She couldn’t believe her eyes. There, on the beach before her, was a shipwreck. She gathered her skirts and ran toward it.
“Lisa! Wait up!” Her little sister ran along behind her, almost tripping on her skirts, she was only just old enough to wear long ones and she wasn’t used to it yet.
“Lift your skirts Jenny, and HURRY!”

Together the girls ran toward the first exciting thing to happen to them in their whole lives, but as they drew close to the wreck they slowed to a stop. It was so big! Bigger than any ship in the city harbour. Slowly the girls walked around the ship, looking for an entrance.
“Maybe we should go? And tell Daddy?”
“And leave it to the adults? Stop being a wimp Jenny” Despite her brave words Lisa shivered and gripped her sister’s hand before they strode together into the dank, dark hull of the ship.

The first thing the girls noticed was the smell. The smell of fish was in the air, and so thick that the girls felt it was sticking to them, soaking into the fabric of their skirts. They soon found out why. In barrels, split open by the crash, were fish of all sorts. They spilled all over the floor of the ship and had already begun to rot. Lisa fished out her handkerchief and held it over her nose.
“That’s so gross Lise, can’t we go?”
“No, this is too exciting for a little smell to get in the way. It’s an adventure Jen, like the boys in the hold are always banging on about!”
“If this is an adventure, I prefer boredom. I’m going home.” Jenny turned to leave, but realised that the hole in the hull that they had entered through, wasn’t there!
“Liiisa!” Jenny spun around, looking for her big sister, “Lisa! Where are you! This isn’t funny! Suddenly a cackle split the air. “Lisa! Was that you?” She ran deeper into the wreck, toward a faint light, tripping over her skirts. She felt tears well up. “Lisa! Where did you go? Lisa!” She kept running and the light got brighter, though still not as bright as daylight. Then she remembered the time. It was nearly sunset! She had to find her sister and get home before dark or she’d get a thrashing.

Jenny began to cry. She would never get home in time, she didn’t know where Lisa was and the dark and the stink were beginning to scare her. But she stopped crying when she heard a giggle. Quickly, silently she began to look for the source. She was beginning to suspect a trick. She headed back towards the light and saw that it was coming from a lamp. The lamp was being held by her big brother and Lisa was standing behind him, both of them were laughing outright at the tears on their little sister’s cheeks.
“Come on Jenny, let’s go home and get rid of that stink.” Jenny wiped her eyes on her sleeve and sniffed, rejecting the offered hand.
“I can’t believe you’ve been so cruel.”
“It was just a bit of fun Jen. Calm down.” The three of them walked off, trying to leave the wreck. But as they were leaving, Lisa turned around, and a shadow darted across the wall.
“Did you two see that?” She asked, her voice shaking.
“You’re just worried by the joke Lise, calm down.”
“You’re right, it was probably nothing.” The siblings left the wreck, and their “adventure” behind.

But something was watching them leave.