Without warning, Jeffrey perceived a scratching sound coming from underneath him. "Tiffany, is that you making that sound?" Jeffrey enquired.
"What sound?" replied Tiffany, bewildered.
"That....." before Jeffrey could finish his sentence, the rope-ladder, which had previously been tied to the bottom of the rope gave way. Then, a sudden, powerful gust of wind started blowing towards them, causing the rope-ladder to sway dangerously in the air.
"Ahhh! Help! Jeffie, help me!" Tiffany screamed as she clutched tightly to the rope-ladder, hanging onto her dear life.
"Quick, Tiffany, gimme your hand," urged Jeffrey as he perceived the rope-ladder, which, unable to stand Tiffany's weight along with the force of the wind, was starting to rip into threads where it was being fastened at the top. "Hurry! You're nearly there, I'll pull you up!"
Just after Jeffrey had finished his sentence, the rope-ladder gave way at the top. Agilely, Tiffany grabbed hold of the edge of the little platform on which Jeffrey was standing, just in time to save herself from falling with the rope ladder.
"Aahhhh!" screamed Tiffany.
Then, just before Tiffany was beginning to lose her strength, Jeffrey managed to reach Tiffany's outstretched hand and successfully pulled her up onto the little platform.
"Phew! That was close!" remarked Tiffany as she wiped beads of perspiration off her forehead whilst panting heavily. "Thanks for saving me! How am I ever gonna repay you? I know....I...."
Before Tiffany could finish her sentence, Jeffrey interrupted her. "No time to talk about this! We have to get ourselves back onto the ship before the other rope-ladder breaks magically as well."
As Jeffrey and Tiffany looked down, they perceived Shaun and Blythe, who had heard Tiffany's screams from the bridge, running towards the bottom of the mast.
After both of them have descended the mast, Shaun immediately enquired after their safety. "What happened? Blythe and I heard Tiffany's screams from the bridge and hurried here to see her hanging on top of the mast."
In response, Jeffrey recounted everything that had happened to them, including his weird sensations at the top of the mast. Then, Blythe also briefly reported the results of their investigations, not forgetting to mention the ghost shadow, which they encountered to be hiding by the doorway of the bridge.
After both parties have caught up with each other in terms of the progress of their respective investigations, Shaun walked towards the place where the broken rope-ladder had landed after its fall. He picked up one end and examined it closely. "Look! This rope did not break naturally. It was cut at the bottom," concluded Shaun pensively
Indeed, after everyone crowded around Shaun, they perceived that the two ends of the rope-ladder were shaped very differently. One end, which had been previously tied to the top and had broken due to Tiffany's weight and the force of the wind, had a jagged end, with uneven bits of thread sticking out; however, the other end, which was tied to the bottom, had a perfectly straight edge, with no uneven bits. Thus, indicating that someone or something had been deliberately trying to harm them!
~To be Continued~
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