Journeys on the Crimson Moon

The docks reeked of fish and more rotting wood. Scratch that. The entire town smelled like that. We found ourselves in a fishing port and there were hundreds of merchants selling their catch of the day to any who walked by. I cringed seeing some squid that was half dead and still squirming around on a table. I picked up my feet and accidentally ran into Daimon who grunted back at me.
I apologized but he stormed off in another direction away from me. I sighed and jumped three feet in the air when some large merchant came behind me asking if I wanted to buy his fish. I ran off and didn’t look back.
The entire town was carved into the side of a cliff. I followed its narrow streets up to the tallest point in town and looked out into the view. The fish smell was finally gone, and all I could hear was the wind hitting the trees. I looked out and saw the town’s activity below and the ships parked at the docks. The Crimson Moon was by far the largest and was the only pirate ship located in the waters.
I was finally able to get a good look of the ship. It was old looking, with slightly torn sails. The wood color had a slight red hue to its wooden grain and a strange flag blew on the top of the main mast. I couldn’t tell from the distance on what it was, but the colors were bright and shaped into some sort of symbol. I placed my hands on my knees and scratched at my itchy shirt. If I was to wear the same three outfits for who knows how long, I needed to hurry and find somewhere to shop before we leave. I looked at my watch that was still on my wrist and saw that I already wasted a good hour walking around.
I got up and started walking back down the narrow paths into the fishy smelling town. As soon as I entered in I noticed a crowd growing by a shop. Curious I walked over and heard shouting. I started to squeeze my body through the crowd just in time to see Robin throw down a final bowl of food.
“Thirty plates!” she said swallowing the last bit of her food.
The crowd cheered and the owner of the restaurant was in shock to see her scarf down thirty plates of his hottest dish. Robin’s eyes were watering but she sucked it up and gave a cocky smile to the owner.
“I eat curry with my curry, sir! Now give me the prize money!”

The crowd cheered again and Robin spotted me. She took the money and we both walked out of the restaurant. When we walked a good ways away from the spot Robin ran to the side and stuck her head into a horse’s water holder. She had her head in that possibly unclean water for a good while till I finally saw her head come back up with a gigantic gasp for air. She continued this for three times till I finally saw her sit back down on the ground.
“Are you okay?” I asked cautiously.
She nodded and looked at me with her drenched head.
“I love spicy food and wanted some more money… I would have never realized how hot that could be…”
“Then you have to be more careful, Miss Robin,” Arlen’s voice sounded from behind us.
I turned to see him walking up with several packages. He was no longer dressed in the grungy clothes but in some nice robes and he had a new hair piece in his hair. He looked like he found a Chinese silk trader and was dressed in the patterns of Asia rather than what he was wearing before.
Robin stood up automatically demanding to know how he was able to get so much stuff with 100 Cen. He looked at his robes and gave a sweet smile.
“I sold my gemstone ring. It was a loss, but I will refuse to dress in such shabby clothing.”
Robin and I frowned at the word “Shabby” but for a man who lived in royalty I would see why he said that. I never would have dreamt that I would meet a man who was royalty. I would have pictured him like in the movies where he would be his hot man with his shirt off running around slaying dragons and saving princesses. Arlen had a pretty face and long eyelashes. Since he wore long robes that covered his neck and arms, my first thought was that he may have been mistaken as a girl.
“Come on, kid!” Robin frowned, “I’ve seen nuns wear less clothing than you!”
“It does not matter how one looks; it matters of his status and knowledge. His looks should reflect on that.”
“So being a little girl who looks like if she goes anywhere she’ll break?” Daimon said appearing out of no where.
Daimon had an arm full of food and he was eating something on a stick. We all glared at him for his rude remark, though I could sort of agree with it.
“What? I need more money.”
He smiles and calls Arlen a girl and that “she” is loaded right now and that if “she” was done dress shopping, he needed twenty Cen. Arlen grinded his teeth together and was taking several breaths to calm himself down. It was improper to talk back to an annoying commoner. Daimon continued to bug him and just before Arlen was about to turn around and punch the man, a strange man called us from across the street.
“Ah! Friends! Would you like a free sample of our product?” the strange Chinese man asked.
His long droopy beard made me giggle a bit but we all didn’t move any closer to the man. He moved closer to us. He hopped over holding out a bowl of fortune cookies and told us that we could have one for free.
“Sure!” Daimon took another food for his stash.
Daimon wasn’t planning to open his now, but when Arlen wasn’t looking; he stole twenty Cen that was sticking out of his robe pocket. Robin declined saying that she already ate, and Arlen didn’t even know what was being offered to him. But the Chinese man pressed in harder saying that they all must try one. I was the brave one and took a cookie first.

I cracked it open and read the piece of paper aloud.
“ ‘Duck’?”
I cocked an eyebrow and looked at the Chinese man confused. I was about to ask what was so special about that, when suddenly I got thumped in the head. I fell to the ground and saw a woman carrying a basket. She apologized like six times and I forgave her. It was only an accident…
“The power of the fortune cookie!” the Chinese man laughed looking proud of what happened.
I was covered with dirt and now I had a bump on the back of my head. Robin’s hand then dug into the fortune cookie bowl and pulled out a random one. Arlen did the same, cautiously. Robin cracked her cookie open and noticed a larger sheet of paper. She unfolded it and read it aloud.
“ ‘On the 12th day of June, you will find a pot of gold in a truck stop in Topeka’.”
Robin looked up and blinked a few times and read it again. I was going to burst her bubble and ask where on earth would they find a truck stop in Topeka when they were in who knows where and surrounded by water. She then pumped her fist in the air shouting that she will be rich. It was June 3rd. So she will count down the days.
Arlen opened his and read the words, “Your greatest wish will come true.”
Daimon dissed him asking if it was to find a life size doll house. Arlen only glared at him and clapped his hands together saying that he would finally be king. His look was serious and he was in bliss, but Daimon only started laughing. Arlen narrowed his eyes and told him
“Mock all you want. I’ll be the ruler of a great country and have you hung if you enter it’s boarders,” Arlen’s smile suddenly became very creepy and I stepped away from him.
Arlen then asked Daimon on what his fortune was. Daimon mocked him and set down his stuff and opened his fortune. He read it to himself and looked at the back of it and then back at the front.
“Seriously? This is a pathetic fortune. Give me another one!”
The Chinese man pulled the bowl away and shook his finger at Daimon. He told Daimon that it was one fortune per day. He then walked back to his shop. I saw that it was a small red Chinese style shop with the words “Fortune” and a giant fortune cookie on it. It was a cute little place, but I wondered how anyone could stay in business for fortune cookies.
Robin then pestered Daimon enough to get him to say what his fortune said.
“Here,” he tossed her the fortune and picked up the rest of his food.
“ ‘You will fall in love’.”
“That’s so stupid. You guys at least got cool ones.”
Arlen and Robin then suddenly got evil smiles on their faces and giggled at Daimon. Daimon gave a disturbed look back and Robin asked who he found attractive on the boat so far. Arlen asked if it was Cameroon and Daimon just yelled at them.
“This is a total Fluke! All fortune cookies are the same! This will happen in the future, you will find wealth, blah blah blah.”
“Lacy’s came true,” Arlen smiled.
“Pure luck. I don’t believe in junk like that.”
“And where are you going?”
“I have clothes to buy, bye now,” He waved the twenty Cen in the air and disappeared off into the crowds of the street.
Robin gave an evil smile and I asked her what was boiling in her mind now. Robin only laughed and said that she’ll keep a close eye on our guest. Her mood changed and she said that we should go find some clothes now. I agreed and we started walking off. I turned back around to see Arlen thinking of something.
I called out asking if he wanted to come with. He looked up with a fake smile saying that he was going to get something else the other way. He walked off and I wondered what he meant but Robin was pulling me off to some other stand full of clothes.

“Alright, everyone!” Cameroon called as Arlen finally got on deck with his packages, “Say good bye to Xander’s Bay!”
I waved to some fisher men below who waved back. I was talking to them as I was waiting for the others to come back. The people here were actually rather nice. Even if they smelled. I tried to ask them some questions on where we were, but they didn’t really give me a solid answer. They did show me a map and gave it to me to look at.
Apparently we were by a small island in some ocean. I saw similar formations that reminded me of Europe, so I figured the Atlantic Ocean, but I couldn’t be sure. Wherever we were, we were somehow sent back in time. I sighed as we pulled out of the bay. I wanted answers and I hated being out of the loop.
I felt a thump on my head and Daimon hopped on the railing next to me.
“You should have listened to your fortune and ducked.”
I frowned rubbing my head, “I thought that you didn’t believe in fortunes.”
“I don’t. But you said that you missed when your brother’s would pick on you.”
“When did I say-”
Then I remembered that I was sleep talking last night. He gave a goofy smile which showed off his sharp teeth.
“Since when are you so nice.”
“Who’s being nice?” He thumped me again and crawled up the ropes that lead up to the top of the sails.
I watched him crawl up for a little while till my attention went back to the little town that was slowly drifting away. Would I ever see my family again? I didn’t even know. I was too scared to even think of what they would think when they woke and saw that I wasn’t there. I shook my head and wandered back to the beds.

At least I knew that I was going to be safe for the time being…