How Mia Met Gulliver

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Saturday

April 18

2020

It has been two months since Gulliver started sailing again.

After he parted ways with his former crew, he returned to his hometown with his parents. He didn't stay there long, however, since he soon found a new group to be out at sea with. They claimed a ship from a family friend, packed their things, and set sail.

His new crew consists of four other members: Lily, a tall ostrich hybrid of forty-four; Chip and Filbert, old friends who are part parrot and particularly noisy; and Stella, the quiet and reserved night owl who only steers the ship after midnight.

In the early afternoon, Gulliver is sitting on the bed in his cabin. He slips a page marker in the book he had been reading and tosses it on the floor next to his feet. It is nearly three o'clock, which means it will soon be his turn to go steer at the helm.

As he waits for one of his crewmates to come get him, he takes a look around the room. It seems like the amount of stuff he has in this tiny cabin shouldn't even fit. The top of his nightstand and dresser are covered with piles of books and papers, most of which he doesn't even need. He has left clothes and trinkets all over the floor and piled up in corners, and the closet door won't even close. Since the day he moved in, he hasn't hung up a single item in there. His habit of being a total slob is the one thing that drives the others crazy.

Eventually, he hears footsteps in the hallway, and then a knock on the door. Before he even has a chance to answer, the door opens and Chip steps inside.

"Hey, Gulls!" he exclaims. "It's time to steer now!"

"Don't call me that," Gulliver scolds, glaring at him. "I go by my full name, you know."

"Okay, fine. Hurry up, though. We don't have all day."

Chip smiles as Gulliver stands up from the bed, stepping over clothes to reach the door. The two then make their way upstairs, heading out toward the helm.

...

By three-thirty, he has been steering for a while. Chip and Filbert are standing by his side, making conversation, mostly so he doesn't bore himself to death. After all his years of sailing, steering has become a very tedious task. He slowly maneuvers the ship through the open sea, with some coastlines in the distance. Nobody knows where they are going; they don't have a destination, but Chip occasionally gives him directional guides.

"Hey, have you lads heard?" Filbert announces. "That rich raccoon guy Tom Nook moved to a new town...I think it's called Cozy Beach. The old mayor retired or something and offered Nook the position."

"Oh really?" Gulliver asks, still looking straight ahead. "I don't know who that is...but I guess that's good for him."

"Yeah, I don't know him that much either." Filbert replies. "Never met the guy or anything. It's just that I heard gossip about a new Resident Representative. The last name's McAllister. Don't quite know the first, though."

"Interesting." Chip raises his eyebrows in surprise. "How do you know all that stuff?"

"I talked to this fellow at the store while we were in our hometown last weekend. He seemed fascinated about this Rep. McAllister, although neither one of us knows who she is."

Gulliver briefly glances at the others. "Well, uh...that's cool." He isn't sure what else to say, as they are talking about a complete stranger.

"Yeah, I know you lads don't care all that much." Filbert says. "I just wanted to share."