As the sun rose, right on cue, Alessia and her boat pulled up to the harbor wall. I climbed down the ladder and stepped aboard. Alessia gave me a wry smile. “You survived then? You understand the world better now?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.” The words were more terse than I meant. The lack of sleep, and the previous night’s events were catching up to me.

“Well, sorry for asking.”

“Sorry,” I replied. “Just.. my mind was elsewhere.”

I told her about the events on Bluekira Ministration. Of how the island treated the blue-clothed workers like slaves; but after discovering his daughter among them, my host had gone on a mission to rescue her, leading to fights among the islanders. I had left the island in a state of war.

It was two days’ sail to our next destination, the Aila Flagstones, and I spent much of the time trying to be useful and slowly improving my fishing abilities. I managed after much trial and effort to catch a couple of fish, and I cooked them over a makeshift grill. Alessia devoured them.

“I will give you this,” she said. “You can’t catch a fish for shit. But you cook them amazingly.”

“Thanks… I think,” I replied.

“Well, it’s good to know you bring something beyond an extra body.”

I half-smiled. She stared at me, seemingly expecting a response.

“Still thinking about what happened on Bluekira Ministration?” She asked.

I nodded. “I feel like I messed up their life? They were okay... and now... I’ve left them in chaos?”

“Okay for who?” she replied. I looked up at her and tilted my head. “You think the people they were keeping slaves were fine before you turned up? You think everything was good for them?”

“No, but…” I searched for the right word. “It was peaceful.”

“Peace isn’t everything,” she said, picking off bits of fish from the bones. “Just because there isn’t blood being shed doesn’t mean nothing is wrong.”

“I know. I just… The whole thing doesn’t sit right with me, I guess.”

“If you keep traveling, you’re going to see way more messed up islands than that one. You’re gonna have to get used to it.”

“I guess you’ve seen much worse.”

“Mostly only ever from the harbour though. I just keep to myself and my boat.” She paused at the end of her sentence, and her chewing slowed as she pondered the thought. The conversation idled, and so we sat in silence for a few minutes, allowing the perfect starlit sky overhead to capture our attention.

It was late afternoon the next day when we arrived at Aila Flagstones. It seemed smaller and considerably flatter than the previous two islands I had seen; the highest point not much above sea level. Only on the northern side, to my left, did the island rise to its greatest height, which seemed to be only around twenty metres above sea level. While Kadear had some forests on it, almost the entire of Aila Flagstones seemed to be covered in a thick web of trees that obscured everything beyond the first few rows of trunks.

The island was a crescent shape, forming a natural cove with the harbor at the center of the concave shape, where the islanders had built rows of wooden jetties.

Once we were berthed, I set about the process of bringing up the crates from the hull, walking them up the jetty, and handing them off to the workers waiting for them At the top of the jetty, Alessia seemed to be deep in discussion with one of her contacts, and with each passing trip I could hear her voice become more tense.

Towards the end of my hauling, another boat arrived and parked at the jetty next to ours. The boat was considerably larger than Alessia’s, and it’s hull cast a small shadow over its diminutive neighbour.

No sooner had the boat stopped than a group of seven men and women appeared from the island and marched up to the boat. The greeting party were dressed smartly with black trousers, white shirts and black ties. Their backs were straight, and they stood tall with their chests puffed out as they waited for a gangway to be laid across to the boat.

They were on the boat for no more than a couple of minutes before they returned; two of the group carrying a large chest between them. The chest looked innocuous enough, but it was watched carefully by the rest, who protected it from five sides. As they reached the island, other residents moved to the side of the path, allowing them to pass. As soon as the crate had gone by, the islanders would return to their activities, uninterested in the events. Other than clearing a path in deference, no one seemed interested in the crate. All except for one group.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Four people stood on a large rock that broke through the thick forest of the island overlooking the natural harbour. They weren’t dressed like those with the chest, but there was no mistaking the object of their gaze. They watched the crate; eyeying its movements with rigid fixation, until it disappeared between the trees and the group immediately turned and retreated to the forest.

My watching was interrupted by Alessia walking up behind me. “I don’t pay you to stand around enjoying the view,” she said. “Not that I pay you anyway.”

“Sorry,” I replied. “There’s only a few more crates, I should be done in a couple of minutes.”

As I walked past her to get the next crate, she interjected. “Actually, I had a… offer for you. I was supposed to be sailing out quick. But the order’s delayed. Usually, I’d sit around the dock here, but you got me thinking about how I never really see the islands, so I might come with you, get off the boat for once.”

“When’s the shipment due to be ready?”

“Three to four days,” she replied. “I’ll give you a lift off if you wanna head out then.”

I got the impression that this was less of an offer and more of a decision, but I took the time to contemplate the idea nonetheless.

“You can stay on the boat for the next few days too, instead of having to beg for somewhere to sleep,” Alessia added.

“Okay,” I responded. “It would be nice to have some company.”

“Great. Now you can get back to the cargo.” Alessia grinned, and returned to talk to her contacts, leaving me with the heavy lifting.

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Eventually, I was done with the cargo, and Alessia and I stepped onto the jetty and began walking towards the island.

“So what happens now?” Alessia asked, as our feet transitioned from the wooden planks to the gritty soft sand of the beach.

“We walk into the nearest town and strike up a conversation, I guess?”

“You’re really not one for a clear-cut plan, are you?”

I ignored her barb. “I know what I want to ask about though.”

“What?”

“That procession with that chest coming off the ship. It was… odd.”

“Special custom, maybe? Just supplies?”

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

Away from the beach, the path wove through a thick forest. Wide trunks blotted out the view in all directions, and only thin slivers of sunlight broke through the canopy above.

After a couple of kilometers of winding through the trees, the path opened up to a clearing. A small village of houses stood scattered in the space. There seemed to be no great plan to the small settlement. Instead, buildings were placed haphazardly, the walks between them beaten down by feet so that a large web of paths ran through the town.

I was taking in my surroundings when we were approached by two people, both wearing the same clothes as those carrying the cases earlier. One of them wore an ill-fitting jacket that looked torn and scuffed. However, she wore it as though it were a gown.

“Welcome to Aila Flagstones,” the woman said.

“Good day,” I replied, keeping my distance.

“Forgive my intrusion. We don’t get many visitors.” The woman stood firm, her hands clasped in front of her, and her eyes questioning us with polite apprehension.

“Yes, we are just here for a few days, looking to learn about the island. I’m trying… to explore the archipelago.” I still found it weird to state the idea of being a curious traveller.

“Do you know much about our home?”

“Very little, I’m afraid.”

“Well, you are most welcome to tour. Please do. My name is Rachel. I’m the current executive of the island.” She reached out an arm, pulling back the ill-fitting sleeve till her hand appeared from it. We shook hands. “You should visit the museum first.”

“The museum?” I replied, puzzled. I knew the word, but I had never heard of one still existing. A monument to the past seemed impossible.

“Yes. I think it will give you a true sense of what Aila Flagstones is about. I don’t want to spoil it, but we’ve collected some truly amazing relics,” she replied. “The museum is dedicated to showing the world how it was - a better time.”

“Please, we’d love to see it.”

Rachel led us past the homes, towards the museum. As we walked, Alessia pulled me aside and whispered in my ear. “So you know, there’s a couple of guys back there who have been looking our way and following us for a while.”

I turned to look, but Alessia elbowed me in the ribs. “You can’t just turn around and stare.”

“I’m not. I’ll be subtle.” I took a quick glance over my shoulder. It was only the briefest of glimpses, but it was enough. “I think I saw them earlier. They were standing on a rock watching that crate arrive.”

“They’re up to something,” she replied.

“They can stare all they want,” I said, waving off her concern. “We’re foreigners, we’re interesting. Let’s go see this museum.”

The museum was the grandest building on the island. Smooth polished walls of speckled rock towered up three or four storeys. Round the outside of the building stood a thick perimeter wall made of the island’s own flagstone, so that the only way to approach was from the building’s front, the perfect view to take in its grandeur; to appreciate the heavy oak door, and marvel at the ornate stained-glass windows.

Stepping inside, I turned to Rachel to thank her. As I did, I looked back down the path and could see the same two people following us.

Rachel followed my eyes and spotted them too. “Go take a tour around. I’ll meet you in the main hall when you are done,” Rachel said to us with a forced smile. She began walking towards the two followers as the door swung shut behind her.

“Should we go out after her?” Alessia asked.

“Don’t you want to see an actual museum first?” I responded.

She smiled and nodded. We turned and headed deeper into the building, entering the gateway to the past.