I’m afraid I don’t really know how to start. The truth is, I don’t know what I’m getting into here. It could be nothing, or it could be… anything. I just hope it’s something. You see, my grandmother died a while back, and now it’s time for my grandfather to move out of their old house. As the only family member who still lives nearby, it’s my job to clean out their belongings and make the house ready to sell. This isn’t going to be an easy task, due to the size of the house and the sheer amount of… stuff, that’s accumulated here. I’ve found some interesting things already, little tidbits of family history, but yesterday, I came across the first thing that seemed really strange.

It didn’t look like much at first, just some scraps of paper tucked into an old photo album, but I felt compelled to read it, and I’m glad I did. It’s some diary entries from a woman named Elspeth, written during her time on a ship called the Nautilus. There are no dates, or references to events that might help me find when these were written, but it’s an interesting story nonetheless. When I asked my grandfather what it was, who this woman was, a look of disgust crossed his face. “Just an old obsession of your grandmother’s,” he said begrudgingly. I guess she spent ages trying to track down this story, but nothing much ever came of it. He didn’t want to discuss it with me further, but I was hesitant to just give up. After all, my grandmother must have had her reasons for caring so much about this. What follows is the diary as I found it, in case something should happen to this fragile bit of paper.

Today has been a most unusual day aboard the Nautilus. Granted, I have only been a resident of this fine vessel for a month or so, but what’s normal and what isn’t became apparent very quickly – there is a routine here. Today, we came quite close to being caught. Despite the audacity of the captain’s attempts at provoking other sea travelers, today was the first time any ship came even close to affecting us. They didn’t, of course; the Nautilus’ construction remains far superior to any ship I’ve ever seen before, though comparing it to other ships does it a grave disservice. The truly unusual thing was not the circumstances of the ship’s attack, but what came after: I am no longer the most recent resident of the Nautilus, for we have picked up three more passengers! The newcomers are two Frenchmen – a scientist and his assistant – and a Canadian harpooner. Nemo’s motivations for picking them up remain as inscrutable to me as were his reasons for taking me aboard. Needless to say I am grateful, because I need Nemo for the next step of my quest, but I do not understand why he deigned to carry me. I suppose he has his own reasons for everything that he does, whether or not I understand them. It shall be interesting, at least, to have someone else aboard who is not part of the crew. I have at least begun to pick up the strange language used on this ship, but it was dreadfully lonely until I did.

 

April 3

Evening, in my chambers

I’m afraid that I may have been incorrect in my assumption that these new passengers would bring any kind of excitement to this voyage. The scientist is a narcissistic bore; his assistant is a sycophant; the harpooner is a brute. The scientist, who goes by the name of Dr. Aronnax, came into the library the other day while I was reading, and almost immediately began acting condescending towards me. He was certain that I could not truly comprehend the text I was reading, nor the wonders around me in the library itself. At first, I assumed that his manner was due to my gender, as he certainly wouldn’t be the first professor I’ve encountered who doubted by mental faculties for that very same reason. As he continued on, it became clear that he likely would have acted the same towards anyone he might have encountered here, for his ego surely overshadows his intellect. I do not mean to malign his intelligence; he is certainly well-educated, but he seems to lack the necessary sense to apply that education. Rather than sit there and suffer his abuse, I excused myself to go and read in my chamber instead. Just outside the door of the library, I encountered his assistant, Conseil, who was rushing to his master’s side in a way I found almost comical. The lad is clearly infatuated with the doctor, though I doubt the good professor would ever notice. Such is the way of many men in academia, I’ve found, too stuck in their books to ever take a good look at the world around them. As you well know, I attribute my own successes in academia due not only to my intellect, but to the application of a little common sense as well. It seems that if Aronnax is overburdened with book learning, his companion Ned Land is the opposite – a man of few words, but a great deal of sense. He’s the only one of the new arrivals who seems to be wary of Captain Nemo. Aronnax idolizes him already, and Conseil will go along with whatever the professor says. But Mr. Land is of a more cautious breed; he already sees the dangerous capabilities of our captain. I know that I’ve been here a month longer than these gentlemen, but I could see from the first that Nemo, despite his erudition and eloquence, is as dangerous as any of the sharks that swim by us in the seas. My intention is to stay here only as long as it takes me to get what I need, and then find my way back to civilization as quickly as possible.

 

April 10

Morning, in the library

Clearly I need to take more time to assess this better, because I may have been incorrect about Mr. Land as well. He certainly sees that the captain is a dangerous man, but I made the mistake of assuming that he would tread carefully around him as a measure of safety. Rather, he takes the approach of harpooning a whale – he antagonizes the captain, questions his decisions, makes demands of him – I stay well out of it, not wishing to get caught when they inevitably butt heads. As a distraction from these troubles, we did make a most interesting excursion from the Nautilus today. I wrote before of the ship’s submersion mechanisms, and the ingenious system the captain devised for breathing and walking under the water. Perhaps I should feel guiltier about how I handled myself around Aronnax, but after his lordly attitude towards me, I took too much pleasure in explaining ever-so-patiently how the system works, when he could not see it for himself. To his credit, he only looked bewildered for a moment when he realized that I actually understood the science behind the device. It was the same look he wore on his face when he saw how I conversed with the crew of the ship in their constructed language at dinner the other night. I do so relish that look. As annoying as it is when someone underestimates me, it is a nice feeling to prove them wrong.

At any rate, we ventured out from the ship for the purpose of hunting in a beautiful underwater forest. I knew from my books that such things existed, but a description on a page does not do justice to it when you can see it with your own two eyes. I must confess, I was rather glad to be included in the hunting at all; it is seldom permitted for those of my gender to participate in hunts. Thankfully it appears that for all his flaws, Nemo has no such compulsions towards misogyny. Ned Land looked as if he were going to protest when he realized that I was really joining them, but he was silenced with a look. I never did get the thrill of bloodlust that my brother seems to when it comes to hunting, but there is something to be said for the satisfaction of providing for yourself, of drawing all that you need from nature with no middleman. After several hours of hunting, we did bring quite the bounty of food back to the Nautilus, despite one pointed suggestion from Aronnax that maybe I’d be happier gathering up some of the edible plants, rather than handling one of Nemo’s air-guns myself. In fact, I was quite fascinated by the variety of undersea plants growing around us, but I would never give him the satisfaction of seeing me set down that gun and let him think that he’d persuaded me at all.

 

April 19

Near midnight, in the library

In my time on board the Nautilus, I have never stopped searching for the object referred to on my list as “Nemo’s Pearl”. I am forced to conclude that whatever it is, and wherever he keeps it, it is not here on the ship. I’m beginning to think that perhaps I should give up on my quest for this particular object and pursue another – it may be a more economical use of my time and funds. I am quite comfortably outfitted due to Mr. Dardentor’s generosity, but it seems impossible to collect some of the items on this list in only three years. However, I doubt Richard is feeling any sort of trepidation, and Caroline is likely no less daring than he is. I have to accept that this is only the early days of our quest, and to back down so early would be admitting defeat. I will not quit this ship until I have acquired Nemo’s Pearl, but I confess I have started to make a plan to make my escape. The captain has made it entirely clear that the passengers of his ship are expected never to set foot on dry land again, to remain indebted to him for all their days. Clearly, I have no intention of being trapped here. Early in my days onboard the ship, I was shown the location of the ship’s boat, a small vessel, but doubtlessly a well-constructed one. When the Nautilus strays too close to the shore, I will set off in the boat myself and make for the nearest city. From there, onwards to the next destination! Unfortunately, I fear it may be some time until I can remove myself from the Nautilus, and Captain Nemo grows more and more volatile each day…

 

April 23

Morning, in my chambers

A break-through! Just when I thought that I would never find the Pearl, Nemo has foolishly placed it right in my path! His ambition must be blinding him, for he clearly trusts all his passengers implicitly. I suppose it’s not hard to put your trust in those you believe to be completely enamored of you. I admit, I can’t imagine Professor Aronnax or his companions fomenting much of a rebellion, or even disobeying the Captain. Ned Land may distrust him, but he now fears him too much to step out of line. I will not lie to you, nor to myself – I too am afraid of the Captain. I do not believe I will come to any harm while in his care – he is a man of morals, after all – but I fear his wrath should I be caught attempting to escape. The solution, obviously, is that I must not be caught… I digress. I must tell you of the wondrous Pearl and how I came to find it. The other day, I overheard Aronnax explaining the history and procedure of pearl gathering to his companions. The man must be dreadfully afraid of sharks, I realize, as he made quite the slip-up in his lecturing, claiming that a single oyster may contain as many as one hundred and fifty sharks! I thought this was quite humorous, that this superior sort of man should be so intimidated by one of nature’s beasts. I had to stifle my laughter before entering the library. Aronnax stopped short upon my entry, but then continued when he realized I had no interest in joining them; I had only come to the library to find a volume on the islands of the South Pacific, following a lead from my previous research. From listening to him, I gathered that Nemo must be planning an excursion to a pearl fishery sometime soon. I immediately realized that this must be the most likely path to my goal, and I went in search of Captain Nemo.

When I asked him if I might be permitted to join this expedition, he responded most curiously. “What interest do you have in such a thing, Elspeth? You’ve not expressed such enthusiasm over material wealth before, unlike the Professor and his companions.” I had to carefully consider how to respond; perhaps I’d come across as over-eager. “I am not interested in the pearls as such, Captain. I only wish to appreciate their natural beauty, before they’ve been processed and polished and altered by man. And besides,” I added, trying to sound nonchalant, “I am here to learn, and I have never seen a pearl fishery before.” My explanation seemed to satisfy him, and he agreed that I could go along on their expedition. The next day, we disembarked from the Nautilus and made our way towards the fishery on the very boat I spoke of previously. From there, we donned our diving dresses and submerged ourselves in the waters. I never thought I would say this, but I actually feel that I’m getting used to the diving apparatus. It seems almost comfortable now.

Incredibly, one of our first stops was the object of my desire. Nemo seemed almost like he was showing it off, which is rather uncharacteristic of him, to my mind. Nonetheless, he lead us into the cave that housed the tremendous mollusk, pried open its shell just enough for us to see, and revealed the largest, most stunning pearl I have ever seen in my life. It was just about the size of a coconut, and I know, dear reader, that this seems too fantastic to believe. I could have stared at it for ages like that, but Nemo closed the shell and indicated that we were to leave the cave. Clearly, Nemo has been protecting and guarding this pearl for some time, allowing it to grow larger and larger, thus appreciating in value. Perhaps someday, when he is short of funds himself, he intends to sell it off and profit massively. Unfortunately for him, this will prove impossible.

We journeyed further into the pearl fishery, and though I did admire the sights we saw there, I could not keep my mind off of the grand pearl. I lagged behind the rest of the group, and as if on cue, Aronnax’s fears were realized – the men were faced with a rather large shark. I could tell that it had not seen me, and rather than do the sensible thing and flee, the men clearly had every intention of fighting the shark. I took the opportunity to dash back to the cave as quickly as I could. I could feel the water tugging at me, slowing my movements; it’s near impossible to run underwater. When I reached the cave, I wrenched open the shell of the mollusk and laid my right hand upon the glorious pearl. After taking one last moment to appreciate its beauty, I recalled the words I had been taught by my parents, the ones that would whisk away whatever I touched to… well, I admit, I don’t know where it went, nor any of the others. Nonetheless, I once again recited, “I hereby claim this treasure and dedicate it to The Crossing.” The pearl began to take on a golden shine beyond that of its own natural lustre. With a soft popping, it vanished into thin air, leaving the great mollusk empty.

Satisfied, I exited the cave as quickly as I could and ran back to where I had left the group. I arrived just in time to see a new group of sharks devouring the body of their now-dead brother. The men simply stood back and watched, though the rivulets of blood in the water made my stomach churn. I had never previously been a squeamish person, but being surrounded by so much viscera was a uniquely disgusting experience. From there, we returned to the Nautilus, and no one commented on my absence, if they had noticed at all. By the time I retired to my cabin, I was quite exhausted – working the enchantment that collects the prizes for me does seem to leave me drained. I barely had the energy to undress before I collapsed into my bed, but I know I fell asleep with a broad smile on my face.

 

May 1

Afternoon, in my chambers

Since acquiring Nemo’s Pearl, I have been somewhat less anxious to leave the Nautilus. I am quite assured that no one here knows I have taken it, least of all Nemo himself. With that weight off my shoulders, I have been much more able to enjoy the pleasures and wonders of traveling under the sea, despite the captain’s growing madness. He stays more and more in his own chambers, interacting less with us passengers. I can tell that Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned Land are growing restless, however. I overheard them plotting an escape of their own (their plan did not differ greatly from my own, strangely enough), and they’re quite lucky that Nemo did not discover their scheming. If I thought they actually had the courage to attempt such an escape, I would suggest to them that we could work together to do so. As such, I doubt that they will. But for the time being, I am finding myself content here, and I will delay my exit accordingly. I still feel I have so much more to learn here.

 

May 12

Early morning, the Nautilus’ boat

I have never in my life experienced such foolishness as I have this past day. I had gathered that Aronnax and his companions had grown much more insistent in their attempt to escape, and as if in response, I became much more reluctant to leave the ship. I have come to enjoy being here, and the companionship of the crewmen has become invaluable to me. Nemo’s moods are volatile indeed, but it is nothing compared to the insanity of these men. The captain, at least, can be reasoned with. Last night, the Nautilus encountered a ship known as the Avenger. When Nemo asked us to retire to our chambers and remain there until morning, I knew what he intended – he was going to sink the ship. We’d been through this routine twice before since I had come aboard; once was when we had taken Aronnax and company aboard. The captain knew my objections to this activity, and I knew his reasons for undertaking it – we had had the debate on several occasions and it was clear that we’d never convince the other, so yet again I accepted my confinement without argument.

Unbeknownst to me, Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned Land foolishly chose this moment to make their escape. At least, their plan was unknown to me, until the door to my chambers slammed open, with them on the other side of it. I had been resting in my sitting room, reading a book until I went to bed, so you can imagine how much this intrusion startled me. “We’re here to rescue you!” Aronnax said in a tone I imagine he thought of as gallant. “What?” was all I could manage to say. “I don’t need rescuing!” Ned Land turned to the Professor and said, “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Turning back to me, he continued, “Come along then, miss.” He grabbed me by my arm and pulled me out of my seat, evidently intending to drag me all the way to shore if necessary. Indeed, I was powerless to resist his physical strength until we made it to the boat.

Once safely shut inside, we separated from the Nautilus, though I’ve no idea how Ned Land seems to have obtained the necessary key. Once separated from the vessel, I was then released. Aronnax looked at me in an infuriatingly patronizing way, his intent no doubt sympathetic. “It will be alright, my dear. You seem to be suffering from a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome. We’re off the coast of Norway now, and when we get to land, I’ll ensure that you see the best doctors money can buy.” This fool thought that I’d been shanghaied by the crew of the Nautilus as he had, rather than joining up voluntarily as had been the case back in the Mediterranean what feels like so long ago.

Besides, my knowledge of oceanography was evidently better than his, for I knew that if the coordinates he’d given to me were accurate, we were rapidly approaching the maelstrom that lay between the Lofoten Islands and the coast of Norway. Were we in the Nautilus, I would’ve had no fear of the gaping maw of the sea, but I did not care for our chances in the small boat, no matter how well-constructed it may be. Indeed, I began to feel an uneasy swaying in the movement of our vessel. I tried to speak up, but at every turn, one of the men shushed me condescendingly.

When the seas began to get truly rough, the boat was hurled and launched by the waves, and Aronnax fell and hit his head against one of the metal walls of the boat – he was unconscious. Taking my attention off the others, I rushed to his side and did my best to pillow his head and protect it from more damage. He may have been an arrogant fool, but he certainly didn’t deserve to die of untreated head trauma. Ned Land stayed close to the helm of the boat and did his best to keep us away from the maelstrom, swearing and wrestling with the wheel. Only a few minutes later, Conseil too took a nasty fall and was unable to stand back up. I crawled across the floor to pull his body back to a corner where I had already placed the Professor, sheltered from the violent tosses of the seas. I attempted to shout some words of advice to Ned Land, but either the wind swallowed my voice, or Land chose to ignore it; I’m afraid I’ll never know which is the truth. But a particularly tumultuous wave threw him from his feet, and I knew instantly that he would be unable to get back to the helm in time to save us from sinking. The maelstrom was already too close to sucking us down to the ocean floor.

I managed to pull myself up, and as I did so, I grabbed a hank of rope from the wall. I staggered to the wheel and tied the rope around my waist and the steering column so that I did not get so mercilessly thrown. To his credit, Ned Land had done an admirable job in keeping us from the edges of the maelstrom, and that made it easy to pick up where he had been unable to continue. We were about halfway around the swirling vortex from where we had started, and I knew if we could just get to the other side, we would reach clearer waters. I fought with the little boat, the wheel threatening to tear itself out of my hands as the wind whipped us to and fro. The night was not on our side, as the moon was new and did not shed any light on the churning, pitch black waters. The first gray light of dawn was such a tremendous relief to me that I nearly wept, the slightest rays of sun showing that we’d very nearly escaped now, not much further to go before we reached calmer seas. When we did finally feel the waves settle beneath us, I wrenched my hands from the wheel to find that they were cramped and tight, stiff in the position they’d taken for so long. To my surprise, I turned to find Ned Land looking at me with a shocked kind of awe, and he even saw fit to shake my hand as a gesture of respect.

We had a few close calls, but I hope it doesn’t sound prideful to say that I kept us from drowning that night. To you, dear reader, these exploits may sound brave or courageous, but I must tell you that I felt no such thing. All I felt was fear, and a tremendous desire not to die that night. Now, the sun is rising and the men are all still soundly asleep, but as I look out over the horizon, I can see the Nautilus approaching – our absence has finally been noticed. I have a plan to convince Nemo to trust me again, but they are too close now to write of it. If I am successful, I’ll tell you all about it.

 

May 13

Evening, in my chambers

It appears my grand scheme has worked, with Nemo none the wiser! After I stopped writing, I returned to the helm of the ship and steered us towards the Nautilus. We joined quickly, and Nemo himself came aboard the small boat. I made a great charade of weeping with relief to see him, and I wove a great tale of having been kidnapped by the brutish professor and his men. He did his best to comfort me, though matters of sentiment clearly do not come naturally to him – I cannot criticize, for they are not exactly my own area of expertise, in all honesty. He told his men to take me back aboard the Nautilus while he decided what to do with the would-be escapees. I do truly believe that Nemo would have had the men killed if I had not intervened; my time with him has convinced me that there is nothing he would not do to protect the secret existence of his ship. I pleaded for mercy however; insisting that they did not know what they were doing, that they had made a foolish mistake – which was not technically a falsehood – and that they could be left safely upon the shore and never see the Nautilus again. I did my best to play up how stupid these men were in comparison to Nemo’s brilliance, how much I desired to remain aboard the Nautilus, how mercy was the true measure of a great man. I was afraid I may have overdone it, but Nemo did eventually consent to have two of his crewmen anonymously leave Aronnax and company with some Nordic fishermen who live by the coast. As I re-entered the Nautilus, I do regret to say that I heard Nemo order his men, “Take care to ensure that our guests remember nothing of their time with us.” As the door closed behind me, I heard the sickening crunch of three carefully inflicted, even calculated, blows to the skull.

 

May 20

Midday, in the library

Unfortunately, it seems as if my ploys have not completely escaped notice – I’ve found that the crewmen of the Nautilus watch me much more closely than they did before, and talk to me less. I regret that; I was truthful when I said I enjoyed their companionship. I know that they report to Nemo on my comings and goings about the ship. It only emphasizes that I must someday soon leave the Nautilus, and the thought saddens me. I did not have to exaggerate much when I expounded to Nemo on my desire to continue traveling with them. But I will wait for the perfect opportunity, rather than rushing off at the first chance like Aronnax did. I do find myself hoping sincerely that they are alright and that they truly have no recollection of the Nautilus. It will make life simpler for them if they do not have to live with this knowledge. In the meantime, I will continue my studies and do my best to enjoy my remaining time here. I don’t know if I can win back the trust of the crewmen, but I hope that is the case. I have heard that our next destination will be in the South Pacific and it will be quite a long ways to get there, even at the Nautilus’ incredible speed. I am determined to look on the bright side – after all, I’m certain that some of the artifacts on my list are to be found in the South Pacific…

As I know my grandfather will never see this; I feel safe saying it here – after reading this incredible story, I have every intention of investigating further. From what he said, grandmother didn’t get very far in her own research, despite years of trying. I’m hoping that by putting this out here to the world, someone who knows more about this will come forward, or that this somehow will lead to the answers my grandmother sought. If grandfather is correct, I’ll find more of this story around the house – god knows I’ve only just scratched the surface on all the mountains of junk here. I want to know what happened to Elspeth – did she escape the Nautilus? What was this list she referred to? What was this quest she was on? And most importantly – what the hell happened when she touched the pearl and said those words? I feel like there’s something important behind this story, and I want to know more.