This story takes place approximately two years following the appearance of Nelsons ancestor, Captain Seamus O’Hara Nelson during season three.

A Ghost Story

By Keri T.

It was two years previous that the ghost of one of Harry’s ancestor’s... Captain Seamus O’Hara Nelson showed up after firing several rounds from the cannon’s mounted on his ancient two hundred year old square rigger sailing ship at the Seaview. Upon being informed by Captain Crane that they had been fired on and attacked by an old ship, Harry hurriedly left his cabin. Descending the spiral staircase to the control room Harry stopped dead in his tracks finding the entire control room crew frozen in place. He tried speaking to them with no response. Harry checked several other compartments on the boat, finding more crewmen frozen in place, some in some pretty ridiculous looking positions, and all were unable to move or speak.

Harry reasoned that none of what he was seeing was real and that he must be dreaming for he was sure he was still asleep in his bunk in his cabin when he began to hear a strange cackling laugh that seemed to come out of nowhere yet it seemed to be everywhere as he slowly paced his way through the boat. . It wasn’t until he returned to his cabin that he noticed a figure of someone standing back away from the light in a dark shadowy corner of the room. Only after firing a few rounds from the pistol he had taken earlier from the control room arms locker did he finally come face to face with the ghost of his ancestor, Captain Seamus O’Hara Nelson. After introducing himself to Harry, the ghost proceeded to tell him that he was to come with himself without any further thoughts of his life’s work, the institute, Seaview, and the entire crew. He was to accompany him on his ancient square rigger sailing ship.

He offered Harry a never ending life by giving him the gift of immortality in return for going with him and sharing the life and adventure of sailing and brawling the seven seas. However, in order to achieve this it would be necessary for him to kill Harry but he didn’t specify how...only that there were certain proprieties to be observed as he put it.

Harry declined the offer... not once, but several times and each time Captain Nelson grew more and more angrier, finally threatening Harry with the destruction of his beloved Seaview, himself, and the entire crew. Because Harry was beginning to get suspicious about the captain and his motives, he decided to do some checking.

After receiving a reply to an inquiry he sent requesting some background information about his long lost relative and his illustrious past, Harry learned that not only was Captain Nelson not being truthful and forth coming, he was guilty of being involved in the shipping and trading of humans into bondage and slavery...the worst kind of scourge to sail the seas.

It didn’t take Harry long to figure out that because of his ancestor’s cruel business dealings, that Captain Nelson was in fact... in perdition, serving penance for his evil deeds, condemned to sail alone on his ship for all eternity, never being able to reach port. Suddenly Harry was hit with the realization that in reality, all his infamous ancestor really wanted him for was a scapegoat, someone to take his place, so he could at long last finally rest in peace and that all his fine words were nothing but lies. When Harry confronted Captain Nelson with the truth, Seamus realized that he had failed in his quest to recruit Harry and disappeared for good...or so Harry thought.

Now at the present time, it’s a couple years later and by coincidence, it’s almost Halloween. The Seaview and her crew are in the middle of the Irish Sea on a routine mapping mission when who should appear again...Harry’s old nemesis and ancestor, Captain Nelson. Only this time his appearance is totally disheveled. He is very evil looking, more vengeful, and more determined than ever. He has had two years to let his anger grow into hatred for Harry, to build up and fester inside him so much that it has literally eaten away at him. Now his appearance is nothing like the image that appeared before Harry two years prior.

The Captain Nelson before him now appears ravaged and decayed. His face is mostly unrecognizable. Around both his eyes there are no eye lids, no skin, only grotesque looking eye balls that protrude from their sockets. What hair he has left on his head is thin, gray, and stringy. The right front side and top of his head has no hair or skin, only the bare white skull bone exists. He has no nose, no lips, only the remnants of boney, broken, and half rotted teeth.

The skin on his fingers had rotted away revealing only the white skeletal bones. His clothes are soiled, torn, and ragged. Harry was having trouble believing his eyes. With his palms toward his face he scrubbed his eyes and blinked several times to regain his vision. He thought perhaps he was just having a really bad nightmare from which he would soon awaken.

After blinking several times to get his eyes to focus again, he slowly opened his eyes. Much to his disdain the sight of this odiferous decaying, evil looking ghost with its skeleton head partially covered with what remained of his rotting skin and hair would not fade away. The ghost of Captain Nelson appeared so grotesque to Harry, he was wondering just how bad things were going to get with this visitation. He had not done much research on the paranormal. Wishing that he had taken more of an interest in the subject, especially after his dealings with another nasty ghost...that of Captain Gerhardt Kruger, a German submarine captain from World War II. Kruger nearly cost the life of his best friend, Lee Crane. Now here was another ghost trying to do in his crew again to gain his cooperation. As he mentally kicked himself in the rear he thought to himself, “Why the hell does this keep happening and how the hell do I get rid of this one...once and for all?” He had a feeling this time was going to be a real pain in the butt.

******

Harry stood with a feeling of trepidation, staring at Captain Nelson. He couldn’t believe this was happening again. He faced his ancestor, and again the crew appeared frozen in time between one second and the next, not able to move or speak. He knew from the previous visits that not only could any of the crew respond to what was happening around them, they were totally unaware that anything was going on.

Harry noticed something else too. Instead of the hearty sounding cackling laugh he teased crew members with on his previous visit, now this very evil version of the Captain made horrible loud screeching, wheezing sounds. The sight and smell was so horrid Harry was fighting with everything he had to keep from vomiting as the acrid smell of this ghostly being was literally making his stomach churn.

“So captain... is this appearance meant to instill fear in me so that I will give in to your bidding?” Harry asked, pausing momentarily as he swallowed hard, trying to keep the contents of his stomach from rising up in his throat.

“No more explaining,” the ghost of Captain Nelson spat at Harry. “You will come with me...now,” the ghost stated, short and simply.

“And if I don’t,” Harry yelled back in a hostile tone.

Harry wasn’t sure what his old ancestor was up to but he figured he would test him to see how far he could push without suffering any repercussions. Unfortunately, he was about to find out just how bad the circumstances of his refusal would be.

Without any warning, the ghost turned and moved towards a young crewman Daren Thorn frozen in place at his duty station on the fathometer as Harry watched him, a look of utter horror flashed across his face. The ghost, now sporting a maniacal grin...his feet not touching the deck, he floated towards his unsuspecting prey. His blue eyes turned red as a fiery glow began to emanate from his protruding eye balls...they seemed to grow brighter the closer he came to the young crewman in his red jumpsuit for the poor fellow stood still and frozen...unaware of the approaching danger and unable to move away from the evil that approached.

Harry suddenly realized what this evil vermin had in mind for he had a look of sheer horror on his face as he tried to utter the words...

“No...Wait!” Harry yelled... but it was too late.

In the space of a moment, as suddenly as a bright flash of light appeared, the young man’s lifeless body lay in a crumpled heap on the deck, his eyes open but not seeing for in the blink of an eye he was dead and Harry then realized he was facing something more horrific than anything he had encountered before.

The situation was totally beyond anything he had ever experienced and it was completely beyond his ability to control the outcome.

Harry felt a wave of hopelessness sweep over him as he stood leaning heavily on the chart table staring at the dead body of the crewman who just a moment ago was a live human being and now lay dead before his eyes. His shoulders seem to slump downward in defeat. Harry was deeply saddened by the young man’s death and now he felt that he was to blame for this senseless death.

“Why...?” Harry finally found his voice...as it cracked with despair as he tried to speak. “Why him? He’s so young and has a family...a young wife now widowed...with two small children, who are now father-less and a new baby on the way...Why him? Why not me if it’s me you want?” Harry cried out at the ghost. Captain Nelson did not respond for several minutes.

As Captain Nelson stood glowering at Harry, noting the expression of defeat on his face. The evil ghost stood over the body of the dead sailor, inhaling deeply as the life force he’d stolen from the young man was fueling him, making him even stronger. As the ghost continued to observe Harry he began to form a devilishly evil thought in his mind as he leered at the other crew members standing about in the control room. It was almost as though the sight of all these men mesmerized the ghost.

There was something about Captain Nelson’s stance and the evil way he looked at the men. Harry came to the sudden sick realization that he probably couldn’t stop this maniac from carrying out the same horrible act on more of the crew. He noticed how Captain Nelson’s ghost was hungrily leering at the men, one by one until his eyes began to glow again as he set his demonic gaze on one person in particular. As he began to raise his hand, he stopped and turned towards Harry.

“What do you think Harry? Captain Nelson asked with the same sickening maniacal grin that he had on his face right before he killed young crewman Thorn. “This one is also young, so virile and handsome. The life force is very strong in this one.” Just then the ghost noticed a subtle change in Harry’s demeanor. He suddenly seemed much older in appearance. “Why Harry, what’s wrong?” Then the ghost momentarily looked back towards the young man with dark wavy hair and golden eyes. Then as the realization hit him he turned back to Harry. “Oh, but of course” the ghost said as he sneered evilly at Harry. “This one is different...you care about him more than you do the rest of your crew. Why Harry, didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s not nice to play favorites?”

Harry glared at Captain Nelson for a moment, then the expression on his face changed to that of near defeat, “No dear god, no... not Lee...please,” he thought to himself. As he noticed the evil Captain glaring at him, his entire being was horror struck as he realized the bastard was undoubtedly reading his mind.

As Captain Nelson began to move closer to the skipper, Harry’s eyes darted back and forth between Lee and the monstrous apparition before him. Then Captain Nelson once more raised his hand towards the helpless skipper.

“Stop!” Harry yelled.

“Yes... admiral.” Captain Nelson replied in a taunting tone as he momentarily held his hand still in midair. “Is there something you want?”

Harry stood in stunned silence, staring with an expression that could only be described as sheer dread and terror. He trembled as he stood there staring at his closest friend. As the ghost began to turn to face Commander Crane, Nelson yelled.

“No stop, you bastard!” Harry yelled out, his voice filled with anguish.

Captain Nelson’s Ghost stopped what he was doing and looked at Harry. “Oh, I see,” the ghost sneered as he spoke. “Did you think I was going to kill him?” Just then the ghost levitated off the deck and slowly floated around behind the skipper and looked directly at Harry as he rested his decayed and rotted hands on the skipper’s shoulders. “I was seriously considering doing just that,” he said sneeringly. “But, then I realized instead of killing him, if I took him to be my ally, have him by my side to do my bidding...that would hurt you far more than if I just killed him outright,” he gloated.

“You bastard,” Harry spoke without raising his voice, glaring at the ghost of his evil ancestor.

“Tsk, tsk Harry,” the ghost said as he waved one of his boney digits at the admiral. “Name calling isn’t nice. Unless you want to lose more of your men I would suggest you change that attitude of yours right now...or else.”

Harry continued to glare at the ghost in silence as his anger fumed within. His mind continued to race as he had several ideas cross his mind on how he might rid himself of the evil that threatened to destroy everyone and everything he cared for. There must be one a way to get rid of a ghost. He thought of his past dealings with his ancestor and that of another enemy, the ghost of Captain Gerhart Krueger who had willed him to shoot Lee Crane, an event that nearly cost him the life of his closest and dearest friend had it not been for the help of another ghost, Lani who was the love of Krueger’s life.

Harry would have to deal with this ghost on his own for he had no ally from the other world. But what could he do. There was no more time. He had to make a choice, either go with his evil ancestor or suffer the deaths of more of his crew and most likely the destruction of Seaview.

Just then Harry began to think back. There was something he had read in some of his research when he was checking the background of his infamous ancestor during his previous visit. Something in the back of his mind. What was it? He seemed to vaguely remember something about getting rid of ghosts. What was the first method? Then suddenly, it came back to him.

“No, surely that wouldn’t work,” he thought to himself. He remembered now. He hadn’t taken the idea seriously because it almost sounded ridiculous. The more he thought on it the more preposterous it seemed. “That’s just way too simple,” Harry thought. “It’s too easy and I doubt the old bastard will fall for it,” he thought.

Never the less, Harry was running out of time and he had to do something quick or suffer the fate of his ancestor’s wishes. “What have I got to lose,” Harry thought. “It’s now or never. It’s got to be now...right now.”

“What is taking you so long admiral?” the ghost asked clearly becoming irritated. Old Seamus noticed a sudden change in the expression on Harry’s face and in his stance. “See here...just what do you think you’re doing?” the ghost asked as he raised his voice as he was growing angrier by the minute, ready to strike a fatal blow, killing Captain Crane with the wave of his hand.

“Come on Harry,” the ghost hissed loudly. “I’m through waiting...time’s up admiral!”

As Harry started to approach the ghost, he spied the same evil maniacal grin on ghosts face or what was left of it. Before he could do anything the ghost waved his hand and the bright almost blinding light appeared once more as it did when young Thorn had been killed.

Harry yelled, “NO!”

Just then Harry’s body shot forward as he sat up in his bunk. He was thoroughly drenched in sweat. Within moments Harry fully awakened and recognized his surroundings of his dimly lit cabin. He noticed a book had fallen onto the floor below his bunk. Harry slowly tossed off his covers and swung his feet over the side as he proceeded to stand up. Looking around the cabin and noticing that everything seemed normal he crossed over to his private head and rinsed out a hand towel in some cool water in the sink. He walked back out into his cabin, dabbing the cold damp towel on his face and neck.

Walking back to his bunk, he leaned over and picked up the book that had fallen on the floor, checking his place where he left off reading before he fell asleep. Feeling a little better he crossed back over to the head and hung the hand towel over one of the towel bars then he slowly sauntered back over to his bunk and proceeded to lay back down on his bunk and pull up the covers. Harry let a small smile cross his face as he thought to himself, “Thank god, I was right after all...it was only a dream and I was asleep in my bunk as I had thought.” Harry closed his eyes and burrowed down in the covers to get more comfortable. As he let out a yawn his final thought before drifting off to sleep, “mental note; contact Angie in the morning and have her check with the staff librarian for any books and journals regarding paranormal activity as well as any people in the scientific community specializing in the paranormal.”

The End

The characters in this story were originally created by writer William Welch who wrote several episodes during the four years that Voyage ran. The crewman Daren Thorn was my own addition. This story is based on the season three episode “The Haunted Submarine” in which Richard Basehart portrayed both Admiral Harriman Nelson and his ancestor Captain Seamus O’Hara Nelson.

Story was previously posted on The Subpen. I made a couple little changes before submitting for Seaview Stories.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main characters belong to Irwin Allen