Vampire Of The New World

The sea was calm much to Jon's relief. The leaves of the coconut trees that lined the beach barely swayed in the almost imperceptible breeze. In other circ.u.mstances, Jon would have enjoyed relaxing and swimming in the turquoise waters. The sea beckoned like a welcoming innkeeper, inviting wearied travelers to rest.

There were three people at the dock, two men and a woman, when Jon and Jorge arrived. They were conversing noisily and laughing at some joke. Jorge took out Jon's luggage from the car and deposited it in the shaded area of the dock.

"We're an hour early," Jorge said, looking at his watch. "The boat that will take you to Orsica has not arrived yet."

"Jorge!" cried one of the men at the dock. "Who do you have there?" looking at Jon as if he were some specimen in an anthropology museum.

"Hey, Gringo! This is Jon, my client." Jorge then turned to Jon. "This is Gringo, my old buddy." The two men shook hands. Gringo then proceeded to introduce his wife and his brother who were laughing at his joke a while ago. They then proceeded to converse in their own language of which Jon could only catch a few words. When Jorge said 'Orsica' and 'Dante', Gringo's wife suddenly looked up and seemed concerned. Gringo's brother, on the other hand, looked away at the sea and the gathering clouds on the horizon.

Jorge took out his phone and dialed some numbers. He waited with his phone against his ear, and then redialed the number. Getting no response, he turned to Jon and spoke.

"The captain of the boat is not replying to my calls and messages," he said. "Gringo said it's quite perilous to go near Orsica as it gets late. If you are going there, you should go now. There is a storm brewing and with the high tide coming, it will be dangerous." Jorge then pointed out at the dark clouds in the horizon. Then, he once more talked to Gringo, but now in the language that Jon could understand.

In the end, it was decided that Jon would join Gringo in his boat and they could pass near Orsica on their way. Jon was a bit apprehensive at joining Gringo, but Jorge seemed comfortable with his friend and the perils of being on a boat when the waters become perilous was a less desirable option.

Jorge bid Jon goodbye and the latter got in the boat with Gringo and his small crew.

The boat's motor started and Jon took his place on one of the seats in the middle of the boat. Gringo's wife looked at Jon and tried conversing with him, but they were not able to talk a lot because of the language barrier. Jon, however, got the impression that Gringo's wife was trying to dissuade him to go to Orsica, possibly because of the same belief that it was dangerous to go there, especially on this day.

When everyone seemed to have settled, Gringo and his brother navigating the boat and Gringo's wife also busy with her own tasks, Jon simply sat and passed the time looking at islets and rock formations. The rocks formed grotesque figures that could easily find their place in a surrealist landscape. Between Salvador Dali and nature, nature definitely wins, thought Jon.

They passed more islets, each one having its own character. One rock formation that looked like a sailboat and another that looked like a cathedral with towers that jut out against the sky. Jon was starting to enjoy the scenery when he noticed that the wind has started to pick up and the waters getting choppy. Gringo left the navigation to his brother and went to Jon.

"The wind. It is getting stronger." He said, not quite fluent in Jon's language. "We go to a nearer island to be safe," he added. Gringo then motioned to his brother who steered the boat sharply to the right.

They had not gone far when coming from behind one of the islets, a white yacht appeared and quickly approached them from the left. It was the only thing that was new and glistening that Jon saw since coming from the airport.

The yacht blew its horn and proceeded to the side of Gringo's boat. In stylized gold letters, the name of the yacht was painted on its side – The Golden Krone. One of the crew then shouted to Gringo that it was from Orsica coming to fetch Jon.

Gringo and his brother helped with Jon's luggage. Before Jon transferred to the yacht, he thanked Gringo and his family for their help. Gringo merely nodded and smiled. Gringo's wife, however, made a gesture as if to stop Jon from getting to the yacht, but finally gave up when she saw that there was nothing that could change Jon's mind.

Aboard the yacht, Jon made himself comfortable as he was handed a glass of iced tea and a plate of biscuits. He was quite happy to be on a bigger boat just as the weather seemed to be getting worse. He thanked the yacht's crew for their hospitality. They all seemed friendly, but somehow, even with their wide smiles, they lacked the warmth that he felt when he was with Gringo and his small crew.

In a while, the yacht's captain went to see Jon and shook his hand. He was a tall man with long limbs and a tight grip. "I am Captain Salazar. It's a good thing that we were able to track you after you left the dock," he said. His face was dark and his gaze intense.

"How far are we from Orsica? The weather seemed to be turning for the worse," said Jon.

"Not too long now. Don't worry about it. Mr. Dante told me to take care of you. My crew and I will do our best to make your trip comfortable." At this the captain smiled, revealing his white teeth that looked sharp, even menacing if probably seen in the dark.

Jon looked out to the sea and the ominous clouds that portend the worsening weather. As he looked downwards, he was taken aback at seeing two dorsal fins jutting out of the water. A little farther on, there were two or three more.

For some reason, sharks seemed to gather around the Golden Krone!