The Isle of Nevercombak

There’s an island out in a distant sea

Way off from the beaten track,

It’s a tiny island, seven by three

And it’s known as Nevercombak,

Most of the island is woods and trees

With a river that flows from the hill,

It trickles down in a steady stream

To end in a rippling rill.

 

There’s just one beach on the western side

And that is littered with ships,

They struck the reef at the lowest tide

While sailing into the mist,

The island’s not on a map or chart,

It can’t be seen from the air,

And sailors speak of the hidden cliffs,

And mutter, ‘Never go there!’

 

The crews that managed to swim ashore

Were left on the beach alone,

And pterodactyls had picked them off,

All that is left are bones,

These ancient birds lived high in the trees

And swooped when you turned your back,

They say that nothing survives that moves

On the Isle of Nevercombak.

 

Our trawler pitched in the heavy seas

As we made our way through the mist,

We shouldn’t have strayed so far to the east

But the captain would insist,

The tide was high and the moon was nigh

But we couldn’t see clear ahead,

And suddenly we were high and dry

And lucky that we weren’t dead!

 

We’d landed up on an island beach

And the cliffs loomed into the sky,

The others walked on the beach that night

But I stayed where it was dry,

They’d only travelled a hundred yards

When I heard the flapping of wings,

A squawk, and then a terrible cry

That froze the blood in my veins.

 

A bird had carried the captain off

Its claws dug deep in his back,

I heard him scream, and the others cried:

‘God help our Captain Jack!’

Their screams attracted some other birds

And they took each man apart,

I hid in the trawler wheelhouse,

Cowered in fear, and faint of heart.

 

It rained as if it would never stop

And it spread their blood on the beach,

I thought that I should bury the bones

But the bodies were out of reach,

The tide came in and a sudden surge

Was spinning the trawler round,

I felt it floating beneath my feet

And I prayed for that diesel sound!

 

I prayed for that diesel sound, I said

As I pushed the button to start,

The Perkins sprang into instant life

I was making way to depart,

The trawler sluggishly headed out

Past wrecks and reefs and swell,

I wouldn’t have sweated so much out there

If the skies and the heavens fell.

 

The birds came out of the driving rain

Attacking the wheelhouse roof,

I heard a splintering sound that came

As they tore, one stood aloof,

He sat and stared through the window pane

With a cold and evil eye,

While I stared back, a million years

Had evolved, and passed him by.

 

They finally left me alone at sea

So scared, so tired and cold,

I knew that I could survive out there

With a ton of fish in the hold,

I looked behind at the deepening mist

That shrouded the Isle in black,

And swore an oath as I clenched my fist,

‘I’ll never, Nevercombak!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[patricia]

I dont know how you do it but you do. It has rythm, humour, and yet still spins a scarey yarn, discloses a wisdom of knowledge and years and has me picturing this being read aloud by you in front of an audience. A following you surely deserve it is easy to forget when I read you fantastic stuff how much art and thinking has gone into their composition. (unless you do automatic writing or something) Great work great stuff as always David from you nothing less than perfection.

[Fréyjä Helv..]

That was a delightful read sir. Enjoyed it much.

[Rufus "Mr Blaque" Lacy,..]

this was fun and very entertaining, This should be a children" book, because how catchy each stanza is. Dr Seuss don't have anything on you fellow wordisan.

[Tate Morgan]

Oh this is great .the turn of phrase is always welcome in your work as it is so different and eloquent. The land that time forgot what a great story. No one No one ever escapes from a plight like this one. yet here you are. I enjoyed it it taps along in my head as i read it. the familiar inner rhymes and the story fron to back Just the thing to remember ole Captain jack.

[Marie]

What an island that must have been...straight out of Jules Verne...

[spiritwind]

A rousing tale and that last line cracked me up!

[David Scott]

Now this was just a good story David. Dino's and ships... I like the line, "He sat and stared through the window pane/ Wiht a cold and evil eye, While I stared back, a million years/ Had evolved, and passed him by."
That line says more than the rest of the write to me.
Well done again. You seem to keep finding new ways to impress and express.

[quinfinn]

a swashbuckling adventure with a frightening and tense atmosphere which yields but one very lucky survivor. no one will ever believe a word he says and he will probably become a raving drunken wreck of a man himself. i feel this one is entitled to a sequel or, at least, an epilogue...very well written and exciting tale!

[keyvan]

really beautiful...