A ghoulish green mist swirled and illuminated the cargo hold. It guided the Lyre’s crew but filled them with a sense of dread and discontent. Towering crates stacked high upon each other transformed the hold into a maze of sorts for the crew. Every time they thought they had gained some ground, another row of boxes showed up to change their path. Eventually, enough of these blockades provoked an outburst from Elise. “Fiddlesticks!” she cried. “Another dead end. What exactly does this hold…hold anyway?”

“Do you really want to know?” Abby asked, facing away from everyone. The dark hair on the back of her pale white neck stood straight up in fear. “Because I hear it isn’t very nice and sweet like me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Elise asked, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, you pasty little pastry,” Sincirce growled. “We already know this place ain’t all rainbows and lollypops.”

“I overheard two of the Reaper Creepers talking—” Abby Rition remarked, her voice shivering. “Those are the reaper’s hench-ghosts. That the cargo of this ship is full of spirits.”

“No wonder it smells like booze in here!” Sincirce exclaimed. “I sure could use a long, tall cool one right about now.”

“No…” Abby said, turning around.

The green mist highlighted her face in a spooky way. “They are not spirits as in the wine my parents used to drink. They are the souls that the Sea Reaper harvests. They are stored here for when the ship returns to the Everworld!”

Tony began to whimper and blubber like a baby with a gravelly voice. “Dat doesn’t mean fishies too right?”

Abby smirked. “Every soul that dies on the high seas, is carried on this ship. People, fish, and mollusks! No one is without an invitation to Death's party.”

“H-h-hold me, capm!” Tony cried to Archibell.

“Already ahead of you, mate,” the good captain squawked as he held Tony in front of his face. “If the sea-reaper comes for good ol' Captain Archibell, I’ll give her this blabbering fish as a sacrifice!”

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“What?!” Tony screamed flopping around. “Howabout the shrimp scampi! He’s not an endearing character like me!”

Tito glared at the man-turned-fish. “Oh yeah, fish breath. Those reapers could smell you a mile away!”

All the while, Elise was silent. Worry crossed her mind.

“Guys, guys!” she cried. “You’re making so much noise that you’re gonna attract a big scary ghost!”

The floorboards creaked from around the corner. “D-d-did you hear that!” Elise cried.

“I didn’t!” Archibell said. “Or at least, I was pretending I didn’t hear.”

The floor creaked again, this time it was twice as loud. “O-k,” the captain said. “I heard ya the first time.”

Abby, contrary to her age, started to cry even louder. “I want my m-m-mommy!” she cried. “And my daddy! And my pet dog Bones…even if that’s all that’s left of him!”

“Shhh!” Tito cried. “Babe, you’re gonna let the ghost know we’re here!”

Tito tried to console the crying Abby, but it only made her scream and cry even louder. The terrible creaking echoed even louder. It began to sound like the shriek of a banshee.

“Well,” Sincirce remarked. “We’re doomed. We added one too many screaming, crying children to our crew. Next time you get on my case about eating them, remember this moment!”

A shadow stretched around the corner. The silhouette wore a ten-gallon hat, a poncho and leather boots with spurs. It carried a revolver pistol and soon, pointed it at the crew. Everyone let out a horrified scream.

“What the hell’s hounds are y’all screaming about!” Sugar Southerncross stood in front of them. “Why I don’t think a buncha school children scream as much as you ijits! Where the grits and gravy have y’all been!”

“Err… Sugar sweetheart,” Archibell remarked. “We went into the Ghost Ship just like you said. “You told us to come in here.”

Sugar put her hands on her hips. Her irate southern sea voice sounded more hot and bothered than an ocean volcano about to erupt. “It’s been three days! And my crew and I have just been sitting in the ship waiting for you to come out!”

“She sells sea shells!” Elise remarked with hands to her freckled cheeks. “We’ve only been in here for fifteen minutes.”

The captain shook his head. “I totally forgot. Time goes a lot quicker when you’re venturing in Eternity!”

Sugar crossed her arms. “Well, I can’t wait for all eternity for you ijits to get me the Trident! So I’m here to speed this up.”

She clicked her revolver pistol and pointed it right at Archibell’s feet. With a crack of two pistol shots at his feet, it caused him to dance wildly to avoid them. “Either y’all get me the trident…or yeh die!”

From deep within the advanced darkness, there was a deep snicker behind her. “Hu Hu Hu…!” it laughed like the devil’s voice echoing out of the depths of hell. “I can help you with that.”

The blade of a silver scythe glistened ominously and sliced through the darkness.