The Book of Moncoto

.

THE BOOK OF MONCOTO 

..

THE BOOK OF MONCOTO 

 By

Mosetta M. Penick Phillips-Cermak

PHOTOGRAPHS

By

Larria Patterson

Copyright 2001-2020 (c) Mosetta M. Penick Phillips-Cermak, Ph. D.

...

The Book of Moncoto

Photographs copyright 2017-2019 Larria Patterson  

This is a work of fiction.  Any similarities to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

*

"I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came.

[Remarks at the Dinner for the America's Cup Crews, September 14 1962]"

― John F. Kennedy

**

 We clear the harbor and the wind catches her sails and my beautiful ship leans over ever so gracefully, and her elegant bow cuts cleanly into the increasing chop of the waves. I take a deep breath and my chest expands and my heart starts thumping so strongly I fear the others might see it beat through the cloth of my jacket. I face the wind and my lips peel back from my teeth in a grin of pure joy.

― L.A. Meyer, Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber

***

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

― Arthur C. Clarke, Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry Into the Limits of the Possible

Chapter 1

The Invincible Princess

Dawn hummed the tune to a song’s familiar intro.  She carried the soda pop, sandwiches, and other snacks from the dock’s gangplank to the deck of the boat.  She adjusted the volume on her wireless headphones as she sang…

Will we survive the magic and the mystery? Or, fall prey to the shadows of the night.

Is this the end or beginning of our history?  Does our path mingle with the stars in flight?

Dawn smiled as she stowed the supplies in the galley.  I know I can convince Nana if I am careful.  Gosh, I wish she’d stop treating me like such a baby.  I am not a baby.  Whenever I want to do something fun, then I’m too young, but if she wants me to do some kind of work, then it’s…You’re a big girl, Dawn…  Stop whining, Dawn.

I can handle the boat.  The swells are less than three feet.  Who cares if it’s November 2nd. There’s no rule that says that it has to storm in November.  I can’t even remember weather this warm at this time of year.    This is probably the last nice day of the year.  The schooner is in winter rig, and Nana already struck the boat’s topmast and light canvas.  That should account for any sudden changes in the wind.  Besides, she always said the boat’s design is perfect for this lake. 

…Let's journey together. Our story lies among the starry sky

Let’s journey together, together now until the day we die…

 I will convince her, said Dawn.  She shivered.  A cold breeze blew across the lake and rushed at her face.  Her eyes stung and the tears rolled down her cheeks.  She took an intake of air and caught her breath. 

Dawn practiced her sad face.  With her forehead pinched and her mouth turned down, she drooped her shoulders and started toward the house to confront her grandmother.

***

  Dawn released the fore and aft lines of the Invincible Princess and took the helm of the twenty-six footer. She pointed the bow west, out of the small, fast-flowing stream, and up the two-hundred-fifty feet of shoreline into Lake Superior.    Dawn sat down. She checked her striped cotton-chambray sailor top and matched shorts for stains.  She crossed her legs as she leaned back.  The wind across the lake blew a quiet three miles per hour from the northeast.  The gust lifted her hair. She brushed it away from her face and focused on Nana.

 Are you mad because I bothered you to take out the boat, Nana?

Nana looked down at her watch.  She pasted a smile on her face and turned to look at Dawn. 

No, Sweetheart. I could never really be mad at you.   There was no way I would allow you to take out this boat by yourself. 

Why not? Dawn asked.  I’m not a baby. 

Because, said Nana, no one should ever swim or sail alone.   Besides, if the hydraulic ram went out, you’d need at least a one-man crew just to get the sails up or down.

Other kids around here have their own boats and take them out by themselves all the time. How will I ever become a champion sailor like you, Nana, if you won’t let me have a boat?   It’s not like I want to try the Mackinac Race.  I just want to hop over to Madeline Island.

Nevertheless, Dawn, you know how unpredictable this lake is in November.  Madeline Island is too far. She frowned.  Now, tie your life vest.

 ***

Nana glanced, once more, at the Submariner Rolex on her wrist.

 Dawn, we’re already an hour and a half out.  This is far enough.  Let’s start back. 

Thin clouds billowed from the northwestern skies and moved toward them.  Nana’s brow furrowed as she stared at a new-formed, looming, black cloud, hanging low on the western horizon.  She reached over and tapped the barometer attached to the boat.  The mercury in the gauge leveled out at the red line.  The rapid drop in pressure confirmed what she suspected.

A storm front moving in.  I’d better take the helm, she said. I just hope we can make it home in one piece.

Don’t worry, Nana, we’ll be fine.  We’ll make it back to the slip, in record time. 

Do you remember what I told you about Lake Superior and the Great Lakes?  The history of the five Great Lakes shows more than ten thousand vessels sunk on her floors.

Dawn sighed.  Good grief, all she ever does is worry.  I wish she’d stop hounding me with the same stuff over, and over.

Yes, Nana, I remember. However, you’re the best sailor I know.  Besides, most of those boats went down in the olden days.

Not all of them Dawn…not all of them.

She eyed Nana as she turned the boat leeward, caught the wind in the sails, and headed east toward the lighter sky.   The schooner clipped along at a respectable fifteen knots.  Dawn peered back at the tumbling black clouds chasing them, almost catching them. Maybe the Invincible Princess could outrun the storm.  She knew the Invincible Princess could outrun the storm...couldn't it?  With Nana at the helm, nothing can catch us.

The rush of the water struck the bow under them.  Dawn untied her life vest and zipped up her black slicker. She crossed her arms and rubbed her shoulders. The chill of the falling temperature made goosebumps rise.  She shivered and not from the thrill of sailing--she'd always liked that--but a new kind of sensation, a scary kind.

The wind picked up even more.  The sails whipped.   Dawn viewed her breath as she exhaled.   She stood up and adjusted her gait to the roll of the boat as she made her way to the cabin.  She reached the door and went below to get gloves and rainwear.  She found the foul-weather gear and hauled it back up on deck.  White-crested water pounded against the hull as the lake pitched and swelled.  An icy wave hit, washed the deck, and sent the boat sideways. Dawn clutched the rain-slickers under her arm and tried to keep her balance. She moved in slow motion as she fell down and crashed across the deck.   She worked to regain her footing, pulled up on her knees and grabbed at—at anything-- the control lines.  Snap went the line holding the boom in place.

   Watch out, Dawn!

The pole, now loose, swung back and forth.  It moved from one side of the boat to the other.  THWACK!  The spar crashed into the side of Dawn’s head.  It hurled her two feet through the air and swept her off the boat.  SPLASH!

Dawn plunged into the frigid depths of Lake Superior. The cold water shocked her back to a partial revival of her senses.  She struggled to regain control of her limbs. 

  Dawn, Nana shouted.

  Help me!  Dawn cried, Nana! Her voice faded in the darkness.

A bright light seeped from Dawn’s chest and illuminated the water around her.  The light broke the surface of the water and shot up into the sky.  Shimmery particles splintered from the main source. Sparkles hovered, surrounded Dawn, and then pulsated. It pulled her with it toward the clouds.  Dawn pressed her eyes together. Cold wind and a sensation of soaring upward rushed at her.  She opened her eyes and looked down on the water below.  She viewed the boat as it floundered n the lake, with no one at her helm. Dawn stared down at the Invincible Princess. It rolled over and sank in less than five minutes

Chapter 2

Laven-Moors

Faster, Dawn... Faster! Dawn Baxter hurried toward the southern end of the forest. She kept the fading warmth of the sunlight on her right side.  The rays from the setting sun guided her in the correct direction. Her long brown hair pulled back in a single loose braid, bounced behind her.  Her agile legs and natural athletic grace carried her through the twilight with ease.

Twilight—I stayed too long.  She picked up the pace.  Nana warned me the trees could come alive in the forest, and turn into long-forgotten creatures. A fallen log creaked near her foot.  What was that? Her eyes darted from side to side.   Had the log turned into one of the long-extinct crocodile-like dinosaurs Nana said inhabited the forest after dark?   A sudden screech shattered the eerie silence -- either predator or prey.  She held her breath.  Afraid to stop, yet fearful of walking into the path of some ancient beast, she threw her determination into escaping the forest.

Dawn squinted, but the red and silver of the branches dimmed as the forest began to change shape.  Nana said the trees stretched their branches into arms.   Dawn imagined the Giant Pink Oak opening what looked like eyes. Once I pass the Oak, the boundary between the forest and the safety of the village, everything will be okay.  The gold and silver trees moved to the side to allow her to pass uninjured.  Dawn’s heart pounded with every step she took. Her mind drifted back to the first evening after they arrived in Laven-Moor, and the words of warning Nana spoke.

Dawn, Nana had said, get to the Giant Pink Oak before nightfall. You'll be safe then.  Gathar said even the roots in the ground lay flat to prevent you from tripping.  Remember, at night the most powerful magic of Laven–Moors comes into play.

***

 Dawn passed the