Sunshine danced across the waters; they rolled foamed and crashed against the concrete.

Crowds flooded the bay as the news reached across the globe, the days plans all obsolete.

Everyone came to see the ships push out, the national guard, the army in force.

But the flags rose all the same, the creak of wood, the crowd controlling horse.

I only needed a glimpse, it was something so unreal, out of time from the rift these wooden ships afloat.

Could this still be a hoax, some elaborate prankster gone viral, could we all have fell for something so remote.

The crowd was now roaring, the police riding between the two seas, one of humanity and one of salty drink.

It was all across the news when they opened it, the scientific marvellous rift, I didn’t know what to think.

So, there I stood staring across a moment in history, all to catch a glimpse of the black sails bobbing into view.

What would this change really, do these men out of time find a place here, this was unfound and the future askew.

My phone buzzed in my pocket from various chats, all talking about this situation I did not doubt.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling, that this was still a set-up, some lowlife social ghoul just looking for that “clout”.

“BOOM”

The cannon fired, it was hurtling across the sea, the smoke engulfing the vessel and the police bursting into life.

Chaos erupted, the hot swirling metal exploding through the crowd, no sense of let up, warm butter and a knife.

“Move Back” the officer screamed from atop his steed, the ships off to greet the intruder now returning at speed.

Are we under attack, did that really just happen, the mist of red splatter raining down and canvassing those alive.

Body parts falling from the sky, mangled moans and shattered bones drifting under feet.

This is actually happening, the crowd dispersing into stampeding crush, the cannon ball found a rib cage for its seat.

The wind whipped up into a frenzy and the pavement glowed dark blood red.

Black sails and white skulls dancing, history as we know it put to foamy bed.

John-J Anderson