1 The Lamppost Auctioneers and the Dejected Pirate (1)

A small figure sat languidly on one of the town square's many benches. The square was hosting its monthly Farmers Market and the area was brimming with bodies. Large ships with towering masts and sails billowing in the strong winds cast long shadows over the venders from their plot in the harbor. The figure rose and stretched as the clock tower began to chime. Her ponytail of brown hair struck her face as a gust of wind sped by. With an annoyed grunt, she set off on a march in the direction of the docks.

That small shape heading to the boats was Polly. Polly was an avid lover of all things ocean, and the moment she laid eyes upon a boat, she knew she had to have one. Of course, no captain wanted a girl on their ship unless as a chef, and Polly could cook just as well as a noodle with personality.

Her parents had been uniquely supportive of her seafaring dreams and even bought her a Monmouth cap. However, her classmates had not been as kind. She was a constant target until she decided the taunts would go on no longer and sent her classmates home dripping in seawater. None of the parents ever figured out how their children ended up soaked when their school was some ten miles from the sea or where the sudden fear of the neighborhood oddball came from.

Years later, Polly moved to a new beach town and left the watchful eyes of her dear parents, despite still being a junior. After accustoming herself with nearly everything the sea had to offer including every variation of seafood possible, midnight swims, and rooming on cramped ships, Polly decided it was high time she got around to exploring the sea in her very own boat. And so, she studied and worked and ate minute meals up until she had save up the money she needed to consider herself a serious buyer, which was about now.

x x x

The auction should have started 10 minutes ago. Polly tapped a foot against the floor impatiently as more and more bidders trickled onto the pier . A man and woman with matching thin eyes, long bodies, and abnormally large heads watched the crowd gather with growing smirks of satisfaction. The girl could only assume the two were the auctioneers and that they were plotting ways to cheat every last bit of coin off the bidders. At long last (after a solid 11 minute delay), Man Lamppost called the mass to attention.

"Gather round, my good men. Today you are about to make the most finger snapping, jazzy, and gloriously snazzy purchase of your life. Now these darlings may not look like much," he said with an overly animated gesture towards a section of ships whose boards looked close to rotting, "but I assure you someone is going to buy one of 'em and remodel it to the point where ya'll will regret not buying it. Of course that part's none of my business. My lady and I are only here to sell you these spicy specimens. And without further ado, let the offering of particular prices for something, especially at a public sale in which goods or property are sold to the highest bidder begin."

Woman Lamppost did most of the talking after that in a voice that bordered on masculine. An hour ticked by and the crowd was beginning to disperse. Most had chosen the best they could within their budget, which wasn't very high for none of the bidders were particularly big spenders. Polly had yet to see a single ship worthy of purchase and she was starting to despair over how much of her life she had just wasted.

"There's not many of you cheap-ies left, so I guess you've been waiting for the big guns," boomed Woman Lamppost. "I assume you leftovers won't settle for the run-of-the-mill trash your fellow bidders bought, and since we want all them wooden wastes of space gone by today, we'll let you see the good stuff."

Polly heard a low whistle from a nearby man who wore a look of pleasant surprise. Woman Lamppost yelled something in a foreign tongue to her partner who returned with excited nods.

"Follow us and be quick about it," snapped Woman Lamppost. The two set off at a brisk pace down the pier and down a set of stairs not at all concealed. The passage led to a locked door which Man Lamppost opened with a dramatic flourish.

"Right on in, my good gals and pals," he winked. Polly was not surprised when the door led to another stairway which they hurried down. Down and down and down and down, it seemed to never end. If anything, at least the hallways were well lit. Their final destination was a cavernous space filled with timber.

"If ya'll don't wanna buy a ship, then ya'll can buy wood to build one yourselves," cackled Woman Lamppost. Polly was aghast. The Lamppost Duo looked suspicious from the start. Their shady smirks should have told her. And to think Polly prided herself on being a good reader of people. Though to be fair, who would be able to foresee boat auctioneers audacious enough to sell logs to boat buyers.

"How dare you filthy fiends do this to a buyer who was actually willing to give up money to you sorry scoundrels" hissed Polly. "If I ever see one of you two shams again, I swear by the brown in my hair I will cook you like the eggs the ugly ovals you call your heads are." With those final words she spun around and stomped out with dramatic flair befitting of a maiden in rage.

Her anger carried her all the way back to the Farmers Market where to alleviate her rage she bought a bag of grapes. After eating a few, her fury had simmered down to manageable levels and she took to walking around the market. By now, the sun had fully emerged, so people were fighting to get their shopping over with as soon as possible and others were battling for shade.

As she was about to ditch the market alongside her hopes and dreams of owning a boat, Polly spotted what could not have been anything else but a dejected pirate. His hat hung crookedly off his head as if he was too upset to put it on properly and on his eye patch seemed to be a frowning face instead of the trademark crossbones. Polly had never met a pirate face to face before despite having dwelled in a sea city or so long, and she knew the chances of meeting a gloomy pirate were next to nothing. So of course, she just had to seize that chance to talk with him.