“Victoria! You can’t go through with this! You don’t know this guy, we don’t even know what the hell is going on!” shouted Ian.
“Ian… I can’t explain it. This feels so familiar, but I don’t know why. When I was little, my father told me that grandfather vanished at sea. I remember only bits and pieces of the day he vanished, there was a major flood… but not much more than that. Father refused to talk about it. Ian, if you want to take a lifeboat back to shore, I’ll understand, but the flood we just survived and the flood from years ago are somehow connected. I need to go to find answers.”
“Have you lost your mind?! I can’t leave you here alone. Not with this guy.”
The boat sailed through the watery optic. At one point their view from the deck inverted and everything was upside down, then a moment later right side up, as they drifted to calmer waters. The sky was a brilliant blue, with lush greens of land off in the distance. Capt. Vladimir returned from the wheelhouse.
“I’m afraid Olga won’t be joining us right now, she wishes to rest.”
“What is this place?” asked Victoria.
Capt. Vladimir paused for a moment, then “This is Padua. Very few people can come here, but travel to and from here is relatively simple.”
“Oh, by hopping on a unicorn and riding over that rainbow? Sounds very exciting.” quipped Ian
“Our family has passed on the means of getting here from generation to generation” said Capt. Vladimir evenly.
“And what means is that?” asked Victoria
“The opal ring on your hand Ian gave to you”
Victoria slowly looked down to her hand where the ring should be, and then a wave of shock rolled over her as she realized the ring was her and Ian’s only way back.