Helm Stories: The Compass Thief
This story was written in conjunction with visitors to Hamilton Gardens, as part of the Hamilton Garden Arts Festival. Each person was asked what happened next, and their answer became the next part of the story.
You’re sitting on the dock, your feet dangling in the cool water beneath you. You watch as, several miles away on the horizon, two tall sailing ships roll by, their masts seemingly scraping the fluffy orange and pink clouds of the evening sky.
You look down at the compass in your hand. Your mother had made you promise to look after it. You turn it over and over in your hand, hoping to work out what the compass is trying to tell you, when your fingers fumble it for a moment, and it slips from your grasp.
The dull metal of the compass clips the timber of the dock, before spinning down, down into the water below. It floats, teasingly, for a moment, then gently sinks to the bottom, out of your sight. You gasp.
You quickly take off your jacket and dive in afterwards, hoping you can find it before the waters take it completely. You look around, scanning the sand for any sight of the compass.
You spot it off to the side, nestled between two patches of seaweed. It glints in the rolling slivers of sunlight that make it this far down. You’re about to reach for the compass, when suddenly –
A hand reaches out and snatches the compass up. Startled, you look up. The person who took the compass has started swimming away already. You chase after them, wondering what this person wants with your mother’s compass.
You’re a fast swimmer, but so are they. You’ve almost caught up to them when they turn around, to see if they’re being followed, and catch sight of you. They pause, as if they recognise you, and you use this moment to put on a burst of speed.
You’ve almost caught up, when a dolphin swims up from under them, flipping the thief over. The dolphin circles around and hovers alongside you. You notice something unusual about this dolphin. It shimmers for a moment and you realise that it’s actually a mermaid. There must have been some magic charm at work to disguise her true form. She points at the thief and you see they’re getting away, still with your compass.
The two of you chase after them, and as you swim, the Mermaid says, “Don’t worry, I know what to do.” She lets out a musical, dolphin-like call, and a pod of other dolphins surround the compass thief. Reluctantly, they stop swimming, and approach you.
They hold out the compass and open a cover at the back to reveal a photo. It’s a photo of your mother, with two children. One of them you recognise as yourself, but the other…
The thief points at the other child, and then at his own face. This must be your long-lost brother, come to reclaim his mother’s legacy and to uncover where she went.
The two of you will, in time, join together to adventure across the oceans and find her, but that’s another story for another time…
TO BE CONTINUED
These stories were written by Jim Fishwick, a theatremaker originally from Sydney, Australia currently living in Kirikiriroa.
If you liked this, you may want to come to The Museum Of This Morning, an interactive show at The Meteor Theatre on Sunday 7 March.
This show was made possible by the support of Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, and Jim’s patrons at Patreon. Consider joining them?
Have a lovely day xx
