seemed to be standing in a pool of cool light. He realized the glow was coming from himself. But it gave him no alarm. And the glow now approaching though the trees, was Bing Gananda.
Tindor forgot all about the boat.
As he walked to meet her, he could feel the earth beneath his bare feet. She seemed larger now, almost like himself. Then he noticed his hands. They had the pale glow of Bing Gananda. Tindor could feel Tomono and Pandurina watching as Bing took his hands.
"Now we are Blood..."

The End



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