Each star shines brightly and Hitshiro is fascinated by the images they form. It reminds him of not only the bad nights, but also the good nights when he looked up at the sky and went over the experiences of the day in his head before he could fall asleep. Slowly the sky gets darker and darker and since Hitshiro has to be strong tomorrow, they decide to lay down to rest. Arvid, however, merely dozes off. His thoughts keep him from falling asleep.

Hitshiro, tomorrow is the big day when you will leave the country to discover the world. I am proud of you, but also sad. You often got me into trouble, but I couldn't bear it if something happened to you.

I remember the moments when I had to save you when you were chased by a wild animal. You were so brave and full of energy. It's hard for me to accept that I can't protect you anymore. And there are much bigger dangers out there than the bear of yesterday. But to discover new things Sangowa is the right island for it. There are few dangers and a lot of old and mysterious things.

If I am honest, I will miss you, you brat. I am worried about you and I hope that you will be safe and happy. Promise me you'll take care of yourself and make smart decisions. Go on your adventures, make your decisions, write your story!

Arvid, too, finally manages to retire and they both slumber away. At least that's how it seems. Once Hitshiro is sure Arvid has fallen asleep, he gets up, grabs the map, and heads outside to the fire pit. Having spent his time in nature, he naturally knows how to light a campfire. Together with the map, he now lies down next to the flame of the campfire and looks at it closely. Not only does he look at the names, but also the exact shape of each country.

Some countries have really strange shapes! This one looks like a hand. And like a face that looks grim!

In the south, over almost the entire line, there is a huge country. The name of this land is written above it:

I didn't know there were so many countries out there. Eight countries on "Regnuterra" alone. Unbelievable! There are enough new things to discover.

Many islands cluster at the eastern end and near the west of Regnuterra.

That's so much! John must have traveled a lot to have figured it all out. Orokana, Santi, Chaya, Yami... So many countries and names. And Nonemu is supposed to be so small? Really?

Hitshiro looks for a few seconds at the point that Arvid had drawn on the map.

Compared to that, Sangowa is huge! And this island here isn't far from Sangowa either, in case I get bored there again quickly.

Northwest of Sangowa is an island about a quarter of the size, which has an unusual shape.

"Hikabi.", Hitshiro reads the name of the island aloud in a whisper, "It looks like it's made of three circles. That's hilarious!".

However, this is not the only island that has a special shape. Many islands seem to be shaped after something. Be it just shoes, more faces or geometric shapes.

But what are these lines everywhere? Around Sangowa and around Yami.

All night long Hitshiro stares at the map and tries to understand the mysterious lines and drawings.

The night passes, and soon it's time for Hitshiro and Arvid to head for the harbor.

"Come on, chop chop!", Arvid makes sure that Hitshiro hurries a little. Even though they're not late, Arvid still likes to fool around and pretend they're in a hurry.

They quickly pack up a few more things and also throw the goods that are supposed to go on the ship on their backs.

Hitshiro still remembers the plan Arvid explained to him.

"We'll both load up the cargo later. It's not uncommon for a boy to help out in the process, so it should be fine. Since no one will be paying attention, after we load the last bag or barrel, you will hide among this cargo, do you understand?", Arvid told him.

Hitshiro feels a mixture of excitement and nervousness as he enters the port city. There is bustle everywhere, ships being loaded and unloaded, merchants calling out their wares. For the first time, he looks around nervously. With each barrel they roll onto the ship, and with each bag they load, that nervousness increases much more. Slightly, the boy begins to tremble.

Arvid can see that there is only one bag left to load and hands it to Hitshiro. One last time, they make their way onto the ship together, to the cargo hold.

"I think everything is going according to plan. It should all work out.", Arvid says in a low voice as he looks thoughtfully at the boy.

Hitshiro smiles all over his face. A grin that stretches almost to his ears, now infecting Arvid as well.

"You take good care of yourself, brat, yeah?", Arvid makes sure.

"Yessir!" replies Hitshiro, now saluting Arvid like a soldier. Before Arvid leaves the ship, he gives Hitshiro one last squeeze as tight as he can.

"Don't forget about me and visit me in between. I'll always stay here on Nonemu and wait for you and your stories!", Arvid says and hands him the self-drawn map, "You'll probably need this too. Hide it well, as soon as others see you have a map, they would try to take it away from you!".

Slowly Hitshiro reaches for the map and puts it with him in his pouch on his back.

Now Arvid turns around and just before he leaves the room, he whispers something to himself.

"See you!"

Arvid walks up the stairs and closes the trapdoor behind him. Hitshiro gets ready to go undercover. He pulls some bags over him and lies down. Even though he's supposed to stay alert, it's hard for him to keep his eyes open since he spent little of last night sleeping. His expectations and dreams have kept him awake the entire time, so now he is dead tired.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The ship starts to rock slightly, which is an unfamiliar experience for Hitshiro since he has never been on a ship before.

What is it? Is something happening?

A bell-like sound can now be heard.

Every time a ship has sailed, someone has rung a bell. I guess it's starting now. I hope the ship doesn't wobble around like that all the time.

A few minutes pass and Hitshiro begins to feel a little uneasy.

Why is it wobbling back and forth so much all the time? It makes me feel so sick!

To distract himself from the wobbling, Hitshiro tries to focus on the sounds that surround him. The screeching of the seagulls flying around the ship because of the smell, the waves lashing against the ship, and the rumbling of footsteps from the men on board. If he listens closely, he can even hear what they are talking about:

"...and then he said to me, "Be careful should we get caught in a storm. The sea can be very unpredictable." I hope we don't get into a storm..."

"Yes," another voice agrees, "otherwise we'll probably be

We'll have to swim to Sangowa by ourselves!".

"Oh nonsense! The ships aren't that fragile now, Ben!".

Even though Hitshiro himself has often heard of stories of how ships have made it through the most turbulent weather, he still worries should such a storm arise.

If we get caught in a storm, it's bound to blow up that I'm hiding here, isn't it? But Arvid hadn't said anything about a storm. Surely he would have remarked on that!

"It's about time we met our comrades in the distance. I can't wait to see them again."

"Oh, you're talking about Eleanor, huh?"

A low rumble sounds.

"Shut up, I didn't say that! I'm talking about the other three!"

The men's voices and laughter mingle with the roar of the sea and the squeaking sound of sails flapping in the wind. Hitshiro listens spellbound to the conversations, trying to learn as much as he can about the journey ahead.

But as time goes by, the men on the ship talk less and less, and Hitshiro begins to get bored.

Why does it take so long to get there? It's so boring! But maybe I can...

From his bag, Hitshiro now pulls out a pen that he has stolen from Arvid.

He won't miss the pen. He would surely have preferred that to stealing the map from him.

He smiles slightly and takes some pieces of paper out of the bag as well. Arvid had empty books on the shelf and Hitshiro saw this as a signal to tear some out.

Since he had looked closely at the map last night, he can now trace it all too well. Even if he can't remember every detail, like the names. Only the contours, the strange lines and some names he could recall. Among them the island he was heading for "Sangowa" and some that either had a special shape or something else that caught his attention, like "Yami" with the strange lines around the entire land.

Cautiously, Hitshiro now begins to draw the first strokes on his paper. With purposeful hand movements he draws the outlines of the island Sangowa, with the mountains and valleys, which he still has in memory. More and more he ventures into other countries. But he does not draw them completely, because there his memories slowly fade away.

Here, at this big island, there was such a dotted line. What does it mean and how was it exactly?

Hitshiro thinks about it for a few seconds and then hits his head in frustration.

Why am I so bad at remembering things?

Some time passes and he puts the last images of his memory on the paper before he notices that the men are starting to move more actively again.

Are we there? That was faster than I thought!

Joyfully, but still cautiously, Hitshiro gropes his way to the trapdoor, hoping that it will open. However

More and more his eyes begin to fall shut.

Half an hour passes and suddenly Hitshiro is rudely awakened from his sleep.

"Hey, boy!" one of the sailors taps him, "Wake up!".

Abruptly, Hitshiro turns to the man.

Oh no, they've spotted me! Am I going to be thrown off the ship now? Please don't, it was so close!

"What are you doing here on the ship, or more precisely, what are you doing here in the cargo?" the man asks angrily, his voice low.

"I," Hitshiro stammers anxiously, "I wanted to...".

"Does anyone know about you being on board?"

Hitshiro can't get a word out and merely shakes his head. Without words, the man makes his way to the deck of the ship and the only thing Hitshiro can perceive is the same voice yelling:

"We have a..."

Suddenly, the voice stops.

"What's that one? That over there?" another voice loudly interrupts him, as if this one sees something.

"Is that a storm? No, that looks more like fog! I've never seen such a dense fog and it's coming right at us!".

Suddenly, a frightening athmophere spreads across the deck of the ship, accompanied by ominous roars and booming thumps.

Why are they all so panicked? Just because of a fog? Is fog worse at sea than on land? I thought it only gets colder and you can see less!?

Suddenly, he hears another distant bell. Its sound echoes menacingly and it rings out much more frequently than the bell of this ship. The footsteps cease instantly, as if the men on deck had stopped abruptly. Silence settles over the ship. It is interrupted by a slow, steady knocking that grows louder and louder from the bow to the center of the ship. Each knock seems more sinister than the next. Like a mind game straight from hell, and just when you expect it to stop, another one sounds.

Hitshiro suddenly experiences an oppressive feeling that he has never experienced even in the most delicate chases.

What's going on now? Who or what is doing this? Why are my legs shaking?

One last time, a heavy thumping sound pulses through Hitshiro's body. At the same time, the entire crew falls into a state of madness. One of the men now shouts in a desperate voice: "Pirates! They are here! Pirates!". The ship shakes with a deafening crash and rumble, the pounding of footsteps and the metallic clang of clashing blades echoing everywhere. The terrifying sounds of gunfire and cannon thunder fill Hitshiro with fear.

What the hell is happening here? Pirates? Merchant ships are supposed to be safe! Damn it, what's going on?

Panicked, Hitshiro tries to hide in one of the bags, but they are all already filled to the brim or far too small to fit inside. He empties one of the bags and drops a pile of potatoes on the wooden floor, not paying attention to how loud it is. Hastily, he pulls the bag over him and closes it from the inside.

Please, please, no one come down here! If only I had listened to Arvid! It was really much safer on Nonemu! How could it have come to this?

Suddenly the trapdoor to the cargo hold is ripped open. Hitshiro desperately tries to hold his breath.

"Watch out, mice!" a scratchy and sinister voice suddenly echoes from the stairs. Hitshiro remembers the potatoes on the floor and knows exactly what is happening. An iron sound rings out as the pirate draws a blade.

"You can come out quietly! I won't hurt you, I promise!"

The pirate lunges and pierces one of the sacks. Meat, single-handedly hunted by Arvid, falls out of the damaged bag.

"However, if you decide not to come forth, it will have been the last time you could enjoy a sea voyage," the pirate threatens in a calm and fearsome voice.

Horrified, Hitshiro hastily opens his pouch and begins to speak:

"Please, please don't kill me!" he pleads through tears, while the pirate smiles at him. The sinister-looking pirate stands menacingly in front of Hitshiro. His greasy, disheveled hair hangs wildly down to his shoulders, while an unkempt beard almost completely covers his face. His vacant eyes glint coldly in their sockets, and scars adorn his drawn face. The pirate wears worn, leathery clothing, tools and weapons dangle from his belt, while a worn cap covers his head.

"A child?" the pirate wonders, withdrawing his sword. With slow steps, he approaches the boy.

"What are you doing on a merchant ship? Did you sneak in here? That's naughty of you. Young man, such a thing is not allowed!" says the pirate, now standing in front of Hitshiro. "Let's see what the captain has in store for you.". Hitshiro feels the pirate's icy breath on his skin as he prepares his sword for the crushing blow.

Hitshiro shields his face with his hands as the pirate lunges and slashes at him with the hilt of his sword. Hitshiro instantly loses consciousness, and the pirate grabs the boy. With a scary laugh, the man leaves the cargo chamber with the boy over his shoulder.