The Phantom Read online

  “Tiger, I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to piss you off. It’s just I got in so late last night and I didn’t know where else to put…”

  Toby removed his hand and Tiger went to turn, but obviously had second thoughts.

  “Mate, don’t worry about it. I’m a grumpy bastard. I know you didn’t mean it. Just forget it.”

  It felt as though the sun had come out inside him. As Toby followed Tiger to their quarters, all he could think about was what the following day would bring. Now he had broken the ice with Tiger, anything was possible.

  Chapter 3

  The next day saw no real change in Tiger’s attitude towards Toby. Although, if small mercies were all he was going to be offered, then he was thankful for the fact that at least now Tiger replied to him and sometimes the reply was accompanied by a smile.

  Fortunately there was always work to be done and even though his chores were dull and laborious, they provided an opportunity for Toby to become lost in the meanderings of his own thoughts.

  They had been sailing for several days when a sudden storm blew up from the south. Toby, Zeke, Chad, and Sandy were sent up the shrouds to secure the sails. Below, on the main deck, the others were securing everything they could, while Captain Bartlett stood at the helm, ready to do battle with whatever Mother Nature was sending their way.

  From his position high above the main deck, Toby could see the enormous banks of purple-grey clouds gliding across the pale blue sky towards them. The sea beneath was dark and freckled with silver where the rain was splashing against the swelling ocean. Storms had never bothered Toby before; in fact he’d enjoyed the rare splendour of a good storm. Now, watching the tempest speeding towards the little ship, his feelings couldn’t have been more different. Even as he was lashing the last sail to the yard, small drops of rain were exploding against his body.

  By the time he was ready to head for safety, the other men were hurrying down to the lower deck. Beside him the sea rose up to form a wall of dark blue. The ship listed heavily to one side, sending Toby tumbling across the deck towards to the side of the vessel. The impact was bone-jarring. His stomach was in his mouth, which was just as well since his lunch was threatening to make a re-appearance. He managed to flip himself onto all fours and crawl towards the main hatch, glimpsing Captain Bartlett, who was at the wheel and desperately trying to keep the ship from being flung onto its side. Grabbing the handrail, he made his way down the steps and below deck where it was warmer and dryer.

  Toby’s appearance at the door to the crew’s quarters provoked a burst of laughter from the men inside.

  “Look what washed over the side,” said Sandy as he lit a hand-rolled cigarette.

  “Should we throw it back?” asked Tiger.

  Pete got up from his bunk.

  “Yeah, yeah. Ya all so fuckin’ funny. Leave the poor kid alone.” Pete put an arm around Toby’s shoulders. “Ya should go and have a shower. Ya don’t wanna get pneumonia.”

  “Yeah, and Pete can scrub ya back,” laughed Sandy.

  Pete ignored his crewmates’ banter.

  “Go on, mate. Grab ya towel and go and have a nice warm shower.”

  Toby pulled the towel from the end of the bunk he shared with Tiger and left the room. He had made it almost to the end of the small passageway when he realised someone was following him. He turned into the bathroom and began taking his clothes off, when Pete entered.

  “Ya don’t wanna listen to them,” he said.

  Toby removed his sodden boots and socks.

  “I wasn’t really listening,” he replied. “What did they say?”

  Pete took a seat on the bench beneath the pegs where the men hung their towels.

  “About me scrubbing yer back.”

  Toby pulled off his jeans and underpants and padded across to the showerheads.

  “I know you’re all gay,” he said. He turned the taps on, enjoying the luxurious sensation of the warm water exploding across his back. “I realised that after a couple of days.”

  Pete shook his head. “See that’s where ya wrong. Sandy’s not gay and neither is the Captain. Both of them have got wives and kids.”

  Toby began washing the salt off his skin. “What about Tiger?”

  Pete paused before answering. “Yeah, Toby, he is. But don’t set ya sights on him. He’s not the kind of man a young lad like you should get mixed up with.”

  Toby looked at Pete and was about to tell him that he could set his sights on whomever he chose, but there was something in Pete’s eyes, something fragile that Toby realised he could easily shatter with a few ill-chosen words. Instead, he remained silent and turned his back to Pete. When next he turned around Pete was gone and Toby felt strangely guilty.

  The storm raged and buffeted The Phantom throughout the rest of the afternoon and for most of the night, but when Toby awoke the following morning, the sky had returned to its usual clear blue. The sun seemed even brighter than it had the day before, turning the caps of the waves into bright crystals that sparkled on the deep blue like diamonds. Toby stared out across the ocean, lost in its beauty. His belly was full from a hearty breakfast and his main chores had been done. For at least a few minutes his time was his own.

  He might have missed it had his eyes not been staring directly at that particular part of the ocean. At first he didn’t know what to make of the strange object floating in the ocean. It looked like a small island and there was movement all about it. The activity wasn’t just the waves lapping at the edge of the tiny island, but there was something in the water around the edges of the island, and also on it.

  Toby looked over his shoulder, at the men going about their work. He was quite alone. He turned his eyes back to the island, which was now a little clearer, since The Phantom was heading in the same general direction. It was still not a very large island, perhaps two or three metres long and just over a metre wide. Even more bizarre were the men swimming around it. What were they doing out there in the middle of nowhere? Toby couldn’t wait for the ship to get closer so he could more closely examine the mysterious island.

  As the ship approached, three of the men hoisted themselves out of the water and pulled themselves onto the small island. As they did, Toby noticed none of them had legs, but instead were possessed of large, silvery fish tails. The mermen began waving, as did those still bobbing up and down in the water.

  Toby waved back, still not believing his own eyes.

  “Hello,” one of them called.

  Toby glanced over his shoulder, to check that the coast was clear, and called back, “Hello!”

  The mermen were smiling at him now. All of them were so incredibly handsome; they would not have looked out of place on the cover of GQ. If one overlooked the small matter of their tails, that is. Their golden hair hung dripping over their sun-bronzed faces and necks, and their teeth were so white, they dazzled. Their arms and chests were thickly muscled and devoid of hair, while their stomachs were ridged.

  “Come and join us,” called another. “Come on.”

  The offer was tempting. Toby had never seen a collection of better looking men in the one place before. Every one of them was cock-hardingly perfect. One of the mermen leaned aside to reveal one of his brothers displaying a mighty erection that jutted out from a fold in his scaly tail. The shaft was veined and the engorged tip glistened with pre-ooze.

  “How will I get down?” he called out.

  “Jump!” they chorused, beckoning him.

  Toby took his bottom lip between his teeth. His eyes were riveted on the merman fondling his erection, though his mind was on the practicalities of leaping over the side. He worked his way along the side of the ship as it slipped through the water on its way past the island.

  “How will I get back?” he shouted.

  “Ropes,” the mermen called back. “Hurry up, handsome. Jump now. ”

  Another of the mermen pulled his erect cock out to show it off to Toby. Immediately one of the merm
en in the water rose up and began sucking the engorged organ. While his eyes remained on Toby, his lips slipped up and down the tempting rod, pausing at the head to suck on it before taking it down his throat again.

  Toby reached down and began playing with his own erection, while considering what he should do. Finally the temptation grew too great. He gripped the side of the ship and took a step back, ready to leap onto the railing.

  “What are you doing?” asked Lennie, who from out of nowhere was suddenly by his side.

  “I’m chatting to those guys down there,” he explained. “I was just going to have a bit of fun with them. Aren’t they hot?”

  The expressions on the mermen’s faces darkened.

  “Hurry,” they called. “Don’t listen to him. Come on. Jump in. We’ll come and get you.”

  Toby could feel his cock straining against the loose fabric of his shorts. He glanced down and saw a dark spot where his pre-cum was leaking into the weave of the cloth.

  “Don’t do it,” said Lennie as Toby attempted once more to scale the side of the ship.

  “Leave me alone,” said Toby, elbowing Lennie sharply in the side.

  Lennie grabbed hold of Toby again, one arm around his waist and another around his neck.

  “I’m not letting you go,” he said. “Look at them. Take a good look at them. See them for what they really are. Look!”

  The expressions on the mermen’s faces had gone from dark to absolutely frightening. All of a sudden those on the island dived into the water. The whole group began swimming towards the boat. Their long silvery shapes speared through the ocean and soon they were directly below Toby, lifting their heads and torsos above the surface of the ocean.

  “Jump now,” one of them said. “Do it!”

  But their tone was no longer warm and friendly. Toby felt as though he were being ordered to do something and was, only at that moment, grateful for the arms that restrained him.

  “No!” he shouted back.

  The mermen began snarling. One opened its mouth and instead of the perfect white teeth, there were rows and rows of triangular teeth, serrated and deadly. In the blink of an eye there were more gaping mouths and dozens upon dozens of teeth, gnashing and snapping at the prospect of a meal; great mouths with layers of teeth that seemed too large to fit on such small faces.

  Toby felt nauseous when he realised what could have happened to him had Lennie not stopped him.

  “Thank you,” he managed to say as his body went limp.

  Lennie held him for a moment longer. “Not everything in this world is as it appears, boy,” he said. “Many terrifying and dangerous things come wrapped in pretty packaging. Anyway, let’s go and get some coffee. That’ll settle your nerves.” He released Toby and wiped his forehead on the back of his arm. “Mine, too.”

  When the coffee had been made and Toby’s mind had had a chance to clear, he found there were questions burning to be answered.

  “What were they doing out in the middle of nowhere?” he asked. “I mean, I’ve never seen such a small island.”

  Lennie swallowed a mouthful of coffee and shook his head.

  “That was no island, boy. I told you before you can’t always believe your eyes. That was a turtle. A giant sea turtle. They use each other. I’ve seen it before. The mermen use it to lure sailors into the water. Then it’s all cock and teeth.”

  Toby grimaced at the thought. “Nice,” he said, though his expression did not support his words. “And what does the turtle get out of it?”

  “Food,” said Lennie. “It gets the leftovers. That’s why it grows so big. Lots of fish and flesh.”

  Toby finished his coffee and set the mug on the table. He looked at Lennie and in a quiet voice said, “Please, don’t tell any of the others what happened.”

  Lennie smiled. “Your secret’s safe with me, boy.”

  Toby got up from the table and left the room.

  * * * *

  That night when the men were in bed waiting for sleep to claim them, Tiger asked a question.

  “Does anyone know where the fuck we’re going?”

  Toby’s ears pricked up.

  “Pete? If anyone knows, it’s you,” Tiger continued.

  “I dunno,” Pete replied. “I just know that when we get there we’re all gonna be rich.”

  “Don’t you think it’s unusual that a captain won’t tell his crew where the hell they’re going? I mean, doesn’t he trust us?”

  “Yeah,” said Bird. “We’ve got a right to know.”

  “We should all go up to him now and demand that he tell us,” said Sandy from across the other side of the room.

  “Steady on fellas,” said Lennie. “I want to know as much as the rest of you, but don’t you think he’ll tell us when he’s ready. He can’t keep it a secret from us forever.”

  There were a few muffled comments before Tiger got out of bed and took up position in the middle of the floor.

  “Lennie, you can wait if you want to, but I’m not going to hang around for another minute longer wondering where the hell we’re all going. Anyone else coming with me?”

  “I’ll go,” said Sandy.

  “Count me in,” said Bird.

  “What about you, Toby?” asked Tiger.

  Toby’s eyes widened. Why had Tiger singled him out? How could he say yes in front of Pete and Lennie, who were obviously against the idea. Then again, it could be his one and only chance to get closer to Tiger and if there was one thing he really wanted to do it was get closer to Tiger.

  “Come on, boy. Show us your balls.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Toby. If ya don’t wanna go, then don’t,” said Pete.

  Toby heard footsteps and then felt a hand on his thigh.

  “Hey Toby,” said Tiger, his voice barely above a whisper. “If you come with me then perhaps we could go for a walk afterwards. What do you reckon about that?”

  “What’s he saying to ya, Toby?” Pete asked from the shadows of his bunk. “Don’t listen to him.”

  Toby may not have made up his mind, but his cock sure as hell had. Before he fully realised what he was doing, he was standing next to Tiger.

  “Good on you, Toby.” He wrapped his arm around Toby’s shoulder. “Let’s leave the girls to their beauty sleep.”

  “Fuck off, Tiger,” said Chad. “You’re just stirring up trouble.”

  “We’ve got a right to know where we’re headed,” said Sandy before Tiger, Toby and the other two men left the room.

  “I’m glad you came with me,” said Tiger. “The Captain likes you.”

  They climbed the steps that led to the deck. Toby smiled at Tiger despite the butterflies in his gut. “Do you like me, Tiger?”

  “Course I do, mate,” he replied, glancing at Toby.

  The Captain was in his cabin. He’d left Zeke at the helm. Toby could just make out his silhouette against the starlit sky.

  “Come in,” said the Captain after Tiger had knocked.

  Tiger pushed Toby in first then followed. Sandy and Bird stayed at the rear.

  “And to what do I owe this pleasure? There’s nothing wrong, is there?”

  Tiger cleared his throat. “We were wondering, Captain, what our destination is. A few of us were chatting and reckon we have a right to know where we’re all going.”

  Captain Bartlett looked at each of them in turn. Toby hung his head as the Captain’s eyes fell upon him.

  “I see,” said Captain Bartlett walking around to the back of his desk. He took the lid from a bottle of whiskey and poured some into a glass. He took the glass in his hand and sat down in his chair. He took a sip, savouring the taste before swallowing. Toby thought the Captain had momentarily forgotten all about them.

  “I don’t see any problem with you knowing. I just need to know that I can trust you to keep it to yourselves. I don’t mind if the other crewmembers know either, but I don’t want anyone else outside of this ship to know. Am I clear on that?”

  Ther
e was a murmur of general agreement.

  “Do I have your word?”

  Everyone replied in the affirmative.

  “Very well,” said the Captain leaning forward over his desk. “Gather around.”

  Tiger looked back at Sandy and Bird as though he couldn’t quite believe everything had gone so easily.

  “This is where we are currently,” said Captain Bartlett stabbing the map with the tip of his index finger. “We’re heading up the coast of Africa through here into the Red Sea and into the Mediterranean.” Five sets of eyes were following the Captain’s finger as it traced their route on the map. “And there, my friends, we drop anchor and dive on…Atlantis.”

  Toby had heard of the mythical city before, but thought it was no more than a story. An opinion shared by the rest of the crew if their snorts and grunts were anything to go by.

  “You’re kidding, right?” said Tiger.

  “You’re taking us half-way across the world on a wild goose chase?” said Sandy.

  Captain Bartlett shook his head. “It’s not a wild goose chase. Besides, even if it is, aren’t you being paid for your time? And when we find the lost city, we’re all going to become richer than any of us could ever imagine.”

  “I don’t know about that,” said Tiger. “I can imagine a bloody lot!”

  “But the Mediterranean? I thought Atlantis was somewhere in the Atlantic. If it was in the Mediterranean, it would have been found by now,” said Sandy. “How many boats and ships have crossed those waters in the past two thousand years?”

  Captain Bartlett nodded. “Why then was ancient Heracleion only just re-discovered in 2001? They found what is also thought to have been parts of Cleopatra’s palace only a few years back. And all of that is right in the mouth of the Nile.”

  The information soon had the men re-evaluating their stance on the possibility of rediscovering Atlantis.

  “I have a map, an extremely old and valuable map that my father, rest his soul, acquired a few years ago.”

  “Why have you waited so long to use it?” asked Bird, his voice more like a boy’s than a man’s.

  “It’s taken this long for all the fuss to die down. A map such as the one I have does not disappear without the FBI, Interpol, and God knows who else becoming involved.”