The Final Expedition - Episode 19

The Final Expedition - Compendium

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The spectre followed Jacob as he made the arduous crossing toward Basrah, then on to Kolkata. Even after he chased the thirst and hunger away, the damned thing remained. He’d heard plenty of stories in the pubs about them; ghosts that stuck with men long after the screams from the trenches died. Jacob wished Gregor was still here–he’d prefer some hulking soviet bravado to the deathly silence.

And Gregor probably had some vodka.

Within his small cabin on the boat chartered from Kolkata, the spectre stood just out of the corner of his eye. Jacob hunched over the rubbings he’d made of his map, more to distract himself than anything. The map was extraordinary, he admitted to the lamplight. The Vikings had traveled from the shores of Greenland to the halls of Byzantium. How hard was it to believe they’d ended up in the Americas?

It was the type of discovery that any adventurer dreamed of, and yet it barely offered a distraction from the spectre standing in the corner of his tiny cabin.

Jacob slept little as they steamed on toward Vancouver.

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A/N:

Welcome to A Microdose of Fiction, a series of genre fiction micro-stories that offer you an exclusive glimpse into expansive worlds. We're coming up to the end, so it's a perfect time to catch up. If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. The entire series can be found at the link up top. You can check out all of my best works below: