pieceofgosa
Master of the Possimpible
Ok this is my first bash at any sort of fanfic. I've written fiction before but never taken on anyone else's characters. The idea of the following (short) story is that it is a fragment, a brief glimpse at something that could have been. The backdrop is that of a real shipwreck, the wreck of the Amsterdam. The reason for this is that the date & location just about fits. Oh & the reason it ends like it does is because I suck at endings 🙂
Hastings, England.
26th January, 1749.
He had seen bad storms before. Gales that could rip the roof clean off your house, but this one was bad. An English winter was nothing to be trifled with but the traders wanted their money and the Dutch would never learn. As he approached the bay of Bulverhythe with the rest of his company a few hours before dawn he could hear the cries of the stricken sailors. He spoke no Dutch, but he could recognise a dying man's prayer to God in any language. "˜Holtz, take Lawrence and Godfrey and see to those looters, the bloody animals!' "˜Yes sir' he replied. "˜Andrew, Stewart, this way'. The three young soldiers made their way toward a group of locals who had gathered to see what they could "˜salvage' from the stricken vessel. As the looters became aware of the approach of the Red Coats, the group dispersed and disappeared into a thicket. "˜Daniel, should we follow them?' "˜Let them be Andrew, God will judge them in time. See to the injured and secure any valuables, we don't want the Dutch East India Company thinking the British Army doesn't care about it's profits do we?'. Holtz' wry smile was returned by his friend as the two men made their way toward the beach leaving Holtz alone. He felt for his canteen, the sea air had left a salty taste in his mouth he wanted to wash away. As he took a drink, a noise from a bush behind startled him. "˜Who goes there?' There was no reply. "˜Just a bloody bird Daniel' he thought to himself. "˜Stop jumping at shadows man!' As much as he tried to calm himself, his blood had run inexplicably cold and a feeling of dread had come upon him. He quickly turned to face the direction the sound had come from and caught a glimpse of something that shook him to his core. As the moonlight broke through the shadows, a figure behind the hedge was briefly illuminated. It was the shape of a man, the size of a man but there was something terribly wrong with his face. Holtz barely had time to react before the creature was upon him. He raised his rifle but his assailant knocked it from his grasp, before he could draw his sword he was struck across the face with such force that he was lifted from the ground. As he lay on his back, surprised he still had any teeth, the creature stalked him like a wild animal. It was upon Holtz in an instant, pressing his body into the cold dirt. Holtz could neither speak nor move, his body paralyzed with fear. As the creature reached for his throat it's hand brushed the crucifix that Holtz wore around his neck, the creature recoiled in pain and Holtz could smell the unmistakeable odour of burning flesh. "˜Daniel! Daniel! Is everything alright?' Never before had Holtz been so glad to hear his friend's voice. The creature turned toward the direction of the voice and as quickly as it had appeared it was gone.
Ok, hope that wasn't too painful to read 🙂 I might continue this, if I can figure out what happens next 🙂
Disclaimer:
Any copyrighted characters remain the property of the copyright holder
Any copyrighted characters remain the property of the copyright holder
Hastings, England.
26th January, 1749.
He had seen bad storms before. Gales that could rip the roof clean off your house, but this one was bad. An English winter was nothing to be trifled with but the traders wanted their money and the Dutch would never learn. As he approached the bay of Bulverhythe with the rest of his company a few hours before dawn he could hear the cries of the stricken sailors. He spoke no Dutch, but he could recognise a dying man's prayer to God in any language. "˜Holtz, take Lawrence and Godfrey and see to those looters, the bloody animals!' "˜Yes sir' he replied. "˜Andrew, Stewart, this way'. The three young soldiers made their way toward a group of locals who had gathered to see what they could "˜salvage' from the stricken vessel. As the looters became aware of the approach of the Red Coats, the group dispersed and disappeared into a thicket. "˜Daniel, should we follow them?' "˜Let them be Andrew, God will judge them in time. See to the injured and secure any valuables, we don't want the Dutch East India Company thinking the British Army doesn't care about it's profits do we?'. Holtz' wry smile was returned by his friend as the two men made their way toward the beach leaving Holtz alone. He felt for his canteen, the sea air had left a salty taste in his mouth he wanted to wash away. As he took a drink, a noise from a bush behind startled him. "˜Who goes there?' There was no reply. "˜Just a bloody bird Daniel' he thought to himself. "˜Stop jumping at shadows man!' As much as he tried to calm himself, his blood had run inexplicably cold and a feeling of dread had come upon him. He quickly turned to face the direction the sound had come from and caught a glimpse of something that shook him to his core. As the moonlight broke through the shadows, a figure behind the hedge was briefly illuminated. It was the shape of a man, the size of a man but there was something terribly wrong with his face. Holtz barely had time to react before the creature was upon him. He raised his rifle but his assailant knocked it from his grasp, before he could draw his sword he was struck across the face with such force that he was lifted from the ground. As he lay on his back, surprised he still had any teeth, the creature stalked him like a wild animal. It was upon Holtz in an instant, pressing his body into the cold dirt. Holtz could neither speak nor move, his body paralyzed with fear. As the creature reached for his throat it's hand brushed the crucifix that Holtz wore around his neck, the creature recoiled in pain and Holtz could smell the unmistakeable odour of burning flesh. "˜Daniel! Daniel! Is everything alright?' Never before had Holtz been so glad to hear his friend's voice. The creature turned toward the direction of the voice and as quickly as it had appeared it was gone.
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Ok, hope that wasn't too painful to read 🙂 I might continue this, if I can figure out what happens next 🙂