“Hey!” Archibell squawked. “Who asked for this serving of shrimp scampi? Can’t you read kid? There’s a sign on the Lyre that says, “No stowaways or soliciting aboard this fearsome ship.”

A smile curled on Tito’s lips. “I don’t recall seeing a sign like that.”

Archibell crossed his arms and sighed. “Well, I was planning on getting one from Ship Depot, but we don’t have the biggest budget and…”

“Tito!” Elise exclaimed. “Why are you here?”

Tony smirked from Elise’s hands. “Finally someone asks a meaningful question.”

“Hey!” Archibell said. “That hurts! I asked the same question.”

Tito smiled knowingly. “You smell like bananas and bad lotion. At least speckles here is sorta cute.”

Elise wrinkled her button nose. Somewhat cute? she thought, An island bog frog is somewhat cute too.

“Anyway,” Tito laughed, kicking aside the captain’s blanket. “I’d like to join you on your crazy journey. I’m sure there are tons of fun adventures and babes to meet and…”

“Babes?” Archibell scoffed. “Kid, your voice hasn’t even dropped yet. Leave that part of the adventure to moi.”

“And more importantly, bub,” Tony added. “Don’t ya have a destiny you’re supposed to fullfillin?”

“Destiny smestiny,” Tito said out loud. “My father was a lot older when he did the Rite of Passage. Besides, I overhead you’re going to find a cure for ghost blight. I figured you could use a handsome navigator to help guide you.”

“Yes on the navigator part,” Archibell said, “No comment on the handsome part, or else they’d throw me in the slammer.”

“I agree on the handsome part,” Elise said softly, pushing her fingers together.

Tito didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, Tony chimed in. "Won’t your mam miss ya? I’d be writing to mine everyday if the pen didn’t slide outta ma fins.”

“I already left her a ‘see ya letter,’” Tito said. “Get it? See ya letter?”

Everyone groaned except Elise. They all exchanged uneasy glances, but at last, Archibell said, “Welcome aboard, shrimp.”

Archibell turned to raise anchor, but Tito crossed his arms. “Not so fast,” he said. “Don’t you want to know where you’re going first?”

Archibell’s arms sank. “You got me kid. It’s a bit of stereotype, but as a male pirate, I don’t ask for directions, I let my heart chart the course.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Well,” Tito said. “You gotta get outta that mindset”—and he pulled a sea chart from his pant's pocket—“or else you’ll never find the island of the golden trident.”

“You know where the trident is?” Elise and Tony asked eagerly.

“Nope,” Tito said, “But I know an island with someone who might.”

He spread the sea chart out and pointed to a landmass that was a few islands past the Helloha isle. It was shaped like a pumpkin with a carved smile.

“The Jack O' Lan-clave,” Tito remarked. “When I was sailing with my uncle, we would often hear stories about a mysterious woman with the power of clairvoyance.”

“What kinda woman?” Tony asked, surprisingly serious.

“A witch!” Tito exclaimed and Tony began to cry like a child.

Tito immediately widened his eyes. “What’s wrong with fry boy here?”

Archibell caressed Tony’s dorsal fin. “On Swinging Singles island,” Archibell mentioned, “Tony had an unfortunate encounter with a witch.”

“Sincirce!” Tony exclaimed. “She turned me into a floppin’ fish. All cuz I lied to impress her.”

“What did you tell her?” Elise asked, her eyes wide with innocence.

“I told her,” Tony recounted. “That me and ma gang, the Land Sharks, were featured in a stage presentation of the theater production, Slick, where we was snappin’ and pirouetting all the time. I never told her our choreography was so bad we never got in.”

Archibell waved his finger at Tony. “And that’s why you should never lie to a woman…or at least, get caught.”

Elise glared at him. Tito scratched the back of his head and folded up the sea chart. “I don’t recall hearing her name, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same witch. You don’t go hearing about many witches on the high seas. Most of ‘em are in woods or sky castles.”

“Oh crud,” Tony said, flopping around anxiously. “If she sees me, she’s gonna turn me into something worse.”

Elise patted Tony on the head. “Or something better,” she said, “This is your chance to be changed back. You can apologize to her."

Tony turned his gilly head towards Elise. "I appreciate your optimism, pally, but I'm not sure that's gonna work on a fully grown witch."

Elise continued to smile at Tony. "You can always try."

Tony sighed. "Or I can always fry."

"Too bad," Archibell said, standing up and heading towards the anchor. "We gotta find that trident by any means necessary. Creepy witch island, ahoy!"

It didn't take long with a new-found navigator to find the Jack O' Lan-clave, but Elise (and especially Tony, it seemed) wished the ride was longer.

Their next destination, the Jack O' Lan-clave was even more foreboding than the sea reaper's trap. Surrounded by a shadowy, misty forest, a towering stone pumpkin with glowing orange eyes stood tall and spooky. Its eyes seemed to blaze with the fires of heck itself, Elise thought.

"Couldn't we have picked Tea and Pastries island instead," Elise moaned as a ghoulish fog surrounded the ship.

"I second dat," Tony said, shaking back on his plaque.

Tito put his arms around Elise and Tony. "Hey, where's your spirit of adventure? I think exploring a witch's isle is wicked cool. Get it, 'wicked' cool?"

"I-if you say so," Elise said, bright red and more interested in his hand on her shoulder.

"Your wiles don't work on me, pally," Tony said. "I'm only into dames!"

But soon, Elise and Tony, along with Archibell and Tito were docked on a beach of black sands. They disembarked, and Elise felt the coarse rocks of the beach beneath her feet.

The four headed to the edge of the forest where an ominous signpost was hammered into the ground. "Woods of Reminiscimemory," Archibell read, and then his eyes widened as he read below. "Beware: sometimes things we haven't thought about in a long time still have the ability to make us cry."

"What does that mean?" Elise asked softly.

"We're probably gonna get traumatized," Tony blubbered

"Welp…" Archibell said, marching forward. "Nothing ventured into a dark creepy forest nothing gained."

Elise and Tito nodded. (Tony continued to shake his head.)

The four proceeded into the forest, but Elise immediately regretted it. She could no longer see her friends in the deep darkness, and even with her glasses she was blind as a bat.