She woke up early the next morning and went downstairs. No one seemed to be awake yet. She heard sounds coming from the back and went to investigate. There was a young girl, maybe twelve years old, in the kitchen starting a fire beneath a medium-sized pot that was filled with water. Beside her was a large sack filled with grain of some variety. “Hello,” Anna said.

The girl started and looked at her wide-eyed. “So pretty,” she said, then paused for a moment. “Who are you?” she asked. “I’m Anna. Ted hired me to help,” Anna replied. “I’m Beth. I’m glad dad hired someone,” Beth replied looking at her again. “That dress doesn’t fit you. Where did you get it?” she asked. “I found it. What do you mean it doesn’t fit?” Anna asked. “Well, it’s all baggy and too long, and I think your boobs are too big for it,” Beth said pointing at her chest.

“Where can I get one that fits?” Anna asked. “I can make one for you if you get some cloth. I can sew. I’m really good at it.” Beth said excitedly. She had a huge smile on her face now. Anna smiled back at the girl. “I don’t know where the shop is, and I don’t know what kind of cloth to get,” Anna said. “The weavers are on the same road as us. Just walk away from the piers. They are near the edge of town. There is a big loom sign out front. Tell them you are going to be making dresses. They will show you what to buy,” Beth said. Beth ran over and gave her a hug before rushing back to the pot to continue her task. Anna left the inn and followed the directions she was given.

It didn’t take very long to find the weaver's shop. She spotted the sign and noticed women with stands in front of the building. The stands were overflowing with bolts of cloth. She walked up to one of the stalls that had bright and colorful cloth. “Can I help you?” the woman behind the stall asked. “I need some more dresses, but I’m not sure what to get,” Anna said.

The woman looked at her for a moment, glanced at her hair then chest before looking at her face. “What kind of work do you do?” she asked. “I help out at the Inn,” Anna replied. “A barmaid then. Alright, you’ll want clothes that hide stains that you can wash often. Here. This will do,” the woman said pulling several colors of a thick cloth from the booth. She asked Anna how much she could spend, and Anna showed her the coins from the night before. “You should be able to make a couple of dresses with that much cloth.” The woman said taking the coin and cutting her off large sheets from each of the colors. Anna thanked the woman and set off to the Inn with her cloth.

The return trip had much more foot traffic. It seemed like several ships worth of men had woken up and started to walk around. At the same time, most of the men were looking at her as she passed. “I wonder why they keep looking?” she thought and continued back. Entering the Inn, she found Ted and Elizabeth sitting at a table with Beth and the small boy she had seen in the kitchen the day before. “I think his name is Mack,” she thought. As soon as Beth saw her, she exploded from the table before being caught by Ted. “None of that. Finish your food. Then you can help Anna,” he said. Beth sat dejectedly back down. “Fine,” she muttered. Ted waved her over. “Come eat,” he said. She dropped the cloth nearby and sat down. The breakfast was porridge sweetened with some local berries. It tasted good. She liked sweet she decided and proceeded to eat three bowls full, stopping only when she got a strange look from Elizabeth. “Well, that explains that,” Elizabeth said, glancing at Anna’s chest. After they all finished, Mack cleared the table and took the dishes into the back room. Beth grabbed Anna by the arm, pulling her out of the chair. She looked at the cloth. “Leave it here. I’ll bring it upstairs when we’re finished. Now come on and let’s get you measured,” she said, pulling her out the back of the inn through the door in the kitchen.

Behind the Inn was an open space. Tall stone walls lined the perimeter. In the center of the space was a well, and clotheslines were tied to hooks. They ran the length of the outdoor space just behind the well. There was also a large washbasin and bucket sitting next to the well. “Take off your dress so I can measure you. We should be fine back here. Everyone is busy working right now,” Beth said.

Anna pulled her dress off over her head. She had to wiggle some to get it over her chest. Beth was watching and turned bright red. “You don’t have any underclothes?” she asked. “No. Do I need some?” Anna asked. “Yes. I’ll make some for you as well as a couple of dresses,” Beth replied. Beth used a string and wrapped it around several spots, lingering on her chest and hips for some reason. All the while she seemed to be turning redder.

“All done,” Beth said, letting out a sigh. Just then they heard a crash coming from the house. “MAAAACK!” Beth yelled running toward the house. After entering, Anna could hear muffled yelling and some crashing sounds. She put her dress back on and Beth exited the house. “I’m so sorry about my brother. He’s turning into a peeper,” Beth said. Anna just smiled at her, and Beth shook her head and sighed.

She followed Beth back into the Inn to find Elizabeth in the kitchen. Now she was glaring at the boy, who turned around revealing a large purple spot over his right eye. As soon as he saw her, he turned bright red and turned around quickly. He began scrubbing away even harder at the dishes. Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed when she saw this and started chopping a vegetable of some kind. She seemed annoyed.

She didn’t have to work until evening. Ted had told her that the Inn wouldn’t get busy until the men got done with their daily routines. Only a few sailors would start drinking first thing in the morning. She wasn’t sure what to do until Elizabeth told her and Beth to go out and get some ingredients for the evening meal. “There haven’t been any fresh mushrooms since Anna went missing. Not her. The one who used to gather fresh ones from the forest,” Elizabeth said when Beth gave her a look.

“Anyway, someone collected a bunch of wild mushrooms and herbs, and they are selling them in the market right now. Beth, I want you and Anna to go buy some, and stay with Anna. Young women and girls have been going missing, and she may not look it, but she’s strong,” Elizabeth said looking at Beth. Beth looked at Anna. “But she’s so small,” Beth said. She was right, Beth was still a child and she was only an inch or two shorter. Ted towered over her. Elizabeth was at least four or five inches taller. Anna used the memories. They were even clearer today, and found something that may help.

She decided to pick up Beth and put her on her shoulder. There were many memories of this happening to the girls, and a few memories where they picked up a younger sibling, so it seemed perfect. Beth squealed and squirmed until she was on her shoulder. Then she whooped with glee and giggled. The girl hugged her head “I get it. I get it. Put me down now,” Beth said still giggling. Elizabeth was smiling at them. Even Mack had turned around and was smiling. Anna smiled at the boy in return who quickly turned back around. “I wonder why he keeps turning red?” Anna thought.

Elizabeth led them to the storeroom where she handed Anna a large wicker basket with a lid. It had two leather straps. “I’m supposed to wear it on my back to carry things,” Anna thought after searching the memories. “Have you ever cooked with mushrooms?” Elizabeth asked Anna. “I’ve never even seen one before. None of the girls I got these memories from seem to have cooked with them either,” She thought. “No,” Anna replied. “Alright then. Beth, you know what to get. Make sure you fill that basket. We are expecting three ships today. I don’t want an inn full of hungry sailors with nothing to feed them,” Elizabeth said. Elizabeth gave Beth a few coins to pay for the mushrooms and sent them on their way.

As they made their way to the mushroom vendor, there were more men out now. They were dressed differently from other men, wearing large baggy pants that fell just below their knees. Some had long-sleeved shirts, others no sleeves, at least one man with just a vest, and all the clothing was brightly colored. The men themselves were darker than anyone she had seen so far. They were scarred with markings all over them. “Tattoos,” she thought, after looking through the memories once more.

The men were cheerfully talking to each other but seemed to fall silent when she walked past. They all seemed to be staring at her. One even whistled. “Why are they looking at me?” Anna asked Beth. Beth had been looking at the buildings they passed and was chattering away about them. She stopped talking and looked at the men as if she had just noticed them, got a big smile on her face, and looked at Anna. “Because your pretty. You must be the prettiest woman they have ever seen,” Beth replied with a huge smile on her face. “I am?” Anna asked. “Yes, at least I think so. You’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. Now come on. We must get the mushrooms and get back. Mom will be mad if we don’t hurry,” Beth replied, tugging Anna’s hand.

They made it to the market soon after. Beth had practically dragged her. “Nice ass rainbow. Want to have some fun?” a man said from behind her. “Hey toad face, why don’t you just hop away. That was so lame. Come up with something more clever next time!” Beth yelled at the man. “He does look like a toad,” Anna thought after looking through the memories again.

He turned bright red and stormed away. The crowd was laughing at Beth’s comment. Anna looked at Beth. The girl just rolled her eyes. “Come on. It’s over there,” Beth said pointing at the market stall they were sent to find. There was a crowd around the stall. Beth just shoved her way through dragging Anna along. The stall was filled with mushrooms and herbs of all kinds. Anna didn’t know where to start. Beth on the other hand started pointing out mushrooms. She was packing the mushrooms into the basket.

First, there were ones that looked like a large ear. Then there were ones that looked like buttons. Finally, there were ones that had long stalks with a bulbous end that was rounded at the top. It flopped around when she picked it up. The merchant looked like he wanted to laugh but didn’t. The basket was full, and they started back. “Hey, I got some coin left and that went faster than I thought. Want to get some fruits like the ones we had with the porridge? I know where mom gets them,” Beth asked.

Anna nodded, and then she was being pulled again. She found herself in front of a stall that had all manner of brightly colored fruits and small treats. Beth scooped them all up and paid the merchant. Anna, eating them one after another, loved the little fruits until she found a sour one. The face she made caused the merchant to laugh. He offered her a drink of fruit juice. It was sweeter than the fruit and helped with the sour taste. She thanked him, and then the two of them made their way back to the Inn.

Anna went to the kitchen. Beth had grabbed the cloth and rushed upstairs to start the dress. “Where did that girl run off to?” Elizabeth asked. “I think she’s starting my dress,” Anna replied. Elizabeth sighed, “Well, I supposed you do need it. That one looks like it's going to burst at the seams the moment you sneeze.” Elizabeth said. Anna hadn’t sneezed yet, so she wasn’t sure if that was true. “Well, put that basket over there and then come help me cut these up,” Elizabeth said gesturing to the vegetables on the table.

Anna hadn’t cut anything before, but a few of the memories showed her how, so she took a knife and started. She made quick work of the vegetables on the table and finished in seconds. “What? How you know...what...you’ll chop things from now on. Here,” Elizabeth said pushing a pile of mushrooms her way. The mushrooms were finished just as quickly, and they moved on to the chicken. Elizabeth showed her how to cut one up, and she finished the rest of them in a minute or so, perfectly copying what she had been shown.

“Alright. In the pot with all of this,” Elizabeth said. The pot was filled with boiling water. It slowed as they added ingredients. Elizabeth put a handful of salt in the pot. “It helps with the taste, but don’t use too much. It's expensive. We will add flour in a few hours. Now we need to raise this pot. See those hooks? We just lift the pot and hook them to the links. It shortens the chain. Now where did I put that lifter?” Elizabeth said.

Anna reached over and grabbed the pot with one hand, lifted it a few inches, and hooked the links together just like Elizabeth had said. She turned to see the woman staring. “Give me your hand. You didn’t burn yourself, did you?” Elizabeth asked wiping the soot off Anna’s palm. At first gently, then rubbing. “Not a mark,” she said stopping. “Well, that’s not something you see every day,” she continued as she looked at Anna. “I know you're strong and tough, but please don’t do things like that. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Elizabeth said. Anna smiled at her and then hugged the woman. “Beth does this all the time. Maybe it helps,” She thought.

Elizabeth stiffened slightly at first, and then hugged her back. She pulled away a moment later and had a strange smile on her face. “We need to move some more tables to the front. I know the perfect person for that,” Elizabeth said. They went into the storeroom, and Elizabeth pointed out the tables while she moved to grab the chairs.

“I still can’t believe she moved those by herself,” Ted said pointing at the tables. “You watched her carry a full ale barrel, and I’m telling you she picked up the big cauldron with one hand and hooked it. Not a mark on her afterward,” Elizabeth said. “Anything you want to tell us?” Ted asked. Anna just shook her head. “Well, you're not the first person to come to Fishport looking for a new start. You seem harmless enough, so we won’t pry,” Ted said and Elizabeth nodded. The main room started to fill up as the men of the town got done with their daily labors. A few women could be found as well. She saw a familiar face from the weaver stall.

“There are going to be a lot of rough men in here tonight. Remember you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Ted said. Anna nodded. “She’d better not be doing anything of the sort. We are not that sort of place,” Elizabeth said. Ted shrugged and she glared at him. “Alright. None of that sort of thing,” he said. “What are they talking about?” Anna thought looking at them confused. They both laughed. “Never mind,” Elizabeth said looking at her. At first, it was the same crowd as the night before. She recognized most of the people. They joked with Ted, and insulted each other in a playful manner. The men from last night remembered her display and didn’t grab at her too much. She did hear some things from them. “I wonder what tight butt means,” She thought. Picking up two more trays, she found that she could easily carry them.

The colorful men she had seen earlier began to pour in, filling every table. They were way grabbier than the local men and would try to pinch her every time she went near them. She discovered that she was far more agile than them and was able to dodge the hands while still delivering the drinks. The tips still poured in, and the men started to make a game of trying to get her. This lasted well into the night. She was bringing drinks to a single table. Most of the other men had slowed down, but this group looked as if they wanted to pass out drunk. That’s what Ted had said about them. She only needed a single tray for them and passed out the drinks quickly.

Most of the men tossed coins on her tray. One man held up a large silver coin. She reached for it. The man grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. She dropped the tray because of the sudden motion. “You’re going to earn that wench,” he said. His hot breath smelled of alcohol. “Ted said I didn’t have to do anything I don’t want too,” she thought. Not knowing what he meant by earn and not wanting to find out, she pulled her arm back, and while she didn’t weigh all that much, the force of it pulled the man to his feet. He was still holding on to her arm. “Whore, I’ll teach you,” the man said raising his fist to hit her. “She told you no you damned fool. Hell, I’d turn you down for a silver. What made you think you could afford her?” the woman from the weavers’ stall yelled at the man.

He stared at the woman. “Quiet woman. You couldn’t pay me to take you!” the man yelled back. “Go back to your ship and stick it in the cabin boy you dirty sailor!” she replied with a shout. The sailors all stood up at this comment. “By the black god, get your hands off of her this instant!” Ted yelled. He moved through the crowded room like a wave breaking on the shore.

The man let go of her at the sight of Ted. Her eyes darted around the room unsure of what to do. She saw Elizabeth motioning for her to join her. She ran, moving so quickly that the woman seemed shocked when she reached her. “Wait here,” Elizabeth said. She went into the back. Anna could hear her talking but couldn’t make out what was being said because of the shouting in the front. She heard the back door slam and then Elizabeth returned to watch the unfolding situation.

The locals and the sailors shouted back and forth. Both sides getting tenser by the minute. Ted was the only reason it didn’t come to blows. This went on for a few minutes. Then the door burst open, and a well-dressed man walked in. He wore a coat that came down to his knees. It was dark red with a bright green shirt. His pants were striped and tucked into shiny leather boots that came up to just below his knees. He wore a thin sword on his belt.

“What is going on here!” the man yelled. “This man assaulted my barmaid,” Ted said pointing at the man who grabbed her. The well-dressed man walked toward him. “Is that true?” he asked in a measured tone. “No, no Captain,” he replied. “Well, what happened?” the captain asked. “I offered her some coin for a bit of fun, and she got mouthy,” he replied. “Where is this barmaid?” the captain asked. All eyes turned to her. The captain motioned for her to come to him. “I don’t bite. Come here,” he said.

She looked at Elizabeth and nodded. Anna walked toward the man. He looked her up and down as she moved closer. “Tell me what happened,” he said when she was next to him. “I dropped off the drinks, and the other men put coins on my tray like they usually do. He held a silver one up, and when I tried to take it, he grabbed me and pulled me closer to him. He said I had to earn it. I didn’t want to do anything, so I pulled back. He stood up, called me a whore, and then he raised his fist,” Anna replied.

She didn’t want to tell the captain she pulled the man to his feet. He eyed the sailor who looked like he was going to melt from the gaze. “So, you offered her a single silver, and then tried to beat the tiny thing when she turned you down?” the captain asked coolly. “Sir, I, well, you see.” The sailor tried to speak, but the captain held up his hand. “I don’t care to hear your excuse. Since you have enough energy to assault women, you can go back to the ship and start polishing the brightwork. It had better shine like the dawn by the time I get back because if it doesn’t, well...” The captain replied letting his words trail off. The sailor went pale imagining some horrible fate and rushed out the door. “As for the rest of you, if you can get into a pissing contest with the locals, you can sand the deck. The sea dragon had better be as smooth as a baby’s ass by the morning!” The captain yelled.

The rest of the sailors rushed out of the Inn. The captain pulled a large stack of silver coins from his coin purse and handed them to Ted. “For your trouble. You won’t see that lot again. I’ll send the bosun with the rest tomorrow. He’ll keep them in line,” the captain said. Ted nodded. “Thank you, sir.” He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small yellow coin and handed it to Anna. “For you miss,” he said with a smile. She looked at it for a moment. None of the memories had a coin this color. She looked back at him “What is it?” she asked. He barked out a laugh. “It’s gold. I hope you find more. Don’t spend it all at once,” he said and walked out of the Inn.

They began to pick up the chairs that had been knocked over, the locals helping them clean up. After they had finished, people started filing out. The woman from the weavers’ stall walked over and handed her some coins. Including the silver one. “Figured you earned it,” she said. Anna took the coins and then hugged her. It seemed like the thing to do. “Easy there,” she said. Anna backed away. “I still don’t know what he wanted,” Anna said looking at the silver coin. “Really? Wait, how old are you?” she asked. “Eighteen,” Anna answered.

It was the number that popped into her head. The woman touched Anna’s cheek and looked at her face. “You are young, now that I get a good look at you. Well, don’t worry about what they want. Just keep telling them no,” she said and smiled. “Okay,” Anna replied. “I’m Loren by the way. Come down to the weaver’s if you need to talk. I’m a spinner there,” Loren said. “I will,” Anna replied. “Well, I’m off. I need to get up early,” Loren said and walked out the door, waving bye on the way out.

She went to her room soon after. Nothing in her memories had prepared her for today. “I’m going to sort through all of them tonight,” she thought, and began. It took a few hours, and she went to bed as soon as she was done. That night, the field was filled with tentacles and there were a few eyes floating in the sky. She recognized them immediately. “It’s me from before,” she said. The tentacles wiggled at her words and the eyes looked like they may have twinkled.

She woke up early the next morning and went to help Beth in the kitchen. “I finished both dresses last night. I, uh, made myself one out of what was left over. I hope you don’t mind.” Beth said nervously. “Why would I mind?” Anna asked. She didn’t know why that would be a problem in the first place. Beth beamed at her and gave her a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, then took a step back. “We can try them on after breakfast,” Beth said. Anna nodded, and they continued making breakfast. They brought out the bowls and spoons for breakfast and set the table. The rest of the family was down just before they were done.

They all sat at the table and began to eat. “We haven’t had a night like that in a while,” Ted said. “We used to have more barmaids, and they were local girls. Could you imagine one of them grabbing Gabby like that?” Elizabeth said with a sad smile. “Ouch, yeah. He would have lost that hand,” Ted said shaking his head. “What happened?” Beth asked. She had been sewing all day yesterday. “Some sailor grabbed Anna, and then everyone started yelling. I had to go get the captain. He yelled at them, and they went away,” Mack said. “What!! really?” Beth asked. “Yes really. That’s why I send you upstairs when ships that big pull in,” Elizabeth replied. “The captain gave me a gold piece,” Anna said and pulled it from her coin purse. “Wow, can I see it?” Beth asked. “Yeah, me too?” Mack asked right afterward.

She handed the small coin to Beth, who stared at it. She handed it to Mack who looked at it with wide eyes. He handed it back to Anna, who put it away. “Keep that safe,” Ted said. “Mom, I made two dresses for Anna and one for me all in one day,” Beth said proudly. “You’re getting so fast. You both need to wash up before you put on new clothes. We will do that after breakfast.” Elizabeth said. Mack grinned at her. “Boy, go grab some fresh fish. I’ll get you a note for two barrels. That should cover the meal for tonight,” Ted said, seeing the look on the boy’s face. “But dad,” Mack said. “No buts. The womenfolk are busy, and I have to get this place ready, so you’re the one that must go,” Ted said cutting him off. Mack lost his grin and looked dejected.

Mack zoomed out of the Inn. “He’s in a hurry,” Beth said. Ted just shook his head. Elizabeth grabbed a brush and Beth cringed. “If you’d brush it every day like I told you to, it wouldn’t get so many tangles,” Elizabeth said. Beth crossed her arms. “I don’t want to,” Elizabeth said. “We could shave it,” Beth said. “Uh, never mind. I’ll brush it,” she said with a sass in her voice only a twelve your old could manage. They went out back. “Fill that basin for us Anna,” Elizabeth said. Beth and Elizabeth were undressing.

She filled the bucket and noticed that the other two were still wearing underclothes. She shrugged and pulled off her dress needing to wiggle some. “So bouncy,” Beth said watching her undress. Elizabeth smacked her in the back of the head. “It’s rude to stare,” she said to the girl. Beth rubbed her head. “Please tell me you made underclothes for her?” Elizabeth asked. “I did,” Beth said. Elizabeth looked her up and down. “Do you shave?” she asked. “That has something to do with scraping a knife on your skin to get rid of hair,” Anna thought. That’s what the memories told her. She looked down and didn’t see any hair except for what was on her head. “No,” Anna replied.

Elizabeth kept looking her over. “I thought staring was rude,” Beth said putting her hands on her hips. This earned her another smack. “Ow, fine. I’ll be quiet,” Beth said, rubbing her head again. Elizabeth tossed Anna a rag, and all three of them started wiping off. They were finished and got dressed again. “We only have two brushes. You can use mine when I’m done,” Elizabeth said as she started to brush her hair. Beth started as well but was having trouble pulling the brush through. “I’ll help you when I’m done,” Elizabeth said, noticing the girl’s frustration.

Elizabeth finished and handed Anna the brush. She started to brush her own hair. The brush glided through encountering no resistance. “See? She must brush her hair every day. Look how long it is with no tangles,” Elizabeth said, noticing Anna’s lack of effort. “I do. I used my fingers when I didn’t have a brush,” Anna replied. She decided to back Elizabeth on this. It was obvious, even to her, that Beth wasn’t taking care of herself. Anna dumped the washbasin. “We normally just use the bucket to empty it, but that works too,” Elizabeth said shaking her head. They headed back in and reached the front room. They started to get the Inn ready for the day when Mack burst through the door. “I got them,” he said. His face was red from running. He saw the three of them and frowned, then slunk into the back.

“Come on. Let’s try on the dresses IN YOUR ROOM SO NO ONE PEEKS!” Beth yelled. Behind her, they heard a shuffle and some clanking coming from the kitchen. Ted chuckled. Beth dragged her upstairs and into Anna’s room. She rushed out for a moment to grab the dresses from her own room and rushed back. “Okay, let's try them on,” she said while undressing again. Anna undressed as well. “Put these on first,” Beth said handing her the underclothes. Anna put them on. “I don’t like this,” she thought. The underclothes just felt wrong, so she took them back off. “What did you do that for?” Beth asked. “I don’t like them,” Anna replied.

Then she started to put on one of her new dresses. Beth just shrugged and put on her own new dress. The new dress was the same style as the old one, but it fit her perfectly. It was hugging her figure without being tight. It was also the right length, mid-calf, like the other dresses she had seen. She looked at Beth. The girl's own dress was similar but made from multiple colors of cloth. It was much shorter coming to her knee. “Let’s show mom,” Beth said, grabbing Anna by the hand yet again and pulling her out of the room.

Beth let her go and Anna walked down the stairs first. “That’s better,” Ted said, seeing the dress. He looked at Beth. “That’s a bit short,” he said to Beth. “I ran out of cloth,” She replied. Ted shrugged. They went into the backroom. “Look mom,” Beth said excitedly. Elizabeth looked at them both. “It looks very nice Anna. Beth, you seem to be missing something,” she said pointing at the girl’s legs. “I ran out of cloth,” Beth replied shyly. “You can wear it when it gets warmer and not until then,” Elizabeth said. “Fine,” Beth replied. Anna walked over to help with dinner. Elizabeth watched her walk. “Did you give her underclothes?” she asked Beth. “Yes, but she didn’t like them and took them off,” Beth replied. Elizabeth sighed and shook her head as Anna picked up the knife to start cutting. “At least wear them when you wash. I don’t want to chase Mack out of here every time you need to clean up,” Elizabeth replied. “Okay, I will,” Anna said and started chopping.