An Omen in a Bottle

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who believe in Signs from the Universe, and those who Ignore Them. The fine line between something that is believed to be Written in the Stars and something that is Artlessly Random is perception. The stance, usually awfully biased, depends on what we believe will serve us most. Does it not?

The fire from the bonfire was becoming uncomfortably hypnotizing. She had been staring into the flames for a while and was beginning to feel a spooky sensation come over her. The people around her became a blurry background and even the music was beginning to slip into a space in her mind that didn’t need her attention. The flames were blazing. Blue and green sparks were entwined in the red and yellow combustions. Some were large, some were larger. Some reached high, some flowed outward. But all were one energy, one stream of a singular consciousness, expressing itself in infinite ways. Her focus was so precise that the beach chair she sat on didn’t seem to exist. The noise from the world began to fade away into the distance as she tapped into the noise of nature. Slowly, her ears replaced the music and the people talking, shouting and laughing, the glasses clinking, the corks popping and the cigarette lighters lighting with the sound of the ocean howling on the horizon, the log fire crackling, and even the silence of the moon that suspended high in the sky, blessing the party. Everyone around her disappeared into her peripheral. The flames grew stronger, dancing actively in front of her eyes.

It was Friday the 13th and everyone had dressed up. The beach party was a festive event that happened at the end of each month. The theme was “Spooky but Kooky”. It was the perfect excuse for sunburnt hotel guests to let off the last bit of steam before returning to a sober reality. Phoebe, who worked as a hotel entertainer on the quaint island, always enjoyed these parties. They were a great way to connect with the guests she had spent time with in a more informal way. But tonight, on a full moon in July, she was staring into the fire, faraway from the dancing people. All the staff were required to be there. Phoebe sat on a beach chair around the fire. She wore a small red dress and dainty black sandals. Her long, ash-blonde hair fell softly onto her back. Her deep red lipstick made her green eyes seem severe. She looked deeper into the flames. They began shifting into somber faces. She adjusted her focus and looked away at the ocean. It crashed hopelessly. She took her devil-horned alice band off her head. Tommy walked toward her.

“Hey Phoebs. What’s good? You just… chilling?” He pulled up a chair next to her.

“Oh, hey Tommy. Yeah, all good.” She turned away from the fire to look at him.

He worked at the hotel too. He was the Master of Ceremony for the hotel and had a marvelously attractive voice. His late father owned this part of the island and the hotel too. There had been a spark of attraction between them when she first started working there. It was his eyes. They were aquamarine and his absolute ‘surfer boy’ image had tugged on her heart strings. But they quickly realized they were destined to be Soul Friends and put each other in the proper roles in their lives. They had been working together for just under 7 months.

“You don’t feel like dancing with the guests?” He asked sincerely as he sipped his extravagant blue cocktail that had a pineapple on the side. Before she could even respond, something shiny caught her eye.

“Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.” She took her sandals off and stood up, placing the devil-horned alice band on the chair. He looked confused. She walked further away from the party people, leaving the noise behind. Something glistened in the ocean. She walked closer to the water. The sand felt heavenly on her feet. The light from the moon reflected the shiny object once again. It shone more brightly the closer she got. The waves were crashing harshly and even though she had grown up near the sea, she was uncomfortable with the way they howled. The only thing that calmed her was the sweet smell of the fresh ocean water. Her feet were wet. She walked to the shore and looked up at the enormous, white, full-moon. She shuddered. She looked down. A blue, glass bottle floated suspiciously near her feet.

“Pollution.” She nodded her head in disappointment. She bent to pick it up. It glimmered once more just before she grabbed it. The waves became more erratic and the water was now splashing all over her dress. She held it in her hands. The waves were higher, pushing her further back onto the sand. She held it up to the moonlight. It was a beautiful bottle – a brand she had never seen before. Inside she saw a white, rolled-up paper.

“A message in a bottle.” She said quietly. “Wow.” She stopped for a moment. She couldn’t quite believe she was holding an actual Message in a Bottle. “Is this even a thing?” She wondered confusingly. She looked at the moon again, held the bottle tightly and walked back toward the party.

***

She put the bottle down on the kitchen table. After a hair-washing shower, she felt comfortable in her silk, black pajamas. She was towel drying her hair as she stared at the bottle. It was staring back. She shuddered again. Slowly, she lifted the bottle up and walked to the kitchen sink. In one, satisfying ‘swish’, she cracked the bottle with a small hammer from her toolbox. The glass shattered. Shards of glass fell securely in the sink. The paper was relatively big and was so old that it was beige in color and very crinkled. Her heart began beating as she grabbed it. She opened the sliding door and walked out onto the balcony, unrolling it carefully. It had an image of an orca whale in the top right-hand corner. It gave her goose bumps. In old handwriting, it said:

Behold!

A worthy seeker has been found, chosen by the sea

Heed this message, dear one, and listen carefully

A warning has been thrust on you by a watery guide, and friend

Be prepared for battle or life as you know it will end

Do not be alarmed, Chosen One, for the sea is never wrong

You have within you all the tools and you’ve had them all along

Share this warning carefully for pirates are nearby

Tomorrow night at sunset, dark clouds will fill the sky

Evacuate the island. You will find just what you seek

Their mercy is a phantom but their spirits are still weak

You’ve taken in this message. What you do is up to you

A Message in a Bottle is only but a clue

She read it over and over again. It made no sense, obviously. After the fourth time, she rolled the paper up and placed it on the table. She laughed at herself. Someone had clearly, as a joke, written a poem and put it in a bottle. She shook her head as she switched off the lights and headed to bed, glad that this uncomfortably mysterious evening was ending.

***

It was exactly 5 o’ clock. Phoebe and the rest of the hotel staff had waved happy goodbyes to the hotel guests as they headed home. Their day was head-spinning busy and she hadn’t had any time to think about the rolled-up paper on her kitchen table. Tommy had asked her and Kelan (also a hotel entertainer) to assist with preparing the deck for the arrival of their new guests in the morning. The deck was near the harbor where the ships arrived. They put some music on the sound system and contentedly cleared up, placing welcome glasses and banners around the area, engaging in conversation every now and then. Phoebe started to feel strange. She was untangling some string and a sudden wave of unease filled her chest. A strong wind began blowing, wafting away some decorations. Kelan ran after them. The sun had been blaring since the morning and the wind was particularly still… until now. The sun was setting peacefully, but was being interrupted by a sea of dark, grey rainclouds. Phoebe and Kelan looked at each other. They quickly put the gazebo up, encompassing the deck area in safety. Kelan ran to the hotel to fetch some towels. Phoebe walked toward the water. A thick fog was floating just on top of the water. Droplets of hard rain fell onto her skin. She felt nervous. A shadowed image came into view on the horizon. It was a colossal ship, heading straight toward them through the fog. It was jet black and enormous. She saw it clearly only when it was too close for her to move. She stood alone as the ship docked quickly. She was dumbstruck and couldn’t move at all. It was raining hard. 5 business men in black suits came off the ship. They held a stern impression. One was clearly the leader and walked ahead of them, heading straight toward Phoebe. She wanted to run inside the hotel, looking for Tommy, but her legs were wedged into the ground. He took his black sunglasses off. They weren’t even wet from the rain. Her heart beat fast.

“I’m looking for whoever is in charge.” His voice was cold as ice. She shuddered again. The other 4 men stood behind him in a peculiar formation.

She stuttered, “I… I will have to go find him.” She said with a soft, weak voice. The harsh man nodded once.

She walked off quickly. It was raining hard. When she was near the hotel, she looked back at them. They were huddled together, talking. She ran inside and found Tommy in the reception area.

“Tommy.” She said in a rush. “Some men are here asking to see you…”

***

A great chaos was afoot. It was still raining hard. Tommy, Phoebe, Kelan and about 8 other hotel staff members stood near the docks, face to face with the men.

“I don’t understand.” Tommy said calmly.

The men stood strong. They pulled out a piece of paper.

“According to this document, your father is not the owner of this land. It belongs to a man named Dominic Brando.” He showed Tommy the document. “We are here, on his behalf, to give you advance notice that we will be demolishing this hotel…” He pointed condescendingly, “… to build our casino.”

Tommy stood silent.

“Taking ruthlessly from others?” Phoebe had a sudden thought. “Pirates!” She put the pieces together. “Could it really be?” She speculated. “Was the warning real?” She had no time to wonder. She racked her brain for the note.

“Evacuate the island. You will find just what you seek

Their mercy is a phantom but their spirits are still weak”

She whispered to herself while the men argued. She slipped away from the conversation. “Evacuate the island…” She said to herself. She ran to the small utility boats on the other side of the dock, there for emergency evacuation.

“There must be something in here...” She thought hopefully. She searched inside each boat. Nothing. The rain started to calm down. The droplets were smaller and softer. Suddenly, she saw a small image of a black and white orca whale on the side of a boat on the far left. In bold, black letters, it read, “Custodes Maris”.

She ran toward it. She searched the inside of the boat. Sure enough, underneath the lifejacket there was a closed envelope. It was blank and had no address on it. She ripped it open. It was a Title Deed for the land and the hotel. It said that Tommy’s father was the sole heir to the land. She closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sky. It had almost stopped raining completely. She ran toward Tommy and the men.

“Stop!” She shouted as she got closer. Everyone stopped to look at her. The man straightened out his suit jacket and looked at Phoebe starkly.

“Here!” Phoebe shouted. She waved the piece of paper in the air.

“This is proof that the land belongs to Tommy’s father, Elliot Young, and therefore belongs to Tommy.”

The businessmen looked at each other.

“Where did you find that?” He asked harshly. “That piece of paper was allegedly destroyed.”

Everyone looked at him as if with one eyebrow lifted.

“Well… that’s shady…” Kelan said honestly.

Tommy grabbed the paper from Phoebe. Everyone was silent as he read it. A cheeky smile slowly developed on his face. He handed the paper to the man in black. He read it too. An angry expression encompassed his face. The men looked at each other in silence. The man handed the paper back to Tommy. They turned around without saying a word and headed back to their ship. Tommy, Phoebe, Kelan and the rest of the hotel staff cheered.

“Thank you, Phoebe.” Tommy said as he picked her up, hugged her and swung her around.

“But, how did you know where to find this?” He wondered.

She looked at the ocean. The clouds had faded into space and a clear, starry, evening sky was forming above their heads. The moon shone as if it had always been there. She smiled.

“An Omen in a Bottle.” She whispered.