//------------------------------// // . // Story: 80 Days: Under the Waves // by Sharp Spark //------------------------------// “No,” I admitted, hoping he would let me explain further. He stared at me, awaiting a response. “I’m-- Well, my mistress and I have found ourselves stranded here, and are seeking a means of travel to the east. Seeing you here, I wondered if you might know of a way out of the city.” “Mmm,” he said. “Come in.” Leaving the door ajar, he trotted away, and I hesitated briefly before stepping within. The interior of the ship was cavernous, and all the more remarkable for being so full of junk. Piles of mechanical debris stretched almost to the ceiling, with only a few benches clear enough to discern as workspaces. I had never seen such an assortment of devices, even though the vast majority were clearly rusted, broken rubbish. I wondered if the pony had scavenged such things as salvage from the same shipwrecks that made up the homes and businesses of the city. “I’m Crankshaft,” he announced before trotting out of sight behind a stack of battered metal plating. “And I’m Minnow!” another voice chimed in from behind me. I whirled around to see another visitor: a small sharkfilly grinning from the doorway. She trotted in, clearly familiar with the place, and hopped up on a workbench to root around in one of the toolboxes on it. I pointed out that Minnow seemed like a strange name… I cautiously proceeded through the maze of junk...