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A Sailor Went to Sea
- Dolly
Oh, looks like you're all done sorting. Nice job.
- Adele
Mr. Dolly! Shouldn't you keep an eye or two on your clones?
- Adele
Do you know how much trouble they'll make for everyone, letting them run amok like this?
The fluffy creature stands by a container, its head stooped very low, seemingly conveying some apology to the person in front of it.
- Dolly
I told you, not all of them are me.
- Dolly
I did bring them here, true... but I'm only indirectly to blame here, right?
- Dolly
So... sorry?
- Adele
Just saying sorry isn't going to fix this!
- Adele
If their merchandise gets damaged, what are the shopkeepers going to do? Your clones are being nuisances! Can't you do anything to stop them?
- Dolly
I do actually have something... um, under normal circumstances, I could choose to 'Cry'.
- Adele
'Cry'?
- Dolly
Like this. I face into whatever, the sea, the wasteland, and lift two hooves up like this, and then I yell: 'Heeeeeeeey! Where are you guys?! Come here quick!' Like that.
- Dolly
Adele, you're going to have to help me for that. I've Cried too many times, so sometimes they act like they haven't heard me.
- Adele
So... we just have to call them over?
- Dolly
We need something to lure them too. Like, 'Ice cream here!' or 'We've got balloons and skateboards!' and stuff.
- Dolly
But remember, don't call them 'Little Black Sheep' or 'lambs'. They won't even know you mean them.
Dolly looks expectantly up at Adele.
- Adele
Ahem...
- Adele
Heeeeeey! Ice cream here!
- Adele
Heeeeeeeey! We have balloons and skateboards! Come here quick!
- Female Tourist
What? Ice cream? Is it free?
- Child Tourist
Miss, is it true? I want strawberry!
- Male Tourist
Is there some kind of event? Are you giving out balloons?
- Adele
Huh? No, um...
Adele turns, looking to point out the deed-doer. Dolly's jumped up onto the neighboring containers, running circles around them like a deflating balloon.
But the pedestrians just don't see it.
- Dolly
Uh-oh, something's happened.
- Dolly
You're gonna have to go get ice cream with them to fix this, and probably buy balloons too, and ramble the streets, and soak up the Siestan sun.
- Dolly
Tough one, huh? What a big coincidence that I know of a really good ice cream shop.
- Dolly
How about I lead the way?
- Adele
...Mr. Dolly!
- Female Tourist
So this is how you corral visitors into your Volcano Museum? Buying ice cream for strangers? I think I like this!
- Female Tourist
Dearie, how about we spend the afternoon exploring the museum?
- Male Tourist
Perfect! Then after that we'll go for barbecue!
- Female Tourist
Let's go!
- Adele
Er, thank you very much.
Adele sees the group off, and looks around, trying to find any trace of Dolly.
In the stream of pedestrians, Dolly has all but vanished already. All that's there is a lone Little Black Sheep, staring pointedly at a wallet 'turning' into bills in a wandering tourist's hands.
- Adele
(What's it about to do?)
Right as the tourist and shopkeep are haggling, it leaps forth—
And in one chomp, makes off with the tourist's wallet.
- Adele
(Huh?!)
- Male Tourist
Where'd my wallet go?! Someone stole my wallet!
- Siestan Citizen
Huh? What kind is it? Dark or light?
- Siestan Citizen
Just now? But I didn't see anyone, did you?
- Adele
(Oh, no, Mr. Dolly's not here either! I have to catch it, quick!)
The Little Black Sheep holding the wallet notices Adele, opens its mouth, and the wallet falls out—
Then with a kick of its hoof, it goes sailing through the air, and falls back down straight into its wool.
- Fluffy Creature
(Delighted trots)
Then it seems the wallet hits something with a 'bang', and a pebble full of holes shoots out from the Little Black Sheep's coat.
- Adele
That's—the whistling rock!
The Little Black Sheep looks back, and before the rock lands, it kicks again with its hoof to send it flying straight back in.
And after all that, it sticks its tongue out at Adele with an impish expression, and turns to gallop down Fashion Street.
- Adele
Hey! Wait up!
- Adele
Give everyone their stuff back—
- Coin Dealer
Errored three-dollar gold certs are rare collectibles here. They'll fetch a big price at the trade fair! Miss, are you sure you won't think about it? I've got a price I can give you!
The dealer gestures out a number.
- Snowsant
Really? Could you take a look at this, then?
- Coin Dealer
This is old Higashinese issue! I'll take it for this much!
- Snowsant
And this?
- Coin Dealer
A Gaulish copper livre—I'll take it too! Miss, what else have you got? Bring it all out!
- Coin Dealer
Miss, how much did you bring? Last one, I swear, the very last one... I'll take one more, and then I'm going home!
- Snowsant
Th—Then take a look at this! After this, I could afford a whole new device!
- Coin Dealer
Ahhh, it's our own Sargonian mint... Let me see, we've got...
- Coin Dealer
—Gavial!?!
- Snowsant
Yep! Is that valuable?
- Coin Dealer
Valuable? No! This is the end of our talk! I don't do ANY business with thin-tails! You take all of this back! I'm leaving!
The dealer grabs a handful of loose coinage and furiously shoves it into Snowsant's hands, attempting to leave.
Suddenly, something speeds by, knocking the coins right out of his grip.
Money rains gold and glittering to the high street pavement, and before Snowsant can yelp in surprise, a pink shadow follows right after, running into the distance.
- Snowsant
Uh... uh, Eyjafjalla?
- Adele
Sorry, Snowsant... I...!
- Coin Dealer
Blargh! What the hell?!
- Snowsant
Wait, my coins... I'm missing two!
- Coin Dealer
D—Don't look at me!
Clink! The fluffy creature stashes the gleaming little roundlets into its own wool.
- Enis
Mr. Eastman! I'm here to pick up my photocopies.
- Print Shop Owner
Right, right, all these fliers of yours. You really put your back in, printing this much just to advertise your bar.
- Enis
298, 299... that's exactly right. Here's the fee!
- Print Shop Owner
I'm not taking money off you for this. I'll just say, next time I drop in at the White Volcano, mix me your house Oasis, heavy on the ground cardamom. Appreciate it.
- Print Shop Owner
Also, can you help change out my shop sign one minute?
- Enis
Of course I can! Thank you!
- Adele
—Ah, Mr. Enis!
- Adele
Look out... Look out!
Before Enis can react, a giant force smacks straight into him. Sent airborne for an instant, he sees Siesta upside down, and paper scattering everywhere.
- Enis
Oof... ow, ouch, ow... what just...
The Little Black Sheep snatches a flier in its mouth and resumes its straightaway gallop.
- Adele
Ah, Mr. Enis! I—I'm sorry!
- Enis
Huh...?
Several stare as Adele shrinks into the horizon, giving chase to a 'flier blowing in the wind'.
- Print Shop Owner
*whistle* Times really are a-changing. Youngsters have such urgent schedules these days.
- Enis
Weird, what knocked me over just now...? I've never seen anything as strange as this...
CRASHHH!
The Eastman Print Shop's sign falls down, and lands right where Enis was still standing a moment ago.
- Enis
...Wurgh!
- Adele
Where did it go...?
- Dolly
It's like hide-and-seek!
- Adele
Mr. Dolly, this isn't the time to play around! If we don't catch the Little Black Sheep soon, more people are going to lose their things!
- Dolly
No-no-no, they aren't going to lose anything, they're just borrowing it for a little fun. They'll give it all back.
- Dolly
Actually, why do YOU never play with children your age? Are you just going to keep yourself shut in a lab, even on a summer like this?
- Adele
Mr. Dolly, I'm not a child anymore, and studying Mount Siesta is a VERY important job which I shouldn't be distracted from.
- Adele
But right now, finding these Little Black Sheep is more important so we can stop them causing a ruckus!
- Dolly
I know how lonely children work. I know how many love using 'I'm busy with work' as an excuse.
- Adele
......
- Adele
This shop looks empty, but the Little Black Sheep just...
- Costa
Er... who are you?
- Adele
Excuse me, I... I lost my pet, it ran off! I think I saw it enter this coffee shop just now...
Adele blabbers as she lifts her head, and sees 'Mockingbird Café' in pretty type across the shop door.
- Costa
This cafe went out of business a year ago. The door's always locked.
- Adele
But I definitely saw it wriggle inside just now, straight through...
- Costa
What kind of pet did you lose...?
- Adele
A... um, a beckbeast.
- Dolly
Ah, nono! Don't you associate my clones with those animals...
- Costa
Okay... a beckbeast.
Costa feels around in his pocket and pulls out a key, which he inserts, twists, and with a few ancient-sounding creaks, the door yawns open.
It's dark inside. All the blinds are down, repelling much of the sunlight from entering.
The air stirs with dust, and a yesteryear aroma of coffee.
- Costa
Is your beckbeast in here?
- Adele
Ngh, I don't think it is...
- Adele
I'm so sorry! Sorry to bother you...
- Costa
That's fine, I was just here to pick up a few things anyway.
- Costa
The property deed should be right... no, not there...
- Adele
Sir, are you the owner of this cafe?
- Costa
Not any more, I won't be. This shop, and all the shops on this street, are due to be demolished soon.
- Adele
I'm so sorry...
- Costa
Don't be. The demolition isn't news to anyone here... *hisses* Not in this cupboard either...
- Adele
Sir, what does it look like, the thing you're looking for? I can help you, maybe?
- Costa
It's a red binder...
- Adele
Ungh, it really is dark...
- Dolly
Girl, are you sure you can see anything in here?
- Adele
Wuh!
- Costa
The place closed ages ago. Might be tricky to get the lights on.
- Costa
It's fine if we can't find it, I'm not in that big of a rush. Carry on searching for your pet, I'll... I'll keep an eye out for you.
- Dolly
Come on, girl! There's no clones of mine here and no whatever you're looking for! Off to the next location!
- Dolly
It's all pitch-black... I can't see a thing. Nothing like when I went surfing in Siesta before!
- Costa
So, what does it look like?
- Adele
Er, it's a pink and white... beckbeast, carrying a volcanic rock on it, the kind that whistles in the wind.
- Costa
That whistles in the wind... is it named 'whistling rock'?
- Adele
Eh? Yes, it is. How do you know?
Costa continues rummaging. He pulls open a dust-caked cupboard, out of which falls a vintage guitar, smashing straight onto his knee.
Plinnnng!
- Adele
Ah! Sir, are you alright?
The sound of the guitar's impact rings in the air, a lingering acoustic hum, as if someone was playing on it.
- Costa
—They sound just like that when blown across, those stones. Like you could perform music on them.
- Costa
Urgh, I'm getting sidetracked.
- Dolly
Mrroah, the romance. Whistling rocks are like guitars? How did I never think of that?
- Costa
Is your pet carrying one of those? That's an odd luxury. If I remember right, it's fairly uncommon...
- Adele
It took it all by itself...
- Dolly
You're going to humiliate me. Don't tell people my clones are kleptomaniacs.
- Costa
Okay, if I see it, I'll get in touch with you. How should I go about doing that...?
- Adele
Oh, thank you! Please contact the Volcano Museum if you can; I'm one of the staff there. My name's Adele.
With another mysterious bump, all the old odds and ends in the cupboard slump into a landslide across the floor, burying the guitar beneath.
- Costa
Dammit...
- Adele
Sir, are you sure you don't need help? It seems like you're...
- Adele
Not in that good of a... mood...
A book falls into Adele's view. Under the light from outside, she parses its title clearly.
- Adele
The Atlas of Terra's Volcanoes? Are you interested in volcanology, too?
- Costa
No, I'm... well, no, it's not as if I hate it.
- Costa
Er, I mean, this isn't my book.
- Costa
Let's get outside for now.
- Costa
You work at the Volcano Museum? Do you know a... Keller?
- Adele
I know Professor Keller. Are you friends?
- Costa
She used to be a... regular here, I guess.
- Costa
One summer, she suddenly left Siesta, together with two Leithanians. I never got in touch with her after that...
- Costa
How's she been? She's... doing alright the museum, right?
- Adele
Right, Professor Keller's been occupied with survey prep for Mount Siesta, and the museum's still under improvement. She's very busy.
- Costa
She and you both work at the museum?
- Adele
Hm? Professor Keller is its curator.
- Costa
Curator... now, that's something.
- Costa
Well, um... if you can, please return this book to Kell... to the curator for me.
- Dolly
Where am I? Where am I? Find me if you can ♪
- Dolly
Take the flowers in, maybe behind them's where I am ♪
The little black sheep frolics about, before stopping by a streetlamp.
- Dolly
Bang!
The Little Black Sheep leaps into the air, and before Adele's eyes, vanishes like a cloud blown away in the breeze.
With a ring and a clatter, a pebble, two coins, a sheet of paper and a wallet all fall on the ground.
- Dolly
Hide-and-seek ♪
- Adele
Mr. Dolly!
- Dolly
Not me!
- Dolly
But you didn't spend all of today cooped up inside the museum. You went out for a walk, you ate ice cream, you bought balloons. The sun's fine, the people are wonderful, and you've made a new friend, haven't you?
- Dolly
That's the stuff of life!
- Adele
What is the seed you're after? Is this rock a seed?
- Dolly
You need to look slowly, take your time! The sun tomorrow's just as fine!
- Dolly
Where am I? Where am I? Find me if you can ♪
- Adele
Is it one of these coins? Or what's on this poster...? 'Letter of Intent for Relocation'?
- Adele
Is a coffee bean the seed, Mr. Dolly?
- Dolly
Take the flowers in, maybe behind them's where I am ♪
- Dolly
Bang!
