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Elise McGill and The Thief of The Sea
Chapter 32: Behold the Dungeon of Z

Chapter 32: Behold the Dungeon of Z

When Elise entered the courtyard of Prison Island, all of her questions were answered, but it wasn't what she had expected. Two rugged pirates in pink jumpsuits twirled a jump rope so fast it made a loud crack as a third jumped over it. Meanwhile, another pirate with extremely skinny arms tried to thrust a pair of dumbbells up in the air with a loud cry. His spotter friend said, "Maybe you should put those down, matey."

"She sells sea shells!" Elise gasped. "This really is an exercise place!"

"What did you think it was?" Warden Cornbury said. "This is our Rogue Rehabilitation zone! The queen spared no expense in making this a pleasureable correction facility!"

"Aside from the guy putting his back out," Captain Archibell joked. "I agree!"

"And!" Warden Cornbury gushed, "Yours truly designed their jumpsuits! Pink is truly the new orange!"

Everyone marveled at the pirate inmates running along the track until Elise nodded and sighed. "Thank you, Queen Annabell!"

"Indeed!" Cornbury said. "For one so young, she surely takes after her mother in being a humane leader...even to dregs of society like yourself."

"Wowie!" Tony remarked. "Next time I break the law, I'd make sure I do it in dis queenie's district."

Cornbury shot a glare at Tony. "Don't try it, fishy wishy. Now then, let me take you to your new digs."

As they crossed the Rogue Rehabilitation zone, Elise felt the tightness in her chest cease. Maybe the time in the Piratetentiary wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Much to her relief, everyone was placed next to each other in a similar boxy cell. Each cell had a barred window overlooking the sea, a grey cot and a toilet. A pink jumpsuit lay across each bed. "This is where you'll remain," Cornbury said, "Until you are selected to go on trial. Worry not, it has everything you need!"

"Except cosmetics!" Sincirce wailed.

But Cornbury shook his head. "Beauty products are for the well behaved….like moi!"

Despite Sincirce's complaints (and Tony's complaints of being housed in the same magical being cell as her) everyone was situated in their cells and they all changed into the standard pink garb.

As Elise slid into her tiny jumpsuit, she accidentally dropped her glasses and they tumbled onto the floor below the cot.

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She scrambled to the floor, desperatey searching for them. She located them beneath the cot and gave an upset whine. The right lens was cracked down the middle. "Dang it to sea shell," she pouted.

But as she fixed the glasses on her nose, she gasped in shock. Beneath the bed, there was an ominous message scrawled in what seemed to be blood. A small drawing of a stick figure inside a circle by a message: "Beware Z's wheel. We are all his hamsters!"

"Child!" Florian Cornbury snapped. "Are you alright?!"

Elise banged her head on her cot and tumbled backwards. Despite her bump on the head, she managed to utter the words. "I dropped my glasses. I'm blinder than a mole in coal without them."

"Well now, we can't have that," Cornbury chuckled. "I'm pretty nearsighted except for when it comes to handsome rapscallions!"

"But now," Cornbury said, ceasing his chuckling. "Enough with my ambiguous camp, I shall leave you to your time in the cells. I hope you think about what you've done. Now if you excuse me, I'm heading to the prison spa! Tata!"

Once Cornbury strolled away, Elise cried in with a panicked expression. "Guys, I saw something really scary!"

"Wazzit seein' Sincirce without her makeup?" Tony asked.

"Hey!" Sincirce screamed. "I am a natural beauty!"

"Aside from all the facial transfigurations you've had?" Tony shot back.

Tito, much to Elise's surprise, was the voice of reason. "What is it speckles? Did you find a dead rat in your cell?"

"Even worse," Elise said, "I possibly found a dead hamster."

"A what?!" Everyone exclaimed

"There's a message in blood here!" she cried. "It says, 'Beware Z's Wheel! We are all his hamsters!'"

"Who's Z?" Tito asked earnestly.

"And why are we his cute, fuzzy rodents?" Archibell added.

"Ya know," Tony said. "I had a pet hamster once. His name was Fred and he had a big wheel. He also went to a summer camp one day and he was supposed to write, but then I realized… he doesn't have opposable thumbs so he can't write!"

Everyone pondered the cryptic message on the wall, but none of them could figure out what the message meant. Noon soon gave way to evening and evening gave way to night. Even after dining on Cornbury's homemade cornbread and water in the prison cafeteria, the Lyre's crew was no more closer to solvong the mystery. It was only when they returned did they encounter a very disturbing creature.

He was squat, pudgy and putrid green. The creature was about the size of Elise but ten times wider with a fanged mouth and a singular eyeball. The cyclops sported an outfit of black velvet and leather and he brandished an actual whip. He had a golden medallion shaped in a giant golden Z. A snarl formed on his face when he saw them.

"Who are you?" Sincirce asked with her lips pursed.

"Oy guv'nor" the monster bragged, pointing to himself. "I am the great Z! I'm the floppin' Dungeon Master here!"

"The dungeon master?!" Archibell squawked. "Well that explains the garrish outfit!"

"Very perceptive," Z hissed with pleasure. "Now, you bloody hamsters are coming with me!"

"Hamsters?!" Elise squeaked.

Z narrowed his eyes. "You're coming with me, ya fops," he said, "All o' you!"

The five followed him with Elise carrying Tony as the strange creature lead them back to the courtyard. As soon as they got there, Z clapped his hands and a metal roof slid over the courtyard. Everyone watched in horror as the former track opened up and giant neon hamster wheels rose out of the floor.

Z rubbed his fingers together and spread his mouth with a wide grin. "Get ready to run for your lives, ya bleepin' bat turds!"