The Tears of the Myrr

I wrote this story some decades ago, in Dutch. Five years ago, I translated it. It's complete, and even after all this time, I'm very happy with it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


.:1:.

A ship floated on the glassy ocean. It was an old research ship, named The Atlantic, with numerous instruments on board; toys for a special kind of boys. Daniel Stern was a special kind of boy. Or a man, rather… He was a skinny man, in his fifties, and had never loved anything that didn’t have flickering lights or said ‘bleep’.
He’d been the oldest of three boys. His parents had been extremely proud of them, since they all had a remarkably high IQ. All the money they had, had gone to the education of the boys. They had died poor, but only after they had witnessed three degrees being distributed.
The two youngest sons had started to work in highly respected laboratories, but Daniel had been different. He could have become a professor, or work in important chemical laboratories, but he decided to hunt a dream instead.

He started to search for Atlantis.

Daniel couldn’t sleep. He stared over the silent water, looking at the moon reflecting in the almost motionless water, shivering in the night air. They had been anchored for two weeks now, moving a little bit at the time, to map the sea floor. It was a routine job. Daniel could almost draw the floor by heart. Together with Chris Bacon, he had spent years on researches like this. They still hoped they would discover something, but didn’t count on it anymore.

Atlantis didn’t exist. But Daniel would never tell Chris.

Chris Bacon was awake as well. She walked over the deck, smoking, as she spotted a figure hanging over the railing. Coming nearer, she recognized her old associate, and she relaxed. For a moment, she had feared it was one of the students. Chris didn’t like strangers, especially when they were young and fanatic. “There, Stern,” she said. “Couldn’t you sleep either?”

Daniel looked at the older woman. He assumed she was older, anyway. Just like anyone else, he didn’t know what her age was, since her face was worn to an ageless leather mask which didn’t reveal much. He shook his head and shivered. “Something is in the air,” he said. “Can’t you feel it? Like something is about to happen.”

Chris looked at the water. “I don’t feel anything. I just can’t sleep.” The water was motionless and the sky clear. It was full moon, that night, and the cold white light pressed on her like a blanket. “It’s a sinister silence, though.”

Daniel nodded. “That’s what I mean. It’s just as if the sea is preparing itself.”

Chris looked at him. He turned gray, she noticed. His eyes spied anxiously through his glasses.

“Should we warn the others?” she asked, to make him feel better.

Daniel frowned. “No, it’s probably nothing.”

“Well, good night then.” Chris flicked her cigarette overboard and turned around to go back inside.

The stub made a high curve and hissed when it hit the water. As if that was the signal the ocean had been waiting for, it started to swell. A deep rumble boomed through the air, becoming louder very quickly. The waves grew larger and shook the ship.

Chris and Daniel grabbed the railing to stay on board, crying out surprised, and staring out over the ocean in disbelief.

“Stern!” yelled Chris in shock. “What’s this?”

“A sea-quake! Hold on tight!”

They could hear the screams of their colleagues, and the sound of breaking glass and wood.

“Miss Bacon! We’re taking in water!” they heard above the roar.

Chris clung at the railing and couldn’t be bothered with water in the ship. Daniel hung next to her, gasping for air in utter shock while he tried to stay on his feet.

The waves crashed down on them, without end, the noise of breaking wood and the predominant rumble deafening them. Chris sat on the deck, not entirely voluntarily and quite ungentle, as waves of salty, cold water flushed over her/. She felt she would drown at the very spot.

Daniel didn’t feel much better. He noticed the lights had gone out. Water in the generator, he thought, and he had to restrain the urge to take a look at the equipment. He did all he could do; clutching the railing and ride it out, hoping they would survive.

As soon as it had started, the chaos stopped. The sea became silent again, as if nothing had happened. Chris slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Carefully, as if a movement would start it again, she wiped her wet hair out of her face. She looked at Daniel, who was sitting in a puddle on the deck. He looked so silly… It made her laugh hysterically, until Daniel slapped her. Then she started to cry.

Daniel waited for her to calm down, and turned to look for the others.

The door to the deck house was jammed. They could hear moaning sounds inside, and banged the metal.

“Is everything alright in there?” Chris yelled. The voices started shouting, and one voice cried. Tennant, of course, Chris thought annoyed. She felt anger rising up, forgetting her own reaction. “Stern, help me with this door.” She didn’t wait for him and kicked the door until it fell inside. “Reeves, Hurt, torches!”

Glad to have Chris to tell them what to do again, the men moved. The torches flashed on. Chris walked in and took one of the lights, looking around. The place was a mess, but nobody was injured; just a few cuts and bruises.

“Right. Let’s find some dry bedspreads and go to sleep again. Tomorrow, when it’s light, we’ll see what the damage is.”

The crew hastily obeyed, clearing away most of the mess and cleaning the beds before they tried to get to sleep.

Chris listened to the calm breathing of her crew. She couldn’t sleep, again. She could only think about what the sea-quake would have stirred on the seafloor. Either Atlantis had sunk even deeper, or maybe it would finally have appeared…

Chris Bacon was the only child of a scientist. Her mother had been an unimportant woman, and she didn’t know her. Her father had raised her as well as he could. He didn’t know how to raise a daughter, and had treated her like an adult, with the same rights, duties, and responsibilities. She had never learned to respect others.

Chris had only been 23 when her father died. He left her a mansion, an expanded library, but also debts. Chris sold the mansion and bought a ship. She would continue her father’s research. She would prove he wasn’t mad.

Daddy had spent his entire life on finding Atlantis.

*

Two days later, Chris and Daniel had sailed back to the shore to go to the laboratory, and were now standing in an office with their sponsors.

Disbelieving, the scientists looked at the reports and maps. Amazing results had come out of the computers. The echoes, which that mad Bacon and her fanatic crew had brought this time, were too good to be true.

The fact that the ship had survived such a sea-quake was a miracle in itself, and that the equipment had been in working order was quite unbelievable. Yet, Bacon had come running in, with these incredible results.

The scientists were a bit afraid of her, and to be frank, they didn’t grant her any success. They had to admit though; finally, her years of research were a success. Chris Bacon and her crew had done very well.

They had discovered ruins at 3000ft depth. At least, something that looked like ruins, on the echoes. Stern had almost turned aggressive when they had tried to reject the results, as rocks or fraud. They decided to make another echo, but the result was the same. There was no denial. Prove was in their hands.

Atlantis had been found…

*

Years before, Child had been born in peculiar circumstances. His parents had lived in a shed on a deserted beach, abandoned and alone. They had loved the sea and the creatures in it, and hated other people. They were, to say it gently, a little strange.

Child had learned to love the sea. He could dive before he could walk, swim like a fish, and trusted the water. It was like a mother to him.

Child was thirteen when his parents didn’t come home anymore. Nobody knew he existed, and he was all alone. He went a bit crazy. He hardly left the ocean, which seemed to comfort and protect him. For three years, he wandered along the coast. He lived on fish and shellfish, and started to observe the bathers.

He learned their language. He learned to steal from their picnic baskets and while he waited for the right moment, he listened to their words and tongue. When the police caught him and brought him to an orphanage, Child could speak seven languages fluently.

He stayed in the orphanage for only two weeks. Then he escaped, and ran back to the ocean. He ran all night, until he finally fell in the water. It welcomed him back with a warm wave.

When he relaxed in the embrace of the salty water, Child could see a little boat. It was an unstable, inflatable thing that tourists use. Three people were inside, and two of them were arguing. He could hear their words, and it sounded Irish. The woman was telling the man he couldn’t row properly. She screamed they would all drown, and she couldn’t swim. She never should’ve agreed when he wanted to make a nightly paddle.
The third figure was quiet, even when the woman tried to take the paddle of her husband. The man refused to give it to her, and the boat began to wobble.

Child watched how the man suddenly let go, and made the woman fall backwards. The sharp paddle hit the silent third person on the head, and he fell overboard. The woman followed with a scream. The man bent down, screaming at her, offering his hand. She grabbed him. He fell forward.

It wasn’t too deep there, thought Child while he looked at the scene. But the tourists were in panic, and didn’t think straight. They drowned. Child didn’t move at all, until the sea was quiet again. Then, he swam to the boat.

He dove to find the third person. When he brought the body to the surface, he saw it was a boy of his age. He searched through his pockets and let him go, to dive at the other bodies.
They had been average tourists, who kept all their valuables on their bodies. Passports and papers were kept in watertight bags, and Child took them. He let the bodies go, and sunk the boat. Then he swam back to the coast.

The next day, Child went to the hotel. He pretended to be the son, and paid for the rooms. He explained how his parents were ill, and that they would return home. He received the keys, and went to the rooms. He packed the bags and suitcases, and took a part with him. The rest would be sent to a fake address. The hotel would probably try to deliver it, discover the address didn’t exist, and put the stuff in their lost-and-found department.

Back in his hidden shed, Child searched through the bags he had taken with him. He had taken clothes and papers of the son. He had found a lot of money, too. He looked at the passport. It was easy to falsify. It was perfect. He would transfer all the money of the family to a new account he would open. He would use it to study.

From that day forward, Child would be known as Clime Hackley.

*

Chris Bacon leafed through the thin file and gave it to Daniel.

“Are you sure he’s the right person?” she asked the waiting scientist.

The man faked a smile. “He’s the best you’ll find, miss Bacon. The only one who’s willing to go that deep, without asking questions. As you know, it’s all classified. We can’t take any risk.”

Chris nodded. The government was afraid to be humiliated, so nobody knew they found Atlantis. “Introduce us, young man,” she said.

The man wanted to say something sneering but shut his mouth again. He led them to the room.

It looked like a laboratory without bottles. There were computers and highly sophisticated equipment everywhere. Daniel held his breath and wanted to try some buttons. Chris kicked him.

“Miss Bacon, this is Clime Hackley. Hackley, meet Chris Bacon and her associate Daniel Stern. You will help them with their investigation.”

They shook hands, but didn’t speak much. The investigation would start immediately, to avoid any leaks to the press, so they left the building to go to the ship.

They drove off, in silence.

Chris looked at the diver and felt her neck hairs standing up. He had a smug face and cold eyes. The eyes were incredible. They looked like marble, with an ink drop as pupil. She thought about the dossier.

Clime Hackley, thirty years old. Born in Dublin, parents missing. No family, no address. But what impressed her most, were his degrees. The man was a wizard with languages. He had degrees in Latin, foreign languages, languages she didn’t even know they existed. He had degrees in biology and seemed to know everything about the ocean. A true prodigy, she thought. But she had to admit; he looked perfect for the job. Prepared to give his life for the sea, experienced enough to survive.
He was tanned and muscular, she saw. His hair was probably dark blond once, but years of salt water and sun had bleached it with streaks pale blond. It was messy. It looked like he just cut it with a knife, probably the same knife he used to shave. She saw it in her mind, a lock of hair in one hand, a sharp knife in the other, cutting at random. She suppressed a shiver. She started to hate the man.


Clime Hackley ignored the looks of the woman. He had looked at them, briefly, and decided he was willing to cooperate. He had responded to the announcement, like many others divers. All fine divers. But he was picked out, because he had no relatives and no relationship. The assignment appeared to be rather risky. Clime only knew he had to dive, he didn’t know why. He was tested thoroughly, and concluded it had to be a very deep dive. He didn’t care; he was willing to give his life for the sea. He wouldn’t hesitate one moment, if he were given the change to stay in the ocean.
The tests only proved what he knew already. He was fit for the assignment. Whatever that may be.

*

The crew went to the mended ship. All the equipment was in working order again, and the ship was ready for a new adventure. The others were waiting for them, and Daniel made the introductions. “Hackley, this is John Reeves, the mechanic, and Pierre Hurt, the steersman. These are the students, Yvonne Tennant and Todd Andrews. Guys, this is Clime Hackley, our diver.”

Chris took over. “Tennant, Andrews, take Clime with you and show him the ship. We’ll discuss our plans later. Pierre, let’s go.”

The students were proud at the ship and showed him around. “Daniel Stern is in charge of the equipment. He loves it, so be careful what you say about it,” said Yvonne.

Todd laughed, “I thought he would die, when he saw the damage, after the sea-quake.”

Clime twisted a corner of his mouth, but didn’t smile. Yvonne took his arm. Todd explained what the machines and computers were meant to do.

Clime listened patiently. “What is the purpose of the investigation?” he asked when he was finished. He voice was very soft and deep.

Todd shivered when he heard the warm voice. “Atlantis, of course,” he answered.

They were surprised with a beautiful smile. “Atlantis? You’re looking for Atlantis?”

Yvonne came nearer to him, encouraged by the smile. “We’re not looking anymore, dear, we have found it…”

Clime stared at her. “You claim you have found Atlantis?” he asked surprised.

“Oh yes, and you’ll prove that we did,” she said. “Miss Bacon will explain everything. Let’s go further, now.”

They entered the sleeping rooms. Six small bunk beds were attached to the sides. Todd turned on his heels. “I hope you don’t mind sharing your bed with me,” he said.

Yvonne smiled and looked up to the diver. “You can sleep with me, if you like,” she said.

“No thank you,” said Clime. He turned and went back outside.

Todd grinned at his colleague, and she stuck her tongue out. “Keep your hands off him,” she hissed. “Or I’ll tell miss Bacon.”

“Don’t be a sore loser, Ivy,” said Todd. He followed Clime.

The diver was waiting for them. Todd smiled sweetly, but Clime ignored him and walked away. Yvonne grinned.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Toddy,” she sneered.

He sighed and followed them back to the crew.

*

Chris received them with her best fake smile. “All clear? Then we’ll discuss our assignment now.”

They stood in the cramped computer room. The diving suit was covered with a sheet.

“Hackley, to the point. At 3000ft depth, we discovered ruins. You will make pictures, and prove we have found Atlantis.” She looked in his eyes. “I’ll be frank with you, Hackley,” she hissed. “I don’t like you. I don’t know why, but I don’t trust you. You’re a mysterious, intelligent man. The last quiet sea I sailed, hit me with a sea-quake. I hope you won’t betray me.” She took a deep breath. “Stern, explain him what he has to do. I’m going to lay down.”

“Right,” said Daniel when Chris disappeared. He took the helmet in his hands. “Guys, Clime, this helmet is suited with different gadgets. At the inside, you can see how deep you are, and how far away from the ship. You can read the temperature, the pressure, the speed of the streams, etcetera. A small camera is integrated. It’s designed to withstand heavy pressure. Above your head, you find a strong light, also pressure resistant.”

Clime listened to the technical explanations. He would send the images to the ship, and collect samples of the stones.

“The suit is developed for depths onto 3050ft. We shall be very cautious, though.”

“Aren’t you afraid?” asked John, the mechanic. “Nobody has gone this deep before, the risk is enormous…”

Clime said, “The Sea is my life and my love. I’m not afraid. Not for the water, not for its inhabitants, not for its pressure. It’s my wish to die in the ocean. I don’t care if I survive or die.” He turned away and walked outside, into the fresh air. They had reached open sea already.

Todd wanted to follow him, but John stopped him. “Maybe you should leave him alone now,” he said. “You too, Yvonne,” he warned the other student. “You don’t have to pull every man in your bed.”

Yvonne was offended. “I’m not pulling him in my bed! It’s Todd who wants him, I have no part in this!”

John stared at Todd, who turned pale. “Maybe one of us should share our bed with him,” he said.

“Oh, don’t worry,” snarled Yvonne. “Todd makes no chance either. Clime is either impotent or frigid. He’ll only love a sea-creature.” She wasn’t used to be turned down.

The soft voice of Clime startled them. “I’m here to dive, not to love. I dive for you, for Atlantis, but most of all, I dive for myself. Love isn’t important.” He waited, and then continued, “The Ocean is my only love. And now, I’d like to go to sleep. I need rest.”

Todd hasted to go with him.

They met Chris on their way to the beds. Clime wished her goodnight, and she stared after them. Todd chuckled. “You’re the first to stun miss Bacon,” he said.

Clime smiled faintly. He entered the small room and waited for Todd. “Where do you sleep?” Todd pointed and Clime walked to it. He undressed. Todd followed quickly. Dressed in shorts, they stepped into bed.

Todd saw a remarkable jewel around Clime’s strong neck. He looked closer. It was a large diamond, closed in silver hands. “Wow,” he said. “That must be worth a fortune.”

“Value is not important,” said Clime.

“I could expect that from you… How did you get it?”

“I found it, when I was a kid. I wear it ever since.”

Todd closed the curtain. The bed was narrow, and he could feel the warmth of the man. “Is it your mascot?” he asked. He looked at the blond head next to him. The man was breathtaking.

“It doesn’t bring me luck, if that’s what you mean. But it’s part of me. I always carry it with me.”

“Aren’t you afraid to lose it?”

Clime looked at him. “The Sea gave it to me. If the Sea wants it back, she can have it.”

Todd moaned. “You sound so fanatic. Sea this, Sea that… Yvonne is right, you’ll only love a sea-creature!” He turned his back to him.

Clime touched his back. “Don’t be mad at me, Todd. It’s not you, it’s just how I am…”

Todd sighed. “Please, go to sleep. Don’t make it hard for me. Please.”

“Do you want me to sleep in another bed?”

Todd turned a bit. Clime was looking at him. “No… Just go to sleep, and survive tomorrow.”

They heard voices. The others were about to sleep as well. In silence, Clime pressed a kiss on Todd’s lips. Then he turned away.

Todd sighed deep and tried to sleep. But he couldn’t relax. Here he was, next to an older man. His body ached with desire.

Todd didn’t know who his parents were. He was found, 17 years ago, in a dustbin. He was brought to an orphanage, and lived there for many years. When he grew up, he appeared to have a rare talent for technology. One of the teachers was fascinated and had adopted him. The man had been single. He wasn’t married, and never had. He raised him with love, and loved him like a true father. But Todd didn’t know how a true father loved his son...
The man kissed him often, and took him into his bed. They loved each other dearly. But when Todd went to high school, and met other fathers, he realized the man did things to him that shouldn’t be done. He refused, when the man wanted to love him again. The man raped him.
That night, he had run away.

He had continued his study elsewhere in the country. The man never looked for him. The university had sent him to the Atlantic, to help Chris Bacon with her research.

And now, after two years, he lay next to a man again. He missed the love of his foster father. He had been sorry so often, sorry he ran away. He didn’t object to the sex at all; he loved it. But it just wasn’t right, that his foster father did it with him.
His whole body screamed to be touched by Clime. But he bit hard on his hand and tried to sleep. Eventually, he succeeded.

*

The journey continued in peace and silence. It took two days to reach the place where the ruins had been discovered. Finally, Pierre lowered the anchors. It was time.

Chris was tensed, when she called her crew around her. “Guys, this is it. The moment has arrived. Hackley will get into the suit now, and we’ll test the equipment for the last time. In a few hours, we’ll know if we found Atlantis.”

The crew was excited and no one wanted to be the first to start. Clime sighed impatient. He walked to the suit, and the others started to move too.

Todd and John helped Clime in his suit. When he was in it, he gave something to Todd. The boy smiled and tied the chain loosely to a hook on the suit. They looked at each other, and Clime smiled. Todd turned away. He almost cried.

They helped Clime outside and closed his helmet. After a technical test of the camera, they opened the railing for him. A heavy cable with labels, telling the depth, was lowered into the water. Everybody was anxiously waiting for Clime. He turned his back to the sea, and smiled one last time. He winked, and then plunged backwards. The sea closed above his head.

For a moment, they were frozen. This was it… Chris was the first to recover. “To the radars,” she ordered. They quickly obeyed.


Clime sunk to the bottom. He didn’t move at all, and when it became darker, he relaxed. He closed his eyes and let the gravity pull him down. He loved it.

Todd’s voice startled him up. “Clime, are you okay?”

Todd, thought Clime sadly. “I’m fine, Toddy,” he said.

“Don’t go down too fast,” warned the boy.

The depth called him. “I’m fine, Todd, don’t worry.”

In complete silence, Clime went deeper. It took a long time, but then he suddenly felt the bottom under the lead soles. “I have arrived,” he said.

“Oh, boy,” he heard Todd sigh. “Are you okay?” he asked again.

“Oh yes… Let me make some light. There.”

On the ship, high above the diver, the images appeared on the screen. The crew cried out in awe. Finally, they could see the ruins.

Clime’s soft voice sounded through the room. “Atlantis… I see the incredible world of Atlantis, right in front of me…”

Todd answered him, “We can see it, Clime, it’s wonderful!” Then he asked again if he was okay.

“I don’t know, boy. I feel weird. I feel… at home.” He had reached the first buildings. The images began to flicker.

“Clime? Your images are disturbed. Clime?”

“I can touch the first house. Beautiful. I’m going in.”

A loud rustling sounded through the speakers. The screen still flickered and the crew became nervous.

“I see a temple,” they heard through the disturbance. “Well con… I go…”

Then, total silence. Todd screamed his name, but didn’t get an answer anymore. “He’s gone!”

They didn’t have time to panic. Daniel screamed, “The radars! They’ve gone mad!”

Pierre looked at the water. “Look! The sea!” He couldn’t describe it and pointed.

Chris looked along the arm. The water had turned white and started to wave. She remembered the sea-quake. “Oh, no! Quick! Put on your life jackets!”

Suddenly, the ship sloped backwards. They smacked into the wall. It seemed as if someone had taken the ships back and pulled it under water.

Chris couldn’t even scream. “If someone believes in a God, you should start to pray they let you in Heaven, now. We’re dead.”

The water flood in quickly. Yvonne screamed. Todd just leaned back in the cold water and surrendered. He thought about Clime. He would see him very soon. The water closed above his head.

The ship was pulled down completely.

*

Clime looked at the dark entrance of the temple. It was a huge building, beautiful in design. It was almost intact. It even looked like it was restored recently. He thought about the sea-quake. But that would be impossible…
He stepped in.
He looked around in awe. The temple was lit, with fluorescent light. It was richly decorated. Slowly, he walked further inside. He looked at the relief on the walls and columns. He reached a platform, surrounded with stone stairs. A large statue stood proudly upright. He swallowed. An idol under water? He could see treasures on the steps. They looked like offerings. He could see jewels and boxes, shells and pearls. His light shone over the idol. It was incredibly made. He held his breath when he looked at the proud face. His dreams seemed to come true. At the right, it was a beautiful, young face. But the left side was scaled. A large, reptile like eye looked down on him. The nose was sloped and didn’t have a nostril at this side. The mouth was a thin slid.
He looked at the hands. They reached out, as if they were offering something. The right hand was slim, with long nails. The left hand was a scaled claw with webs between the long fingers.
The idol was dressed in a tunic, exposing the long, different legs. It also had long hair and was wearing some sort of crown. A long cape was attached to its shoulders.

Clime breathed deeply. “You’re beautiful,” he sighed. Carefully, he climbed the stairs. When he reached the statue, he pulled his necklace from the hook. He stared it in the eyes when he placed the heavy, silver pendant in the claw. He knotted the chain around it. “I offer you this diamond,” he said. “Out of love.” He knelt and looked up. “You’re so beautiful,” he said again.

A sudden move startled him. He couldn’t get up quickly in the heavy suit, and invisible hands grabbed him. Something like a bag was pulled over his helmet. The shock made him faint.