As the water crashed against the side of the boat, I sighed. The wind felt so nice and the air was crisp in the sea breeze. The sun was so bright and happy, nothing could ruin this perfect moment.

"…By the way, why are you heading to the island, anyway?"

The old tired voice rang out, interrupting my moment.

My mind flashed to the brochure I'd gotten. The mayor's smiling face bubbled up, as well as pictures and descriptions of a windmill, bridge, and farm along with a map. It seemed too perfect to pass up, so here I was.

Pascal chuckled as he cleaned his pipe and grinned at me.

"The brochure was very…persuasive."

"Ah! So you've seen the brochure. Excellent. So you're all ready to become a legendary rancher, right?"

"Legendary?" I laughed. "No, I just want the chance to farm and raise animals is all."

"You'll definitely get your chance soon enough." He chuckled again before donning a more serious expression. "All right, then. Tell me, what was your name again?"

I sighed, exasperated. I'd had to remind him at least 12 times.

"It's Beth."

Pascal smiled down and wiped his pipe again, embarrassed now.

"Ah! Yes, of course, it's Beth."

We shared an awkward moment before he thankfully changed the subject.

"Waffle Island is a great island. You won't find many better Beth. It's quite impressive that you're venturing out to become a rancher like this. All by yourself, young and ambitious…Impressive, indeed."

That sent shivers down my spine. Was…was he flirting with me? Disgusted, I shook my head, pretending to be flattered.

"I don't intend to stay single long. Once we get there, I'm sure I'll meet a nice YOUNG man somewhere there." I emphasized young so he might understand what I was implying.

He ignored the comment completely and asked something totally random.

"So, Beth, when is your birthday?"

"Late spring." I spoke hesitantly. Hopefully, he was just a nice old man, not a creeper like I was now suspecting.

"Spring, huh? That's when the land blossoms with life! Lovely."

Was it just me, or was this guy getting creeper or creeper? Hopefully, just me.

"While we're at it, if you don't mind me asking, what's your favorite food?"

"I don't really have a favorite, but vegetables are great!"

"Is that so? Well, you'll be glad to know that all of the food on the island is excellent!"

"Really?" I did a little happy dance, which instantly made me feel stupid. He laughed and faced the horizon.

"Ahh, yes. There it is, ahead in the distance there."

I turned as well and found he was right. Just ahead was a small sliver of land. Even from far away you could tell how rich and pleasant it must be. The green of the island was visible even from this distance.

"It's such a pleasant and quiet island." His voice was filled with love and such care, I almost turned to stare. (Thankfully I didn't) "A tranquil paradise, if you will."

Tranquil sure looked about right from here. Suddenly, the sky light up and darkened in the blink of an eye. Rain poured down on us and thunder boomed while lightning flashed angrily.

"…Or rather, it WAS pleasant and quiet."

I laughed at the irony. Rain fell harder and waves hit the boat hard, rocking us even more. I suddenly questioned our safety.

"This is getting to be quite a storm! Let's get inside Beth. It's going to get pretty rough out here soon."

I looked around nervously, but agreed. I was starting to worry.

We walked inside but, my head now felt funny. I was cold now, the water dripping from my body had sunk in and I was freezing. My vision was going fuzzy.

"Hey, are you all right? You don't look so… BETH!" His voice was getting fainter and fainter. My vision was dark now. His voice was almost gone. "…What a storm…It knocked Beth right out! Quickly, let's prepare a room at the inn."

My last thoughts were, What Inn? And then, everything turned black.