David Farr
As the wind washed waterlogged driftwood
to the shore of a distant land
where a black sand beach lay lit by northern lights.
The strangled shout of a shipwrecked sailor
breaks the chorus of wave-impacted ambience.
‘Help,’ they shout. Again, ‘Help,’ they scream.
‘Help.’
Only the ocean responds
with a surge of the sea
and wreckage of waves.
Their mind clouded by concussive fog
a touch to their temple and
with a wince
they pull away their hand, fingers awash with salt-pink seawater.
A distant nightmare of a creature from the depths,
of splintering wood,
of dying screams,
of internal gore splatting across the deck.
A tentacle strike, an explosion, and then—
nothing.
They lurch to their feet and plunge into the black sand of the beach,
a lone survivor of the tragic wreck of the Dauntless.
This poem is an extract of the private works of Sairentowan Hard, alluding to the sinking of the H.M.I.S Dauntless in the sixteenth year of the fourth era. Although, none are thought to have survived the sinking.
Author: David is an emerging Brisbane writer with a fixation on fantasy fiction and poetry. As well as being an ex-serviceperson, stay-at-home dad, and motorcycle enthusiast, David hopes to become a published Australian fantasy author. David finds the best exercise for his creativity is performing as a Dungeon Master for his weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Artist: Sarah McLachlan is a third year Bachelor of Creative Writing student who likes to draw in her spare time. She wishes to combine both her art and writing skills to create a webcomic of her own one day, but she’s also open to illustrating for books and book covers. Sarah is also a major The Legend of Zelda fan and can be found drawing a lot of elves. You can find her at @hideriame02 on Instagram.
Editors: Jasmine Tait and Eliana Fritz