Starfall

Chapter 14: Passage

Marco splashed down. The taste of salt filled his mouth. When he surfaced, he looked out and saw nothing but water all the way to the horizon. He had not thought of this possibility. He wasn't prepared to survive in the open ocean. He was going to drown. He felt the panic rise in his chest. He thought of Star as he began to sink below the water.

But Marco refused to give up and he struggled back the surface. He would swim across the ocean if he had to. Determination burned in his heart. He would be able to cover more distance if he swam with the current. He would swim until he found land. He swore to himself that he wouldn't die without a fight.

Sensing the direction of the waves, he turned to face in the opposite to swim... and swam face first into a wooden log sticking vertically from the water.

After rubbing his face in pain, Marco looked at the log. It was the support pylon of a pier. He was only a few yards from land.

An old fisherman that looked like he belonged on a package of frozen fish sticks was on the pier. "Goin' for a dip, Matey?" he asked and laughed.

A fish slapped Marco in the face with its tail.

He swam to the pier's ladder and climbed up. "Wet socks." he grumbled and began to wring out his clothes as best he could. "I think I took a dimensional detour. Could you tell me where I am?" he asked the fisherman.

"Here be the port town o' Port."

"The port town of Port?"

"Aye. Folks here be uncreative."

"Um, just to be clear, what dimension is this?"

"This be the Mewni Dimension."

"YES! I MADE IT! I'M HERE!"

"No one be this pleased to be in Port. Where ye be headin' now?"

"To Mewni, the Kingdom of Mewni."

"Well then, ye ain't made it there yet, Matey! Mewni Kingdom still be on the far side of the sea."

Marco scoffed. "Is that all? That'll be the easy part. I've already travelled the hard part. How can I get there?"

"Ye be needin' to arrange passage on a ship."

Marco looked around and didn't see a ship docked at the pier. "Do you know when the next ship will dock here?"

As if on cue, a sailing ship sped like a speedboat into port... Port. Deckhands leapt onto the pier and caught docking lines thrown from the ship to be tied down. The entire docking process seemed to take only seconds.

"Any time now..." said the fisherman.

Marco spotted a man on the ship wearing a tricorn hat. He seemed to be overseeing the actions of the crew. "Excuse me! Excuse me, Sir!" he called up from the pier.

The man looked down from the ship.

"Are you the captain?"

The man nodded.

"Where is your ship headed next?"

"To the Kingdom of Kolma."

The fisherman spoke. "Neighborin' kingdom to Mewni. Ye may want this one. Don't know when the next ship goin' straight there will be."

"Thank you." Marco said to the fisherman. "Captain, I'd like to book passage."

"Not taking passengers. We're a cargo vessel."

"Please! I need to get to Mewni!"

"You look like a strong lad. I'd let you join the crew, but we have all the men we need."