Page 12 | Chapter 1 | The Ghost Ship | A Free Serialized Novel by Scott Telek

“Or even a storm,” John added. He and Iris shared a wide smile.

The barkeep stared back at them with leaden eyes. “Oh you’d like a rough passage then, would you?” she said, leaning in confidentially. She placed one arm forward on the counter.

Iris and John drew in to meet her, nodding eagerly.

The woman reached up and crooked her finger, bidding them draw closer. They obeyed, each catching breath. The woman stared at them a moment in expectation, as though pondering the revelation of a secret. “Would you like,” she asked, voice low and excited, “a passage to the bottom of the ocean?”

There was a pause as the smiles drained from the young couple’s faces, before the woman reared back and slapped the counter, hard. “Only one ship bound for Cornwall,” she said, “and not a sane person would sail on her.” She peered at them from below her fleshy lids, then turned away dismissively. “Do better try swimming.”

The patron near the back snickered quietly.