A barrel of fun

A swarm of multi-coloured insects move rapidly back and forth. They obscure everything ahead of them. The owrld is beating wings and shiny carapaces. But there appears to be a pattern. They move ever faster and slowly shapes among the swarm become clear and some of the insects merge into each other. Faster and faster. More patterns more merging but still chaos.

Then as if a great wizard snapped his fingers, the insects are no longer there - just a blur. Just his blurry vision.

Thesis tries to focus and make sense of the sight ahead of him. A circle of light, a tail. And pain - mostly in his neck and back - and head. So much pain.

Later, when he had extracted himslef from the rum barrel and laid still for an eternity. The events of the previous couple of hours become clear. He had thought to take a drink after the insane battle on the pirate ship. A little wine to heal the wounds and calm the soul. But, it wasn't wine, it was the sailor's ruin - rum. How he had ended up head first inside the damn barrel was anyones guess.

He ventured above decks. Eyes smarting from the extreme light. The smell of burning wood and tar, the tang of blood and the stench of a hundred sailors assaulted his nostrils. But he spied Eolar and went over to him: "Did I miss anything?" he asked, in all innocence!