The Dragon King
By J. L. Young

A woman woke with a feeling she couldn’t shake. She climbed from her berth, slipped a backpack on, and exited her stateroom. It wasn’t long until she reached the hatch to the main deck. Though the fabric of the night sky was filled with cloud-like swirls of clouds and stars, the shadow of the Earth bathed the dead calm sea in darkness. A ghostly green glow churned in the wake of the small ship. She made her way to the bridge.

The Captain had passed out, a bottle of booze had slipped from his grip and fallen to the deck. The clatter it made should have aroused him, but alas it had not. She shook him only to wake him for a fleeting moment. A loud bang and a shutter traveled through the hull. The woman and the Captain fell to the deck as the ship ceased all forward motion.

He stood up from his chair and stumbled to the port. He flipped a switch on the console and directed a powerful beam off the starboard bow. A rock appeared in the beam. He covered his eyes and uttered, “Mousiwake nai desu. I have put us in great peril, Leander-san.”

Despite his inebriation, Captain Hamamoto crossed the deck to a hatch, spun the lock open, and climbed down a ladder. Moments later he returned, snatched a hand-held microphone from the console, and issued a distress call. He turned toward his passenger and spoke succinctly, “The ocean is inside ship. We must leave. Leave now!” He ushered her to longboat lashed to the port gunwale and they climbed inside. With skill, Hamamoto released the rope from the ship and guided the boat to the water.

The morning light found them afloat near an island. Hamamoto leaped out and pulled the boat ashore. The black sand reached far.

“It appears to be a desert island,” she said.

He took a handful of black sand and said, “Volcanic sand like Izu Oshima. I hope Coast Guard received distress call.” Hamamoto took some items from the boat and walked inland. Leander followed.

That night Leander started a fire and tended to it as Hamamoto recovered from his bender. She took a digital recorder from her backpack. “Ember Leander, day one: The ship has run aground. We found ourselves on a desert island with black volcanic sand. Captain Hamamoto shared his regret for his impropriety. My search for the mythical Ryujin-shinko, the dragon king will continue as soon as we make it off this island.”