Arriving on Texel

Honk!!

A loud horn came out of the ship's giant pipe, marking its arrival. Smoke came out of its humongous chimney and rose up high in the air, painting the sky brown. Noises started filling the passengers' eardrums as the docking process began.

Two smaller motor ships had at one point positioned themselves on one side of the giant passenger ship with the purpose of pushing it to the concrete dock down below. Thick, sturdy ropes almost as wide as an adult were launched and tied to metal stakes on the dock before being tightened to keep the ship in place.

"This is my first time seeing a docking process," Luuk van der Meer was looking down with glimmering eyes. He didn't take his eyes off the people tying the ropes even for a second.

"It's true, though. Even after all this time, I still find it quite fascinating," Graham chimed in.

Slowly, the ship got pushed all the way into the dock. Its hull softly hit the edges of the pier that had been lined up with tires from motor carriages and with that, the ship successfully docked. The process took more than thirty minutes, but it still didn't take the charm away from watching the whole thing.

"Let's wait up a little here. Let the others get off-board first; the exit will be packed with people," Graham said, looking at the pier below him.

It was a busy port at Texel, and the long pier was full of ships coming from many different places. People were busy unloading the cargo and carrying boxes and crates around. The loud sounds of people shouting added an even deeper nuance to the bustling morning.

"Luckily, nothing happened this time, right Mr. Hymes? Unlike when we were on the train."

Luuk van der Meer looked back to the moment when a murder happened on the train that they were on. Although it had been solved without much trouble, it still left Luuk with a kind of wariness against public transportations.

Hearing Luuk's remark, Graham suddenly remembered that he hadn't told his neighbor about what he had seen.

"We were lucky indeed..." he muttered.

More and more people got off the big passenger ship and crowded the pier below. Graham finally gave a nod to his neighbor and the latter picked up his backpack from the floor.

Carrying his briefcase and the cane, Graham made a beeline for the exit, which was located near the ship's restaurant. The door was already opened to the outside and latched to keep it in place so that the passengers could walk through the doorway easily.

"So where are we going after this?" Luuk, whose face couldn't hide his excitement, or probably just his impatience to leave the ship, asked curiously.

"I've found a good place for us tonight. It's quite cheap, compared to the villa back in Rijssen. Considering that we're only staying for one night, it should be more than sufficient," explained Graham.

To exit the passenger ship, they had to get all the way down to the cargo area, where the giant draw door was located. It was the only way for the passengers to get off safely without having to climb down ladders, and at the same time, allowing vehicles to exit easily.

Thump... Thump...

The sounds of their boots tapping against the metal steps as they walked down the stairs resounded in the small chamber. Graham and Luuk leisurely made their way down to the cargo hold, and the moment they arrived, the nauseating smell of engines entrapped in an enclosed space penetrated their noses.

"Urgh..." Luuk groaned in displeasure, "Let's get out of here quickly.

Increasing their pace, the two men headed towards the exit: a giant opening on the side of the ship.

Once they made it out of the ship's cargo hold, the salty smell of the sea replaced the hot and metallic smell of the interior. Along with the smell also came the noises from the busy port and the sweaty aroma of the port workers' sun-drenched bodies.

"So, this is Texel... Have you been here before, Mr. Hymes?" Luuk's eyes were scanning the place before him with excitement.

Graham Hymes nodded his head slightly and replied, "Yes. But I've never been anywhere farther than this island around here."

Making their way through the people busily emptying the ship's cargo, the two men walked towards the port's exit.

"Where are you going, sir? Do you want me to take you? Do you already have a hotel?"

Suddenly, several people approached them and offered their services to Graham and Luuk, the latter looked confused. Apparently, they were public motor carriage drivers who stood by at the port with the sole purpose of transporting new arrivals. Although such a practice was not uncommon, it still took Luuk by surprise seeing as there were so many of the drivers around them.

"No, thank you. We've got a hotel, and it's near the port, so there is no need," Graham rejected their offers politely. He made sure to speak rather loudly so that all the drivers could hear him.

Looking dejected, the drivers left the two men alone. Some of them returned to their resting spots while the rest tried their luck with other passengers that still remained behind.

"Is it true, Mr. Hymes, that our hotel is near here?" asked Luuk.

The detective nodded.

"But you haven't actually booked a room, have you? Or have you called?"

A proud smile surfaced on Graham's face as he replied, "Nope, I actually haven't made any reservations. I just did the divination on the ship. But that's what's good about divination; it also makes sure that it shows only places where we can be guaranteed a room."

Luuk just shrugged casually. He knew the detective was right and he had nothing else to say.

Once they left the dock area, the floor of the port became made of cobblestones, and shops and fisherman's huts began lining up on each side all the way towards the exit. The area served as a marketplace for the port where fishermen could sell their catches of the day directly without having to transport them too far away.

The noises that were once offering a lift were now replaced by those beckoning people to come and visit their shops, along with the smell of fish and salt.

"Fish, clams, octopus!"

"Get our fish before our fish get you!"

"Fish! Fresh from the ocean! Buy our fish for your family, your spouse, or your dead relative! All f-r-e-s-h!!

"Pleasure yourself with the huge tentacles of this octopus! Guaranteed you will come again!"

"Buy our fishus, sirs! They've died for our fins!"

The shouting from the stores came echoing in the sunshiny afternoon. Luuk couldn't help but hold back his urge to laugh at the nonsense that the vendors were spouting.

"Fishus, what even is that?" Luuk muttered amusedly.

"I have no idea. But they are all as lively as I remember," Graham added.

While walking away, they feasted their eyes on the products available for purchase there. The shops were mostly selling seafood, but there were some gift shops with exotic looking necklaces and bracelets on display. They were mostly made out of seashells and other sea creature remnants, but they were somehow more enchanting and mysterious-looking than the regular trinkets.

"Are you interested in any of those?" asked Graham to his neighbor, noticing that the young man hadn't taken his eyes off the stuff sold on the store.

As if taken back to reality by Graham's voice, Luuk shook his head, "No, not really..." he paused and looked away before continuing, "They're just... somehow captivating."

Besides the gift shop, there were also stores that sold clothes in the style that was commonly worn by the locals. It was a khaki shirt and linen pants for the men and a colorful thin cotton dress for the women.

"We might want to buy one of those later, Val, especially if we need to disguise ourselves just in case," Graham muttered.

He didn't want to buy the clothes right at the port marketplace because he knew the price would be jacked up. He would just go to a local store later for something cheaper.

Once they were outside the port, Graham and Luuk were greeted by the strangely mesmerizing view of traditional houses and buildings. Although they were still in the same country, it felt like they had escaped to a different, faraway place at that moment.

The houses on Texel were made of wood and bamboos, things which existed in abundance on the island. A total contrast from Rijssen with its white buildings, the houses and buildings in Texel were brown in color with red roof tiles, blending in well with the surroundings. The bigger and more modern buildings were made of brick walls or concrete, but they were still painted brown, uniform with the rest of them.

"Why do you think they preserved the wooden houses instead of renovating them?" Luuk asked in curiosity while taking in as much of the view as he could.

Graham thought for a while before answering.

"Probably it was a habit from the past when transporting building materials was difficult so the locals just used what was available. Or it's just for the nuance," he finally replied, "Don't quote me on that, though," he shrugged nonchalantly.

From the gate to the port, Graham turned right and Luuk followed, carrying his backpack on his back. Graham was looking around as if trying to find something while Luuk was just enjoying the exotic houses presented before him.

"Finally, we're here," he said after the two of them had walked for a little less than three hundred meters.

To their right, there was a three-story inn with a giant marlin fish plank at the front, on which the name 'Marl Inn' was written. As amusing as the name was, the building itself also looked pretty interesting from the outside. The walls being completely made of wood gave it a winter wooden cabin vibe while the green vines crawling up the wall reminded them that they were on a sunshiny island currently.

Without hesitation, Graham and Luuk entered the inn through the wooden door and was greeted by a pub on the first floor.

The moment they entered, most of the pub-goers' attention was directed at the two men for a second before they returned to minding their own businesses. It seemed that people there were more on the curious side, but not rude.

In return, Graham and Luuk also scanned the area and the people in it. It appeared that most of the patrons present were sailors who were currently docking with some tourists mixed in. Most of the men were wearing clothes with neutral colors like brown and cream while the women were standing out more with their vibrant dresses and hair ornaments.

"Hello there! You two must have just arrived on the island. Can I help you?" greeted the receptionist who was also the bartender from behind the counter.

"How did you know we've just arrived?" asked Luuk, but then suddenly he felt stupid: the two of them were carrying luggage and dressed up differently. It was easy to conclude that even just at a first glance. "... nevermind."

Looking at the bartender with bright red hair, Graham was reminded of Mirjam for some reason. Her warm smile and her bright personality were very similar to the waitress at Don's Pancake House. However, unlike Mirjam, the bartender had wide, green eyes that seemed to be able to glance at the whole room at once.

"We need two rooms, please. For one night," Graham cut in.

"You're in luck, sir! We just have two more spare rooms for tonight! Do you want to include breakfast for tomorrow as well?" asked the bartender with a wide smile.

"What's the menu?" asked Graham.

"Seafood platter is the staple here. With a side of octopus soup and sourdough bread."

Luuk gulped down his saliva at the mention of the food.

"Can we have it as early as six o'clock in the morning?" asked Graham again, making sure. Tomorrow, they had to be up very early to go to the small island of Raas, and Graham would start looking for the ride there later.

"Of course, sir!" she replied proudly, "Here, we serve breakfast as early as four o'clock in the morning! The sailors need to sail very early and they need energy for doing so, after all, so we're here to provide!" her tone was cheerful and informative.

"Then that's settled. How much is it for a room and breakfast?" the detective asked anyway, although he had got the information through divination.

"Only twelve pennings, sir. We're one of the cheapest lodgings there is on this island!"

Not feeling the need to haggle, the detective took twelve pennings out of his wallet and gave it to the woman. Luuk looked at his neighbor and raised his eyebrows. He realized that he had to pay out of his own pocket this time.

"Here's my money," the young man handed his to the woman, an exact amount of twelve pennings in two five-penning and two one-penning bills.

The bartender received the money happily and then walked to the back room, where she most likely kept all the keys. She came out and handed the keys to her guests with a wide, friendly smile.

"Here you go, gentlemen. Your rooms are on the second floor on the right side of the corridor. From there, you should still be able to see the ocean. Enjoy your stay!" she said cheerfully.

Graham and Luuk received their keys and walked upstairs, past the drunken sailors filling the pub.

"This place is pretty cheap, eh. They don't even ask us for our identity cards," Luuk commented as he was walking up the stairs, "What are we going to do after this?"

"We'll start looking for a boat to take us to the small island, so let's get things done," Graham replied.