[ IP ] New Albany .

William looked at the map Master Hartsfield had given him one more time before bed. *A gift* he called it, *until we can get you a real one. * William did n't know what a `` real map'' looked like, but to his ten year old mind, it was impossible to imagine something better than this. This map had all of Albany on it, even places William had never heard of! Wiliam smiled for the first time in a long time when Master Hartsfield gave it to him. He pointed at the southern mouth of the Baltrung and said that is where they were. Then he pointed at the Washerly Bay and said that's where they were going. William thought it was going to be a grand adventure; he would even get to ride a boat! Most of all though, William was glad he was going to have a home again, because Master Hartsfield told him that he was going to be a servant in his manor. Even in his young age, William knew what a servant was, and that it meant that he would be losing social class, but he did n't care. William did n't really understand everything that happened in the past month since his parents had disappeared, but he knew that his old home was gone, and life without a home was scary. Master Hartsfield had even promised William a new friend, because he had a daughter the same age as him. That made William very happy, because the other thing he found out since his parents went away was that nobody wanted to be his friend anymore. All in all, things seemed to be looking up again for William, and after he carefully rolled up his new map and climbed into bed, he slept well for the first time in a long time, dreaming of the adventures he was soon to have.
