"We are now at Gaingridge, the last stop on this route. Please, collect your belongings and disembark the train. Thank you for travelling with us.”

The monotonous voice of a woman--who’d clearly only been paid for an hour or two of voiceover work--woke Alice up from her sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she got her belongings and quickly stepped off the train, as did many other passengers aboard the carriage. The station was definitely more packed than any she had seen before, with all types of people walking about the station platforms.

As soon as she got outside, Alice was hit by a wave of humidity. She had read that the South of Torani was quite tropical, but she’d never expected it to be just this hot. She felt an itch at her hand and she looked down to see that a pesky mosquito had landed on her skin. Frowning, she gave it a quick swat and shook it off. Her body pest free, she began to head for the exit, groaning with contempt; she’d probably face a lot more pests in the near future.

She parted with her ticket, the ticket machine gobbling it up and allowing her to pass through. Sneaking through the busy crowd, she headed through the glass doors to face Gaingridge proper. And what a sight it was.

Clearly she was on top of a hill, as she could see most of the town down below her. Tropical plants, greener than what she was used to back home, were scattered all over, growing between rustic looking buildings. Far ahead of her was the ocean, looking blue and endless. Up above in the sky, birds flew and chattered to each other, making calls that Alice had never heard before. Peering into the distance, she could just make out a marketplace, hundreds of people shuffling between wooden stalls full of goods. Just beyond that was the port, various boats anchored, waiting to be taken across the high seas. That’s where she needed to go.

Quickening her steps, she set off down the road. She wiped her brow, it becoming sweaty rather quickly; she’d have to change into something more suitable later. The heat did remind her of something else though: hydration. Jack always said that was vital, especially when working a long day at the farm. Alice slung the backpack in front of her, opening it up as she walked and getting out a bottle full of fresh water. She forced herself to drink only a fair amount, knowing that she’d have to conserve it.

Just as the bottle parted from her lips, Alice felt a whoosh of wind next to her.

“Watch it kid!” shouted a speeding passerby on a bike, pedalling down the hill with a frantic speed. Alice huffed, refraining from shouting back at a stranger. He was the one that should’ve been watching where he was going, not her. And he wasn’t wearing a helmet! Even Scoots wore one when she did her fancy tricks.

Alice smiled, remembering the time Scoots built her own stunt ramp for her scooter. It was impressive but the landing was... less so. At least she only got band aids and not casts.

The farm girl quickly shook her head, dispelling those thoughts. As nice as they were, she couldn’t let old memories of home slow her down. She had to keep on trucking.

Bottle back in her bag, Alice continued going forward. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, Alice knew where she was going: she needed to get a boat to the island port of Misemo. As far as she was aware, that was the closest settlement to the Ghost Rim. Getting on a boat, however, might not be so simple.

Alice was so focused on the boats floating on the sea, she barely paid attention to anything else. There were so many, all of different shapes, sizes and colors. Which one would she be on...

The manic barking of a wild beast snapped her out of her focus. Alice quickly looked to her right to see a massive rottweiler yapping wildly at her, showing the girl all of its sharp canines. She yelped in fright, stumbling as she backed away from the animal. Luckily, she didn’t need to fear for her life; the dog was on a chain and behind a metal fence. Those things didn’t stop Alice from briskly getting out of the dog’s sight though, her heart beating so rapidly it could’ve leapt out of her chest and fled towards the ocean.

Soon enough, she came to a t-junction. The left went towards the marketplace, while the right would have taken her to some more houses. Alice looked both ways down the road, watching a white pickup drive past, before crossing the road and heading towards the market. It would probably be interesting to see what things were for sale anyway.

It wasn’t long before she was lost in the hustle and bustle of the large crowd. She squeezed past sweaty passersby, gagging at the stench some of them possessed. The crowd was so big and she so little, she quickly got disorientated and lost. Bursting forth from between two big men, she nearly crashed into a stall. Looking up, she saw, and smelled, meat of all sorts. Some were hanging from hooks and others stacked neatly on the stall itself. Some were dripping with blood.

“Well hello there, little girl! You look like you need something to put some meat on your bones!” came the hearty voice of a large gentleman running the stall. He was the biggest person Alice had ever seen in her life--even bigger than Mac. A lot fatter too. He wore a white apron, covered in grease and blood, and gave Alice a grin that seemed genuine enough.

“Uh...sorry sir, but I was just lookin’ for a ship to Misemo,” Alice replied politely.

“Misemo?” The fat butcher burst into a fit of laughter. “You must be kidding me! Come now, instead of buying a ticket to an island of scum and villainy, fill yourself up with my delicious meats!”

Alice shook her head. This market may have looked a lot different to the one back home, but she knew the same principles still applied. This guy was clearly trying to bargain with her and it wasn’t going to work. “If ya ain’t gonna tell me, then I’m clearly wastin’ ma time.”

“Slow down!” the man cried, holding up his hands, indicating Alice to stop. He leaned closer to Alice, lowering his voice. “Listen, kid, I can tell you’re not from around here. You look far too delicate and, let me tell you, the crooks in Misemo would crush you like you was nothing. Go back home.” He smirked, grabbing a nice chicken leg and holding it in front of Alice. “And take one of my goods for the journey back home, eh?”

Alice pushed the leg away. “Ya wouldn’t understand. I need to do this.”

The fat man shrugged, putting the chicken leg back. “And you don’t fully understand what you’re getting into, little girl. But if you’re not going to buy from me then the best I can do is wish you good luck.” The butcher then turned his attention to the crowd and yelled, “Meats! Get your fresh, scrumptious meats right here!”

Eventually Alice escaped the busy market, going down some steps and along a cobblestone path towards the docks. Ahead, she could see the outline of a man lazily reclined in a folding chair, one hand barely holding onto his fishing line, the other limply laying at his lap Even from where she stood, she could overhear his low humming as he stared out into the water.

Alice couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. She’d been fishing before with Jack, and she was pretty sure that there wouldn’t be many fish in these waters. You’d have to go far out in order to get anything good.

“I don’t think you’ll catch anythin’ here, mister,” Alice said, approaching the fisherman. He stopped humming, briefly surprised at someone approaching. On seeing it was a girl, his aged and lined face broke out into a kind smile.

“Perhaps not this late in the day, little miss. Earlier though?” he chuckled. “Earlier you woulda thought different. Motors scare the young fish away. That just leaves the big troublemakers floating around like they own the place.” He reached to the side of his chair, away from Alice’s view. “Would you like a soda?”

“Ma sis said not to take anythin’ from strangers,” Alice replied. The offer did sound tempting though...

“Your sister’s a smart gal,” he agreed, coming back up with two cans of root beer. “You’ll have to forgive me--I thought you were a local. ‘Bout all who come talk to me are.” He opened one of the cans and took a drink. Finally, he gave a polite nod. “Name’s Hans. Might I ask for yours, little miss?”

“Alice Bloom Apple,” Alice answered, returning the gesture.

“A lovely name for a lovely little girl.” He returned his gaze to the waters. “So... if you’re not a local, Miss Apple, what are you doing here? On vacation with your kin?”

Alice gave Hans a sweet smile and proceeded to tell a lie, “Somethin’ like that, yeah.”

The fisherman took another sip of root beer, then wiped his dark features with the back of his hand. “Well, you’ve picked a good day for it. Weather’s perfect--I’ve seen people comin’ and going all on boats all day today. And that’s saying something, me living by the oceanside.” He smiled at his own joke and lazily gave his rod a small twist on his fishing line, bringing the bait a few inches closer.

“Huh...” Alice began to sway on her feet. “So er... any boats going to places like... eeer... Misemo?”

His hands stopped turning the crank for his fishing line. He glanced back to the young girl. “That seems like a very specific spot to ask about, Miss Apple,” the old man replied, taking another drink of his root beer.

Alice shrugged. “Jus’ sounds like a cool place to be.”

Hans seemed to weigh his next words carefully. “I couldn’t suggest a young child such as yourself to go there. Because while there may be some good men and women just stopping or living there for the right reasons, there are a dozen others that are nothing but cutthroats, pirates and slavers. Maybe just common thieves, if you’re lucky.”

“I could avoid ‘em,” Alice said, before hastily adding, “If I was to go anyway.”

He scratched at his jaw. “‘If you’re wanting to go there, I’d need a good reason. Aside from it sounding ‘cool,’ Miss Apple.”

Alice quickly racked her brain for a decent sounding excuse. “Uh... because... I’m meeting my folks there before we take another boat from there!”

“What are your folks doing at Misemo?” he once again questioned the girl, then casually took another drink of his root beer.

“Er, I got an uncle there. So they’re vistin’ him.” Alice nodded rapidly and clasped her hands behind her back, fairly sure that her plan was working.

“Surprised your folks didn’t tell you what boat to take, then,” he answered observantly.

Alice fiddled with her overalls, saying, “I kinda tuned out when they talked about it... heh...”

He gave a long pause of consideration. He threw her the other can of soda, which she only just caught. He wryly smiled. “Since we’re not strangers anymore, Miss Apple. You find yourself a ship called the Esther. Its captain is a Mister Jaffery. He’ll take care of you.” Hans returned his gaze to the water. “Though you should work on your lying technique, if you intend to stay on ‘vacation’ in Misemo for a long time. I’ve never seen anyone as antsy fibbing as you, Miss Apple.”

Alice’s face went a light red. “I must have gotten that from my sis...” she explained, letting out an awkward laugh. “I better get going then.” She smiled, the color in her face returning to normal. “Thanks, Hans. Good luck with yer fishin’.”

“Take care,” the old man replied. “I mean it,” he added under his breath.

Alice gave Hans a wave before leaving him behind, biting her lip as she thought over his last words. Misemo couldn’t have been that bad, right?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

She inspected each boat she passed, looking for a name on every one. Some of the boats were grand, probably owned by some rich family. Others were... well, the best thing that could be said about some was that they were only half covered in barnacles. When she found it, she saw that the Esther was a mix of both.

The ship clearly had been grand during its heyday. Now, however, the vessel seemed to be a ghost in limbo, full of rustic charm, technological advance, and contradictions. While it seemed to be modeled after a small, wind-powered merchant ship from the 18th century, the large engine at its stern told the truth of the kind of ship it was. Directly above the obviously modern engine was a set of letters spelling the ship’s name, all surrounded with chips and dings. At starboard bow was a man dressed in the classical getup of a pirate: an opened shirt, a saber at his side, and, most importantly, a frilled and triangulated hat. A trike something, Alice couldn’t quite recall.

Alice looked from the ship to the captain, utter confusion on her face. “Er... this is the Esther, right?”

He did a crisp about face, snapping his heels tight and spinning quickly to face Alice. “Indeed it is, ya scurvy dog! And whoabout’s be askin’?!

Alice couldn’t help but lean away from the man. “Alice Bloom Apple,” she answered simply.

“Alice Bloom Apple!” he repeated, then gestured his hand out in a sweeping motion towards the ocean.

“Yeah... that’s what I said.” Alice looked around. Nope. Nobody to help her here.

“Do ye thirst for adventure?! Long for the feel of the ocean under ye boots? Wish to do battle with a Kraken?! Then hop aboard the Esther! I’m in need of a good first mate to share me booty with!” He briefly paused, looking around the area and adjusting his eyepatch. “Are ye folks around? I’ll need their blessing before we can haul anchor!”

Alice rolled her eyes, muttering, “Seriously? Oh my God...” She then put on her best smile and sweetly said, “I’m meeting them at Misemo so we can see my uncle!”

The man seemed to stumble briefly at her exclamation. “M-Misemo? Yer folks be quite a ways out indeed if they are in Misemo!”

Alice flashed the captain a cheeky grin. “What was that about havin’ a ‘thirst for adventure’ then?”

He looked out towards the docks then back to her. He lifted his eyepatch up, showing both his baby blue eyes. “Look, kid,” he said in a far more subdued tone. “I’m a tour guide for those, you know, ‘wacky’ trip things kids love. We dig for treasure, fight a dude in a rubber costume--that kinda thing. Misemo’s full of actual pirates.”

“But Hans told me you’d take me there, Mister Jaffery,” Alice said assuredly, puffing out her chest slightly. “And I just gotta get there!”

He rubbed at his face. Well, he wasn’t exactly teeming with customers right now... “How much do you have?”

“How much do ya want?” Alice reached into her backpack, rummaging around for her dollars. She’d haggle her way through this one.

“Eighty dollar’s is the normal tour rate,” he promptly replied.

“I’m guessin’ ya want a bit more than that for this trip, right? How about eighty-three?” Alice got out some dollar notes, flicking through them like a deck of cards.

“Eighty-five. Gasoline,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“Eighty-four,” Alice speedily replied, looking the captain square in the eyes.

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Five!”

“Eighty-two!”

“Eighty-three. Wait, shit!”

“Deal!” Alice laughed triumphantly, planting eighty-three dollars into the captain’s palm before striding aboard the vessel. “At least ya only lost a dollar. Could’ve been worse,” she offered.

“Don’t expect me to stick around. I’m dropping you off and turning back home,” Mister Jaffery said sullenly, walking to the large wheel of the ship. He pressed a button and the diesel engine rumbled to life.

Alice nodded, gripping the sides of the ship and looking out to sea. “Misemo can’t be that bad...right?” It was a question she had to ask, but she knew the answer would probably be one she’d regret hearing.

“It wasn’t, until a few months back.” He turned the wheel, getting them free from the docks and making their way into open water. “That’s when pirates started outnumbering the merchants, the fishermen, and the villagers. It was the oddest thing, just a group or two of ‘em came up from the Ghost Rim and started coming and going from Misemo just as fast as you please.” He opened a latch to his side and pressed a button. The ship started going on autopilot as he looked over a chart map. “Now they more or less call the shots. If you’re really going there to meet your folks, be careful.”

Alice gulped. It seemed that the only way to get to the Ghost Rim was with pirates. But she never expected this whole journey to be glamorous anyway. “Yeah... yeah, I know. I can take care of mahself.”