It was a trick. They told me that I had access to this ship after winning that bet, yet here I am, waiting on the docks like a caged animal. A pacing tiger eager to jump aboard with an invalid ticket as I try to find a way around it. I need to get back home and I’m stuck in this filthy waterfront town that smells like fish and death. Maybe I can pretend to be a part of the crew.

Chatter fills the air as people rush past to board the wooden plank up ahead, the sounds of crows cawing in the distance as a thick mist hangs in the air. My eyes suddenly land on a vendor struggling to hold an assortment of shiny locked boxes––a jeweler with rings, no doubt for the wealthy boarding the ship. And then it hits me, I’ll help the vendor and pretend to be a part of his company, sneak my way inside. All he needs to do is show them his company ID to follow him in.