The Ascension of Stanley Hart

Image "iso castle" by fool over at Deviantart

There was a castle built on sand, enchanted to keep its ground, and long after it was abandoned, it did so. The sand, straight down under it, could not be moved. The sand under the castle held fast to itself and the castle, and it sat there. There were a great many people there once, they populated the castle on the jetty of sand and took visitors on a road built on that sand. Setting up the road took half an hour every time the tide fell, after which the marketplace was busy until just before the tide came in, and the castle was surrounded again by its salty moat. The castle wasn't just a military enterprise, and had quite a few civilians in it, crafting things that you could make in your home or a warehouse or a shop and didn't need lots of land or the outdoors for. But now, abandoned, it stood towering over the waves, and some boys were betting over who could swim to it, and how fast, and who faster than who else.

"I bet I could swim to it" the biggest boy, Abe, said. He could. It wouldn't be a challenge for him.

Stan looked at the distance and appeared to be thinking hard. "I could swim it too", he finally said. Stan was fully capable of swimming the distance, if he didn't panic, but Stan was prone to panic, and there were no strong swimmers present. Sure, Abe could do the distance, it was only maybe 400 meters, and it wouldn't be too difficult, but saving another boy more than 20 meters out wouldn't happen for him, and 20 meters was being generous.

Someone looked at one of the smaller, smarter boys and he raised his eyebrows at them. "You have got to be kidding me" Cade said cutely. They all laughed. Cade would not make it 100 meters, but the boys just new he probably couldn't make it both ways. They let it slide.

"I can do it," a competitive boy Cade's size said. His name was Levi.

Cade saw the both the threat to his dignity if he refused to go with Levi and the threat of the other boys making him try if Levi swam. "Can not!" Cade said.

The crowd looked back at Levi, expecting a response. Fortunately, "neither can you!" Came out of his mouth. "Plus I probably could if I wanted to." Followed, under his breath.

One of the meaner older boys, who wouldn't be able to make the trip back by himself, Brayden, started talking. "I hear it's haunted. There used to be a kingdom there but then they got stuck and hey couldn't get out. The sand all over the drawbridge got stuck and they couldn't come out, so they had to climb out or die in there. They didn't die from hunger though. They started eating each other and then they left the bones out too long and they all got sick and died, and came back as ghosts because they ate people and now, and now, they're all cursed ghosts!" He finished breathlessly.

"You're a liar!" Stan yelled, realizing his error moments too late as the glances of the group fell on him.

"Why don't you prove it?" All of the boys knew he couldn't prove it. You couldn't exactly bring a ghost back, and he'd end up looking like a fool. But if he refused for any reason, he'd be a coward instead. It didn't have to make sense, it's just how little boys are at times, when there's too many in a group and some of them are reckless and some are mean, which is often with little boys.

"I will!" Stan glared at the boy challenging him. Cade and Levi looked very relieved, but no one was looking at them. Stan swam steadily forward, paying attention to the waves and current, but going a bit too fast. He got worn out about sixty percent of the way there, and slowed down substantially. By the time he was eighty percent of the way to the great castle he realized his error.

There was no beach. The drop off went straight down, and there was no way into the castle. He began to panic. His breaths came quicker, his limbs flailed, and he started sinking, forgetting momentarily how to tread water. But sometimes a little sea water does you more good than bad, and realizing that he was drowning made Stan grab hold of his emotions and finish the swim. By the time he got closer he had calmed down -- the castle was made of great huge stones like any other castle, and they weren't so far apart as to prevent him from climbing.

For fifteen minutes he sat there while the other boys speculated as to what he was doing. Sometimes they could see him, and sometimes they could not, and they were all very scared for him, though only some of them showed it, and they were teased half-heartedly. Cade slipped away from the group and ran home for an adult. It was time to fess up, things were serious now. After the fifteen minutes were over, Stan, determined as could be and mostly rested and not wanting to seem like a wussy, began his climb. The castle walls were not short, and though he was a fairly athletic boy who still climbed fairly often, it took him quite a while to make it up the first third, where he found a spot he could practically sit on to catch his breath. Cade still hadn't returned, and all of the boys were in awe. Whispers of "he's really doing it!" And "I wonder if it's haunted for real?" Bounced round. By now Stan would have realized that he had to confirm the presence of ghosts. No one would disbelieve him about it, and it would make his story better, and make him a bigger hero.

Stan started up the next hand and footholds, pulling himself up at times, and jumping at times. His hands were mostly dry, and the sea spray did not reach this high, and the rocks for the wall were fairly rough, so it was possible to catch a handhold you jumped for, if very difficult and unlikely. About halfway up, Stan had a choice. He either had to jump right and catch himself with only one handhold, about a foot jump further than his arm would reach, from which he could swing his feet to a safe foothold and rest, or keep going up until the next break spot, which required a much safer jump straight up, but a jump up against the rough rock and with the great, churning seas below all the same. He made it. By the time he got to the next resting place he was  very winded and about ready to quit, but the boys were delighted to see him make it so far. The repercussions of falling didn't occur to them, as it never does to a mob of boys that age encouraging one another to be dangerous. Only the glory of not failing held their minds.

Stan's father and older brother arrived, being the only ones Cade could find in the hurry, and asked what was going on, where Stan was, and, realizing it was his boy and his kid brother, Stan's father and brother jumped into the surf and began swimming. Before they were halfway, Stan was over the wall. His brother and father finished the swim easily, being folk of the sea and working folk, and started the climb, taking no breaks. They made it to the top and then started the long climb down. They searched the city, but Stan was never seen again. Within a couple of years the people moved away from that place. The castle, they said, was cursed. They could feel the stare coming from the center tower, and it was not kind.

"The Ascension of Stanley Hart" Flash Fiction © Ben Clardy V

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.