Hi! This is an entry to SoKeefeLover101’s Fantasy Writing Contest. Cover art & story by me Music is the main theme from Zelda BOTW. Credit to Nintendo! Part Two: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/865950399 Part One of || The Emerald Ship || Noav looked around the bustling port of Kiakari. He didn’t like crowds, and the people choking the streets made him anxious. The constant rain still came. It had been snowing all winter and raining all summer. The farms were flooded. It was bad. Noav would much rather be at home than the middle of a port. Nevertheless, he was here for a reason. Last winter when the snow clogged the path in front of his grandparents cabin, a huge snowy owl had landed on his windowsill. An emerald hung on a string of silver twine around the owl’s neck. Noav had stared at the owl. The owl had stared back. Then, when the owl flew off, a small carved stone was left sitting on the sill. Noav held it now, lifting it up to see the picture engraved on its smooth surface. It was a ship with heavy rigging and a huge, hexagonal-shaped sail. Noav’s eyes widened when he recognized that same ship sitting peacefully in the harbor. Its hexagonal-shaped sail snapped in the wind. Noav inched forward, working his way through the people. The ship got nearer and nearer. Finally Noav found himself standing near the ship’s gangplank. The hickory wood of the ship was painted with a shimmering varnish. The rigging was made of silver chains. All the sails, including the hexagonal one, were sewn from sleek emerald-green fabric. A ship captain shouldered past Noav. Noav stumbled forward and caught himself on the gangplank to the hexagonal-sailed ship. “Excuse me!” Noav shouted hastily. “Captain!” The ship captain slowed his pace, looking around in confusion. “Over here!” Noav called. The captain stopped in his tracks. He stared right past Noav. “W-who’s there?” The captain mumbled. Noav pushed himself off the gangplank and stepped closer. The captain jumped back, as if Noav had appeared out of thin air. “Hi! Can you tell me who’s ship this is?” Noav asked. The captain stared for a moment, then asked, “Are y-you a ghost? I didn’t do nothin’ wrong.” Noav tilted his head in confusion. “No… um. Just… whose ship is this?” The captain finally replied, “What ship?” Noav looked from the ship to the captain’s strange gaze. Finally he realized something. Nobody else saw the ship. When Noav stood on the ship, nobody else saw him! Noav’s eyes widened. He stepped back onto the gangplank, just to test out his theory. The captain’s eyes widened and he started to look around frantically. Noav had disappeared. Noav cast an anxious look behind him and walked up the gangplank and onto the deck. The wood shimmered beneath his feet. Blue light lit up in the varnish every time he stepped. Was this some sort of phantom ship? Maybe Noav was in too deep. He should just go back home. Noav turned and started to step onto the gangplank. Then he realized that the gangplank had fallen away. The wind caught the sail with a loud snap, making Noav jump and cling to the railing. Blue light shimmered under his fingers. Panic seeped into Noav as he saw the port of Kiakari fade into the distance. The ship lurched under him as it crested the waves. Noav sank to the deck, feeling sick. “Don’t worry!” A faint voice called out. “Be still!” Noav looked around wildly for the voice’s owner. Was there someone else on the ship? Noav gave a start when a shimmery-blue apparition materialized before him. Shards of blue light floated around the apparition like stars. It was a girl with long, flowing hair. Her eyes were wide and bright. She floated down from the air and landed on the deck in front of Noav. Shaking, Noav stammered, “Wh-who are you?” The girl smiled. “I’m the owner of this boat, and I need a task from you. This ship if full of ever-changing puzzles. If you do well, you can enter the locked room at the end of the boat. That room has been the source of the rains, the floods, the snowstorms. It has to stop or Kirakara is doomed.” Noav nodded hastily. The girl went on, “If you can make it to the locked room, then you can not only stop the rains but also free me. It’s my spirit that drives forward the rains. I’m trapped here. If you can put a stop to it, then I can finally be free.” Noav looked around. He caught sight of a small door with intricate engravings and gold details. There was no knob, only a large keyhole. Noav nodded towards the fancy door. “That’s the door, isn’t it?” The girl nodded. “Then…” Noav rubbed his forehead. “Why don’t you just go in yourself? Can’t you go through walls? You are a ghost, after all.” The girl shook her head and sighed, “I’m not a ghost, Noav, but I can go through walls. That’s not the problem. Only a human may enter that room. Only a human may touch the ever-changing puzzles. I am powerless here, but you can do it. You’re the most capable human I could find.” To be continued in part two of || The Emerald Ship ||
