The sea arrived before the beach did.
Long before Boxy saw a single wave, the air began to change.
The breeze tasted salty.
The trees leaned gently in one direction.
And every now and then...
Caw!
A seagull flew overhead.
Gluebert frowned.
"That's unusual."
Boxy looked up.
"We're still in the jungle."
"Exactly."
Gluebert stroked his beard.
"Either the sea is getting closer..."
"...or the jungle has become surprisingly damp."
Pete watched another seagull drift overhead.
Then held up a sign.
I BLAME THE JUNGLE.
The Wibbly Way glowed quietly between the roots.
Not straight.
Not crooked.
Just... itself.
It wandered gently around rocks and under fallen branches before disappearing beneath a clump of bright green ferns.
Boxy smiled.
"I like that it doesn't rush."
Gluebert nodded.
"Neither do the best adventures."
Then he immediately walked into a hanging vine.
FWOMP.
The vine wrapped neatly around his wizard hat.
Gluebert stopped walking.
"I have become decorative."
Pete slowly unfolded a sign.
IT SUITS YOU.
Boxy untangled the vine while trying very hard not to laugh.
"You alright?"
"I meant to inspect this plant."
"Very closely."
The vine politely dropped a coconut onto Gluebert's shoulder.
DONK.
Gluebert sighed.
"It appears the inspection has concluded."
They continued onwards.
The jungle became stranger with every step.
Tiny crabs wandered between the tree roots carrying shiny shells twice their own size.
Palm leaves had somehow appeared amongst the jungle ferns.
A tiny hermit crab walked past wearing an acorn instead of a shell.
Gluebert pointed.
"That fellow is terribly overdressed."
The crab stopped.
Looked at Gluebert.
Looked at his enormous wizard robe.
Then slowly continued walking.
Pete raised one eyebrow.
He didn't even need a sign.
Further ahead, something glittered beneath a patch of moss.
Boxy noticed it first.
"Hang on."
He knelt down and gently brushed the moss aside.
Buried beneath it was an old rolled-up map tied with faded blue string.
Gluebert gasped.
"A treasure map!"
Pete leaned over Boxy's shoulder.
The paper crackled softly as Boxy carefully unrolled it.
It showed...
Nothing.
Well...
Almost nothing.
Around the edges were tiny drawings of islands.
Palm trees.
Little pirate flags.
A compass rose.
A smiling octopus.
But the middle...
was completely blank.
Gluebert turned it upside down.
"Hmm."
He turned it sideways.
"Hmmm."
He held it towards the sunlight.
"Hmmmmmm."
Pete quietly lifted a sign.
IT'S STILL BLANK.
Gluebert wasn't finished.
He tapped it with his glue stick.
Nothing happened.
He blew on it.
Nothing.
He whispered mysteriously,
"Reveal your secrets..."
Nothing.
He put it on his own head.
Still nothing.
Pete slowly produced another sign.
THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE ATTEMPT.
Gluebert lowered the map.
"I was trying wizard methods."
"Were any of those wizard methods?"
"No."
"But they looked promising."
Boxy looked at the blank middle for a long moment.
"It doesn't feel unfinished."
Gluebert blinked.
"No?"
Boxy shook his head.
"It feels..."
He searched for the right words.
"...like it's waiting."
Nobody spoke.
Even the jungle seemed quieter.
Pete looked at the blank paper.
Then carefully wrote just three words.
FOR WHAT?
Boxy smiled.
"I don't know yet."
The map gave the tiniest little shimmer.
Almost as though it had heard him.
Before anyone could mention it...
"CAAAAAW!"
A brightly coloured parrot shot out of the trees wearing a tiny pirate hat that was somehow even more dramatic than Gluebert's.
It circled them once.
Twice.
Then landed neatly on Gluebert's shoulder.
Gluebert smiled proudly.
"Ah."
"Animals trust me."
The parrot looked him directly in the eyes.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Gluebert blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Pete looked at Gluebert.
Then quietly held up a sign.
FITS.
"I'm not Captain Flopsy."
The parrot ignored him.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Gluebert folded his arms.
"I am Gluebert Scrapulous."
"Wizard."
"Glue Whisperer."
"Occasional Hero."
The parrot considered this carefully.
Then shouted even louder.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Pete had to sit on a nearby log because he was laughing so hard his shoulders were wobbling.
Boxy smiled.
"I think you've got a new name."
"I absolutely do not."
The parrot suddenly puffed out its feathers.
"GLUEBERT FELL OVER!"
Gluebert sighed.
"Who keeps telling everyone?"
The parrot leaned closer.
"...Again."
Pete produced another sign.
NOW YOU'RE FAMOUS.
The parrot flew away laughing.
"Captain Flopsy!"
Its voice echoed through the jungle until it finally disappeared.
Gluebert straightened his robe.
"I refuse to answer to that."
A voice drifted faintly through the trees.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Gluebert muttered,
"I heard that."
The trees finally opened.
Golden sand stretched before them.
Gentle waves rolled lazily onto the shore.
Tiny islands floated across the sparkling sea.
Some drifted closer.
Others quietly disappeared behind the mist.
One tiny island slowly turned around.
Another seemed to yawn.
Boxy stepped onto the sand.
"It's beautiful."
Gluebert nodded.
"It is."
Then frowned.
"It's also moving."
Sure enough...
The nearest island had quietly wandered somewhere else.
Pete looked at it.
Then looked back where it had been.
Then held up a sign.
RUDE.
An old wooden sign stood at the edge of the beach.
The paint had faded.
The corners had been nibbled by something with surprisingly neat teeth.
It read:
WELCOME TO THE SEA OF MAYBE.
ISLANDS MAY CHANGE THEIR MINDS.
PLEASE TRY NOT TO TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
Gluebert nodded thoughtfully.
"Very sensible advice."
The pirate parrot landed on top of the sign.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
"I AM NOT!"
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
"I HAVE NEVER BEEN A CAPTAIN!"
The parrot looked disappointed.
Then quietly asked,
"...Assistant Captain?"
Pete slowly held up one final sign.
THAT'S... ACTUALLY BETTER.
Even Gluebert had to laugh.
Then something gently bumped Boxy's boot.
He looked down.
A tiny cork boat floated against the shore.
Three corks.
A little paper sail.
Hardly bigger than a loaf of bread.
Then another drifted in.
Then another.
Gluebert looked at them.
Then at the sea.
Then back at the boats.
"...I have concerns."
The Wibbly Way stopped at the water's edge.
Not ending.
Just... waiting.
As though quietly suggesting...
Your turn…
Boxy picked up one of the tiny cork boats.
It floated happily in his hands.
"It can't possibly fit us."
Gluebert agreed.
"It couldn't possibly fit one of my eyebrows."
Pete carefully placed his foot inside another boat.
At once...
The little boat stretched.
Not with a pop.
Not with a bang.
Just a gentle...
boooop.
Until it was exactly the right size.
Pete looked at Boxy.
Then at the boat.
Then held up a sign.
OH.
Gluebert smiled knowingly.
"I suspected that would happen."
Pete slowly unfolded another sign.
NO YOU DIDN'T.
Gluebert climbed into the last boat.
It stretched.
Groaned.
Squeaked once.
Then stopped.
Gluebert nodded proudly.
"You see?"
"I was exactly the correct amount of wizard."
The pirate parrot landed on his mast.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Gluebert sighed.
"I shall ignore him."
The parrot leaned closer.
"FIRST MATE FLOPSY?"
"...Better."
The little boats drifted away from the shore.
No paddles.
No sails flapping.
The sea simply carried them.
It was peaceful.
Little silver fish leapt from the water.
Clouds drifted lazily overhead.
Boxy smiled.
"I think this might be the calmest place we've ever visited."
The sea burped.
A fish wearing spectacles popped up.
"Sorry."
"Hiccups."
It disappeared again.
Pete nodded.
REASONABLE.
They drifted between the wandering islands.
One tiny island floated past carrying only a single palm tree.
The palm tree waved politely.
Another island had three palm trees.
They all faced different directions and refused to acknowledge each other.
Gluebert watched them.
"They've had a disagreement."
"How can you tell?"
"They've stopped waving."
Another island drifted close.
It had a little treasure chest sitting in the middle.
Gluebert gasped.
"Treasure!"
The island drifted away before they reached it.
Gluebert sighed.
"...Rude."
The Sea of Maybe slowly became mistier.
The islands faded one by one.
Soon there was only white fog.
No shore.
No islands.
No path.
Just gentle waves.
Gluebert looked left.
Then right.
Then confidently pointed.
"This way."
Pete looked.
There was nothing there.
He slowly held up a sign.
ON WHAT EVIDENCE?
Gluebert paused.
"...Optimism."
A gentle clink echoed through the mist.
Then another.
Something bumped softly against Boxy's boat.
A bottle.
Inside...
was a tiny pirate island.
There was a little beach.
Little palm trees.
A tiny treasure chest.
A tiny jetty.
Even tiny waves rolled gently onto the tiny shore.
Boxy picked it up.
"It moves."
As he turned the bottle...
The tiny island slowly rotated inside.
The little palm trees gently parted.
Revealing...
a tiny treasure map.
Gluebert peered through the glass.
"Impossible."
Pete looked inside next.
His smile faded.
For just a moment.
He wasn't looking at the island anymore.
He was looking...
at himself.
Standing.
Smiling.
Talking.
His mouth moved.
His own voice laughed.
Then...
The bottle turned again.
The picture disappeared.
Pete quietly handed the bottle back.
He didn't write anything.
Boxy noticed.
He didn't ask.
Not yet.
The bottle gave a warm golden glow.
Then gently floated forwards.
"Do you think it wants us to follow?" asked Boxy.
Gluebert nodded.
"I've followed worse advice."
Pete looked at him.
REGULARLY.
The bottle drifted slowly through the fog.
Until...
Thunk.
It bumped into something wooden.
The mist began to lift.
A crooked little jetty emerged from the white.
Its planks leaned in different directions.
One post wore a knitted sock.
Nobody mentioned it.
Moored beside the jetty floated the strangest pirate ship Boxy had ever seen.
Its patchwork sails fluttered gently.
Its mast leaned slightly.
Its anchor looked suspiciously like an enormous bent spoon.
A smiling octopus wearing an eye patch decorated the flag.
Boxy grinned.
"I like this ship."
"So do I," said Gluebert.
"It looks like it was built by people who tried their best."
Pete looked around.
Then smiled quietly.
ME TOO.
As Boxy stepped onto the jetty...
Something strange happened.
The old treasure map slipped from his backpack.
It landed on the wooden boards.
The blank middle shimmered.
Very slowly...
A tiny line appeared.
It wasn't printed.
It wasn't drawn.
It simply...
grew.
Beginning exactly where they'd found the map in the jungle...
It traced their footsteps.
Past the coconut tree.
Past the pirate parrot.
Across the beach.
Over the sea.
Right to the jetty.
Gluebert stared.
"The map..."
"...it's drawing itself."
Pete looked from the line...
to Boxy...
then back again.
His next sign was much smaller.
WE MADE THAT.
Boxy smiled.
"No."
He shook his head gently.
"We walked it."
"The map remembered."
For a long moment nobody spoke.
The line on the map stopped growing.
Not because it had finished.
Because...
they had.
For now.
A loud voice suddenly echoed from somewhere aboard the pirate ship.
"WHO STOLE MY PARROT?"
The pirate parrot landed proudly on the railing.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
"I AM NOT!"
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
"I HAVE NEVER BEEN A PIRATE!"
The mysterious voice laughed.
A deep, warm laugh.
"Neither have I..."
"...until today."
Three heads slowly peered over the side of the ship.
Then disappeared again.
Pete frowned.
He held up a sign.
THERE WERE THREE.
Then...
one head popped up.
Then another.
Then six.
Then one upside down.
Then none.
Gluebert blinked.
"I've no idea how many captains this ship has."
The voice laughed again.
"Only one."
A long pause.
"...Probably."
Pete quietly turned over his sign.
THIS FEELS PROMISING.
Boxy tucked the map safely back into his backpack.
The new line glowed softly.
Not pointing the way.
Simply remembering it.
He smiled.
The Wibbly Way had never been about finding the perfect path.
It had always been about taking the next step.
Whatever came next...
they would discover it together.
Boxy took a deep breath.
"Hello?" he called.
"We're looking for the captain."
The ship fell silent.
Then every hatch...
every window...
every barrel...
and even the crow's nest...
opened at exactly the same moment.
Someone was definitely watching them.
And judging by the giggling...
they weren't very good at hiding.