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Chelsea hauled herself down the main road on her way to Chen's shop. Her usually energetic demeanor was replaced with exhaustion. -One more errand and I'm calling it a day- she thought. She tightened her grip on a small cloth bag, feeling the coins that rested within it. It had been a hard winter and debts piled up, but now she could finally pay back the rest of what she owed Chen. The thought of being debt free lifted the young farmer's spirit's a little and she continued with a little more pep in her step.

When the shop came into sight she caught a glimpse of someone running out the door. She only saw the person from behind but she knew he didn't live on Sunny Island. She hurried inside and saw Charlie helping his dad off the floor.

"Are you alright?"

"That b*****d took off with our money!" Charlie slammed his fist into his hand.

"He didn't get away with all of it, but he sure did make a mess of his escape," Chen glanced around his shop. Several items were knocked from their shelf and lay scattered on the floor.

"I came to pay off my debt. I'll help you clean up here-"

"It's alright," Chen said taking the money she offered, "you look tired. Charlie and I can get this mess straitened out, but would you do me a favor and stop off at Felicia's house? Tell let them know there's a thief about the island."

Chelsea nodded, said her farewells, and left the shop.

-whew, at least I didn't have to help clean up. Being a good citizen can be a pain sometimes-

"Excuse me."

Chelsea jolted out of thought and looked up. There was a man about her height.

"Um," He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly, "I'm staying at the hotel on this island and I seem to have gotten a bit lost."

"No problem. You just want to head that way," She pointed down one of the roads, "then take a left. You should come across the hotel from there."

"Thank you…-"

"Chelsea."

"Thank you, Chelsea. I'm Mark."

"Nice to meet you. If you ever need any help just stop by my farm. It's just up this road here."

"I'd better be going before it gets too dark or I'll never find the hotel," he laughed and started to walk down the road Chelsea had indicated.

"See ya around," she waved and then headed up the road to her farm.

...

Knock….

Knock knock….

…..

Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock-

"Alright! Alright! I'm awake!," Chelsea got out of bed and slipped on a robe over her pajamas. Mark was at the door, "when I said you could stop by I didn't mean at," she looked back at the clock, "5:30 in the morning."

"It's Mirabelle. She's been robbed. They say it's pirates."

"Pirates?," Chelsea rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Apparently there was a ship just a ways off shore. Chen's shop was attacked yesterday as well."

Chelsea flinched at that last part.

"Oh no," she groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead. Mark looked at her questioningly, "last night I was suppose to tell Felicia and Taro about the robbery at Chen's place."

"Everyone is down at Mirabelle's place now discussing the situation. Come on." Mark grabbed Chelsea's hand and started to pull her out of the house.

"Mark, wait!"

"huh?"

"I'm not exactly in the proper attire for a town meeting," Mark noticed then that she was in a robe. His face turned a bright shade of red and he readjusted his hat.

"I'll, uh, meet you there then," he said and darted off into town.

Chelsea rolled her eyes and turned back into her house to change.

At Mirabelle's, Taro was suggesting a night watch when Chelsea arrived.

"Those pirates think it'll be easy to pillage this island. I say we give them trouble and they'll leave." The retired farmer looked around the crowd for comment.

"We don't know how many there are. What if it only gives them cause to use more force? Someone could be hurt." Felicia suggested.

Chelsea found Mark standing outside the crowd with his arms crossed.

"Hey," he turned his head when he saw her walk up, "It's terrible that these pirates would take advantage of such a peaceful island. It seems like everyone is going to have to be on their toes."

"I wonder if Taro's right and they'll leave once it becomes an inconvenience for them."

"I don't know. No one here carries firearms or anything. Who knows what those pirates have on board."

"May I make a suggestion?," the circle of villagers turned to see Vaughn standing at the far end of Mirabelle's house, "It's not really any of my business, but I know someone from the mainland that might be able to help with your pirate problem."

"Who's that?," whispered Mark. "That's Vaughn. He comes to the island twice a week to deliver livestock to Mirabelle. He doesn't socialize with anyone here often."

Taro pulled forward from the crowd, "Just who is this friend of your's then?"

"He's not a friend of mine. He's a bounty hunter who specializes in pirate hunting. I don't know if he'll take the job but it might be worth your time…and money."

"Just how much money are we talking about here?," Taro inquired.

"I cant make an accurate estimate. His price isn't cheep though, that much I can say."

"Hmm…we would appreciate it if you would talk with this pirate hunter and formulate a price. Then we'll decide whether to hire him or not."

"I'll send a letter when I get a price then."

"How can we contact you with our decision?"

Vaughn's frown deepened, "You wont. I'll return next week. Have your answer ready by then."

"But what do we do until then?," Natalie blurted out.

"Like I said, it's not really any of my business," Vaughn turned and walked away towards the beach.

"Damn p***k," Mark mumbled.

...

Chelsea brought her chickens inside for the night. She shut the door behind her as she left and closed the latch securely. -note to self: put a lock on the chicken coop-. As she passed the front entrance of her farm, the wild dog that frequented in the evenings scuffled in and glared over at her.

"hey dog. Sorry to disappoint you but your not scaring my chickens tonight."

The gruff dog snorted and went on his way through the field. Chelsea shrugged and went inside remembering to lock the door behind her.

She put some water on to boil and flipped through a book she borrowed from Taro titled Everything You Need to Know About Farming. It wasn't the most interesting book, but reading material was hard to come by on the island. It would be nice if a writer would move in.

The kettle hissed and whistled. She put a teabag in a mug and poured the scorching liquid into it. She took the mug back to her bed and continued reading for a couple hours.

Finishing a chapter on crop growth she decided to turn in. The dog outside must have found something to chase and terrorize because he kept yapping. Chelsea just shut her eyes and snuggled under the covers.

Crash

Clank Bang

Within a second Chelsea was sitting up in bed with the lamp switched on.