Dear Diary,
You wouldn’t believe the predicament I find myself in! My day started with an unusual guest – a young lad called Lint who bumbled onto my ship with a tale of adventure and, against my better judgement, I found myself entranced. You see, Melbourne is now more ocean than city, and Lint claimed to have a map to the legendary Quadforce, now scattered in pieces across this sunken cityscape.
Off we set on the SS Lionel, slicing through the submerged streets with hope on our horizon. I had Lint on navigation, a mistake I’d come to regret. His idea of directions, it seemed, involved leading us straight into a churning reef. The screech of metal on rock echoed in my ears as the hull protested loudly. A flock of frenzied seagulls, upset by our intrusion, swooped at us, damaging our precious combing racks.
The SS Lionel, my trusty vessel, had seen better days, and with Lint’s help, worse ones were on the horizon. We limped along the flooded streets, the skeletal remains of skyscrapers looming overhead, until we found our saviour. A floating shop bobbed on the waters, manned by a character as bizarre as Lint himself. Beetle they called him, and he promised a quick fix.
A sight for sore eyes, Beetle’s shop offered marine fabrication services close to Melbourne, which we desperately needed. He patched up our hull with ease and fixed our combing racks, all the while chattering about the quality of his work and the multitude of services he offered. One such that caught my eye was his professional boat catch installation services, a handy addition that I made a mental note of for future mishaps – and with Lint onboard, I was certain there would be plenty.
With the repairs done, the SS Lionel was as good as new, ready to set sail on the morrow in search of the first piece of the Quadforce. Lint, I realised, was a disaster waiting to happen but he was also a beacon of resilience and optimism, traits I found myself appreciating amidst the ruin. The search had indeed begun, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement.
Tomorrow, we sail into the unknown.
Till then,
Captain Lionel