Summary

It is early autumn and a cool wind comes across the sparse lawn in front of Poppy’s house, threatening to blow Neptune’s Pearl right off the asphalt that represents the Blackest Sea. Poppy, Alice and Zachary play a game of imagination and creation involving pirates, thieves, a great queen and a pirate ship, each operating a character on her deck. A mermaid has just taken thief Lady Jaye over the side and into the sea. The pirate who captains this ship, William the Blade, jumps in after her, insisting no one will be left behind just as two of Poppy’s brothers, Tom and Nate come out of the house. They tease 12-old-Zach when they see him playing with the girls before Tom finally passes a message along to Alice that she is expected to be home before dark.

Alice obediently gets...