Before long, they perceived the blinding headlights of a mini-van advancing towards them accompanied by the deafening roar of its engine. The van skidded to a halt, sending dust flying everywhere. Then, from the driver's seat, out hopped the driver. As the eyes of the group gradually became accustomed to the bright taillight of the van, they perceived the driver to be a tall, stout man of two metres, with a chest-length, grey beard, a bald head and a piece of red cloth wrapped around his head. He wore dark shades and appeared to be around sixty years of age, which did not reflect upon his muscular physique.
"May I introduce to you my driver - Bosko." For some bizarre reason, Shaun noticed that Klaudia's voice had lost some of its former sweetness, but was replaced with a tinge of coolness. "He is also my butler. Basically, he manages the castle when I'm away."
"Crikey, you look just like Master Roshi from the anime Dragon Ball!" exclaimed Jeffrey in amazement as he stepped forward to shake hands with Mr Bosko, but was taken aback by the coldness of his hands. "He was my favourite character from that anime!"
"Really, sir? I've never watched that anime before," responded Bosko in a loud booming voice in fluent English but with a tinge of Polish accent, "But he must be one cool guy if he looks like me, sir. Hahahahah!" Then, he bursted out into a boisterous laugh that echoed in the surroundings.
"Right, enough chit chat," Klaudia interrupted the group using her cool voice. "It is getting late and my friends need rest from a long journey. Bosko, help them put their luggage in the back of the car. Guys, just hand your luggage to Bosko and hop into the car. It is not safe to be out here in the dark."
As everyone entered the mini-van, Bosko started the engine again, and after a sudden jolt, they advanced forwards. The headlights of the van chased away layers of darkness, but apart from the feeble rays of light, all was dark around them.
"Why did you say that it's not safe to be outside in the dark?" enquired Nadia, hoping to discover the kind of animals that inhabited this island.
"Well, this island is full of bogs, so we never know what can be lurking in the shadows," replied Klaudia, looking straight ahead and not at Nadia, to whom she was talking to. Then, there was a pause when no one said anything. The awkward silence engulfed them as all they could hear was the buzzing of the engine, when suddenly, Klaudia shattered the silence again, almost as if uttering an afterthought of her last statement, not directed to anyone in particular. "In fact, that is how this island got its name of 'The Island of the Spectres', the miasma and fogs created impressions on people that make them think that they have seen spectres, which is why there are no longer many inhabitants on this island."
"Ooh! The Island of the Spectres, I like that name," chimed in Jeffrey. "Sounds very spooky and full of adventures. I can't wait to explore this place tomorrow morning, when we can actually see where we are."
Out of the corner of his eye, Shaun seemed to have perceived one corner of Boska's mouth curling up to form a sneer. But Shaun blinked and it was no longer there. "It must've been my imagination," thought Shaun.
~To be Continued~
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