August 23, 1931

We were advised to stay in their cabins with our mates until the job was done and if anyone were to disobey those orders we would be shipped away on the spot, so as I lay in bed with my roommates Jacob and Alden they invited me out for a drink. Alden Black was a tall young man whose family emigrated from Poland to escape some issue back home related to the Germans. He was very talkative, but at the same time very allusive which made it hard to figure out what he was thinking, and it resulted in him being popular with an array of women. On the other hand Jacob, or Jake Smith depending on his mood, was an older more relaxed person, but even so he manages to have fun with kids like us. Jake served in the army since he was fourteen, which was during the Great War; also he said that he wanted to help lower countries rise just like the great U.S of A. I met these two men as soon as I joined and within a short time we became good comrades.

“I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to go against boss guys. I really want to stay here as long as I can before returning.” I told them while hastily putting on my uniform. Even though I knew that Boss would be really furious I really wanted to see the country side even more, so yea I was just giving some halfhearted warnings.

“Really, your actions speak louder than words Franny. Don’t worry; I have a guy that will let us know if chief man checks on us. His name is John and he’s taking the night shift so it’s all good.” Alden reassured me.

“I guess if you guys are with me, nothing can go wrong.” I look back on this date wondering what came over me that night. Normally I was more careful with my actions and took time to see if the plan actually had a chance of working, but on this night I felt compelled to leave the ship as quickly as possible. Truly it was a night we would never forget or at least for me anyway.

We arrived in town about an hour after we spoke to John. The man was strange fellow, but I didn’t really care at the time since I was finally going to be able to explore the place I yearned for so long. The night sky was filled with an endless array of stars glimmering in its own beauty among friends. The night air was warm as a nice blanket and calm like the waves splashing against the creatures that live with it. The people were different than what the textbooks said about the East, they were more complacent with what they had rather than greedy like most of my friends from New York, however the officials were watching us carefully like we were heathens or something. Anyway after about an hour of wandering around taking in the country side, we found a small shop that served peculiar noodles, but the smell was so enchanting that we had to try the food. As we slurped the thick noodles down I noticed a small light in an alley way and went to see what it was.

“Hello, is anyone there?” I asked the alley, but to no reply. Something was in that alley and a feeling inside my gut told me to check it out, I turned to finish my meal, but then a mighty wind blew and knocked me onto the floor. “I am going to find out what’s been bothering me since I got here and no wind is going to stop me.”

“Francina are you all right?” Alden asked.

“Yea, but something had been bothering me all day Alden so I think I’m going to look for it.”

“Careful kid, don t stick your nose into something that you don’t have a clue about.” Jake warned me.

“Help me please!” I heard it clearly from the alley. It was a young girl’s voice screaming from the alleyway. I felt more urgent than ever like I was trying to hold something close to me, but what could it be.

“Alden, Jake I’m going to go investigate that voice and if I don’t return in fifteen minutes go in after me.” The men nodded their head in agreement. I dashed through the shady alleyway pushing against boxes; before reaching a dead end. I can’t even see my own hands much less a person in such a dark place. My heart was racing against my brain and that made my body shake with distress as my back felt as if a cold blade was sliding against it. A quiet whisper in the distant sky, however when turned around no one was there. I paused to examine the wall, searching for a body or at least the one made the voice.

“What the hell is going on?” I thought as I stood there eying the wall. “I swear that someone was just here, but how could they have just disappeared without a single trace?” As I pondered over the voice from earlier; I noticed a small dim light in the corner of the wall, so I pushed the bags away and saw something metallic. It looked like an old mirror; the outer shell was covered in dirt and rust making it harder to tell its age, but the reflection was of newly crafted work.

“I wonder who responsible for crafting such a wonderful piece of work.” As I rubbed the mirror’s edge with my elbow a bright spark of light emitted from it; the radiance covered the alley making me feel warm and relaxed for a brief second, then lay dull moments later. I was terrified of the sight I had just experienced, but couldn’t help myself to fall under my own spell of curiosity. I took the mirror, hid it under my coat and return to my friends. As I trotted his way back to my mates, the mirror felt warm as the night, soothing my heart and making my feel slightly dizzy. I began to stagger in the alleyway, becoming lighter with each step I took. It was a strange numbness not brought by pain or joy, but it was just empty. “What is going…on?” I finally collapsed onto the pavement; my body didn’t even attempt to prevent the fall, so as I laid there drained from exhaustion awaiting my friends to help; I realized that the bitter feeling in my neck was growing even more intense. Somehow on a bitter night such as that one; I felt safer than my entire life up to that point.

“Hey Alden, you understand what he meant by that voice because I didn’t hear a single thing.” Jake asked.

“I shink he mush be shired.” Alden said with a mouthful of noodles. Jake smacked the kid’s head making choke on the noodles and slurp down the last of the soup. Alden now coughing was trying to get some air into his lungs or the food out of it. “I would’ve died from that. Why did you smack while I was eating?”

“Be quiet. It’s not like it killed you so just relax little boy.” Alden was furious because of the lack of respect that Jake showed him. “In any case what doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.”

“Isn’t the phrase makes you stronger.” Alden asked. Jacob laughed loud enough that the neighbors could even hear. Alden was wondering what he meant by changing that phrase.

“Kid when you’re my age you realize two things about life: it’s that that we have a beginning and an end. Also that time is short because no matter how much you fight it we will all die one day, even though most people don’t tend to think about things, I like to tell kids similar to you to find meaning in your life before you reach the end.” This man spoke from firsthand experience as he watched the night sky that reminded him of his wife at home. “How I wished that I would’ve spent more time with you than that country that can’t even treat a man with dignity.”

“Hey Francs been gone for a while should we go check on him?” Alden asked.

Letting out a deep sigh the men forgot the conversation and headed into the alley in search of their comrade.

“Hey Frankie are ya here. Francarino! Count Francula!” Alden called out in search of his friend, but to no reply. “Man Ol’Frankie G. has gone and abandoned us Jake.”

“Nah he’s not that the kind of kid that will walk away from his friends without some kind of explanation. I say that, but he just did that.” Jake said as he eyed a moving figure inside the ally. “Is anyone there? Francais is it you?” The men pulled out their regulated pistols and begin to move slowly toward the person.

“Whoever you are don’t move or we’ll have to shoot.” Jacob warned the person. Alden stood beside Jake not taking his eyes off the person and began to whisper.

“You might have to say it in their native tongue or they won’t understand.”

“Understood.” Jake spoke fluently in Japanese and explained the girl that they meant her no harm. As they got closer they noticed that it was a young girl holding their friend’s body in her lap. Francais was all beaten up and covered in several wounds all over his body. It looked as if someone was beating him with an object and then proceeded to heal his wounds. The men didn’t know how to react from such a sight, but they knew that watching him in this shape wouldn’t help either. With Jake in one arm and Alden on the other they took him back to the ship as quick as they could.

“Please help him he is injured from the fight and need medical attention quickly.” The young girl said as she held the boy’s gushing head.