FIRST CONTACT

"Hard aport! Hard aport! Island dead ahead!" Bryn screamed. She sat bolt upright, shaking and gulping for air. Darkness surrounded her. Gradually she realized where she was and what had happened. She had just had a very vivid dream that had left her gasping for breath. The Nomad was in the midst of a very strong storm. For some reason everyone was on deck. She remembered Sinbad was at the tiller. Doubar was at his side. Suddenly a large island appeared directly in front of them and it appeared that they would crash. She had seen it first and had screamed a warning. Then suddenly she was under water and her lungs felt like they would burst. But in her ears she could hear a female voice calling to her. She couldn't recall what the voice was saying, but it was encouraging her to hold on and not give up. And then she woke up.

The vividness of the dream left Bryn shaken. And that was not all. She had the conviction that this was the same dream that Sinbad had had the other night. And she could feel a presence around her. It was an unnerving feeling, the same feeling you get when you think you're being watched by someone. Bryn could detect no evil in the presence, but there was an aura of someone's spirit in the room with her. It made her hair stand up on her neck. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and listened intently in the dark. There was no doubt about it. She was not alone. She stood up and for some unaccountable reason went to the door and opened it. There was no one in the passageway. There was a bit of dim light from a candle down around the corner. Bryn crept out into the hall and turned left. She almost never went that way for there were only a few storage rooms and Maeve's old cabin in that direction. But she seemed drawn in that direction so she went that way. As she neared Maeve's cabin the strength of the presence increased. She reached the door and stopped. The feeling was very strong now. She had an urge to open the door but resisted. Instead, she rested the flat of her palm against the door, then instantly withdrew it, as her hand felt suddenly hot, as if someone had touched it with a hot torch. A hot jolt of pure energy had entered her body through that hand. Her whole body tingled from the feeling.

Quickly, she turned and went back to her room. She needed to think. Something very strange was happening. She lit a candle and examined her hand. There were no marks on it; it looked perfectly normal. For a moment she wondered if she had still been dreaming, but she still had that same feeling that she wasn't alone. The feeling of the presence was even stronger now. And it was not just around her. She had the same feeling inside as well, like the presence had entered into her somehow.

Her thoughts turned to Sinbad. She felt a strong urge to find him. She knew that he did not have a watch, and was probably fast asleep in his bed, but she headed down the passageway and up the hatchway to the main deck. It was quiet. There was a little weak moonlight from a crescent moon. There was a gentle but steady wind. She had no reason to believe that Sinbad was anywhere on the deck, but she moved toward the bow along the starboard side of the ship and there she saw him. His back was to her. She was not really surprised to see him. She wondered what to do. She did not want to startle him. She thought perhaps that she should turn around and leave, but she couldn't. Instead, she went quietly up to him and stood behind him.

Sinbad sensed he was not alone. A little shiver ran through him and the hair on the back of his neck tingled. He had been willing Maeve's presence again. "Maeve?" he questioned and turned around quickly.

"Maeve? No, it's me, Bryn," she replied, somewhat confused. "Something strange is going on. I thought you should know about it."

"What is it?" Sinbad managed, still flustered over mistaking Bryn for Maeve.

"Well, I had this strange dream about the Nomad almost crashing into an island, and then I woke up. When I started out my door, something made me turn toward Maeve's cabin. And when I got close I sensed something - a presence - inside. When I touched the door something really unbelievable happened."

"What?" Sinbad asked, instantly interested because it involved Maeve's room.

"Well, a strong jolt of energy went into me through my hand. And now I have the feeling that whatever it was, is inside me."

"Do you think it's something evil?" Sinbad asked, concerned.

"No, it's not like that at all. But right after it entered me, I had to find you, like whatever it was wanted me to take it to you. I know that is really hard to believe, but that's how it feels."

"Maeve!" Sinbad exclaimed. He knew it had to be Maeve.

"Maeve?" questioned Bryn. She was about to go on but Sinbad didn't wait.

"Listen, about your dream, could you see what the island looked like? Was it like any special shape?"

"It looked just like a turtle," she answered.

Sinbad slammed his hand against the rail. "I knew it. What else? Do you remember anything else?"

"I was under water. I thought I was going to drown. But a voice, a woman's voice, was calling to me, telling me to hold on, that it would be okay, and don't give in."

"You're sure about that?"

"Absolutely," she answered.

Sinbad lowered his voice as if he were afraid someone else would hear him. "I've had that same dream. The storm, the turtle shaped island, being under the water. But not the voice. It must be Maeve."

"How can you be so sure? I know she had great magic powers, but this is nothing like what you said she could do."

"I feel it. I know, I just know. But what does it mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's reliving the night she went overboard."

"But there was no island then," Sinbad countered.

"That's true," Bryn said.

Sinbad reached out and placed his hands on Bryn's shoulders because he wanted to get her to promise that she would tell no one else about their conversation. But the moment he touched her, he felt an incredible feeling of warmth and light flooding into his body and a very vivid image of Maeve flashed into his head at the same time. He could see her reaching out to him and speaking but he could not hear what she was saying. He knew immediately that somehow, Maeve was reaching out to him through Bryn. He looked at Bryn's face. For a second what he saw there was Maeve's visage, not Bryn's. He shut his eyes and reopened them and then Bryn's face was there again, but it had a vacant look to it, and her eyes were glassed over and fixed. He lifted his hands off Bryn and the vision immediately disappeared. Bryn slumped forward and collapsed senseless toward the deck and would have hit her head if Sinbad had not grabbed her at the last instant. He knelt down and lowered her limp body to the deck, cradling her head in his lap. He was not sure what he should do. He thought of calling for or going to get Firouz but then he would have to explain what happened. He stroked her hair gently, hoping that would wake her. He waited. After a few minutes, Bryn gave a little moan and opened her eyes. "What happened?" she asked in a dazed voice.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "We were talking, and then I touched your shoulders and suddenly a strange feeling came over me, and I could see a vision of Maeve in my head. I looked at you, but you were Maeve, at least your face was Maeve's, and then I shut my eyes and opened them again and you were you, but your face looked very strange. When I took my hands off you, you fainted. Do you remember any of that?"

"I remember that we were talking about our dreams. Everything after that is a blank."

"Oh."

"You saw Maeve when you looked at me?" she questioned.

"Yes, but only for a minute."

"But how could I be Maeve?" Bryn questioned.

"I don't know, but that's what happened."

"This is too strange to believe."

Bryn leaned forward as she prepared to sit up. Sinbad held her by the shoulder to restrain her. "Do you think you should?" he asked.

"I'm all right now," she insisted. Sinbad relaxed his grip on her and Bryn sat up. A moment later she struggled to her feet. Sinbad could see she was still a bit unsteady, so he put his arm around her to keep her steady. This time nothing unusual happened.

"I think I'd better go down and rest for a while," Bryn said.

"I insist on it," Sinbad replied.

"Don't worry, I will."

There were no unusual events for the next five days.