The Adventures in Everywhere: Prequel

March 10th, 2022

Report of James Videl, a diver and explorer of shipwrecks. This report is about a recent discovery made during a submarine dive to the R.M.S. Titanic. A small watertight safe was located on the seafloor approximately halfway between the main stern and bow wreckage pieces. We retrieved it to examine the contents and had a difficult time opening the safe. After a large amount of persuasion, we found a perfectly preserved leather bound journal. Inscribed on the front was the name "Thomas Graham". After doing some research, the team found that Thomas Graham was a reporter with the New York Times. The answers as to why he was on the Titanic seem to be obvious, but why his journal would be in a watertight safe, we aren't sure. We are hopeful his journal will say.

The following of this report will be the transcript of the journal with my real time reactions recorded. I will notate them with an asterisk surrounding them i.e. *like this*.

Begin transcript:

April 10th, 1912

This is the journal of Thomas Graham and his journey to Great Britain. I have been tasked by the paper to interview Sir Peregrine Taisteal of Spain.

*We did some research into Sir Taisteal, but we could only find mentions of him in articles about him donating tons of money to assorted charities.*

The fact that he has agreed to any interview is of great fascination to anyone who has heard of him. He has never agreed to an interview and is something of a recluse. His name is brought up in the papers every now and then, but only as a brief mention as a benefactor of some charity;

which is one of the most intriguing parts of this man.

*Even Thomas here couldn't find much on this guy.*

He has donated to many charities, benefits, missions, etc., all over the world and always in lavish amounts. No one knows where he gets all the money he donates, but everyone has their own theories and quandaries. He has never done an interview, so the fact that he has agreed to an interview with us now is quite the mystery. He has, however, asked that the interview be done specifically on the White Star line's newest and most prized ship, the R.M.S. Titanic. Yet another mystery, but a somewhat welcome one. I do, however, now have the double duty of writing an article about the largest ship in the world on her maiden voyage and conducting an interview with one of the world's most elusive men.

*Poor Thomas, sounds a little overworked.*

And so I am writing this journal to document all that happens so that I may write both articles when I get back and will only be tasked with choosing what goes in which article I write.

To begin with, today is the day that the Titanic will be setting sail across the Atlantic. It will sail from Southampton in England, to Cherbourg in France, and then to Queenstown in Ireland, where it'll leave Europe for the United States of America, specifically New York City. I'm now leaving for boarding.

I am currently standing at the pier of the Titanic. It truly is the largest ship in the world! Never in all my travels around the world have I seen such a feat of humanity. Can we as a species progress past this point in history? Surely we must.

*A little vain about us isn't he? Just imagine if he'd live to see today. We have much bigger ships now.*

I am now aboard the Titanic in a first class suite. Sir Peregrine, or as he apparently prefers, Perry, has provided me with such accommodations. As I waited at the boarding gates, he greeted me from behind. He is a young man, extraordinarily younger than I would have expected. I would have to wager a guess that he is no older than his mid-twenties, and yet in several of his mannerisms, he seems much older! He is very cordial and exceedingly polite. He speaks perfect English, as though it was his first language, yet he says Spanish is his primary. He does have a Spanish accent, yet it is slight.

We boarded the ship and were greeted by an even more amazing interior. I thought the exterior of the ship was extraordinary, but this surpasses all beauty I have ever seen. This ship isn't really a ship but a floating castle. Sir Perry went to his state room and I to mine.

The woodwork in my room is absolutely marvelous and awe inspiring. I thought we had excellent buildings in America, but this ship is absolutely, dumbfoundingly, amazing in every conceivable way. This truly is the ship of dreams.

*It really is no surprise that it was man's hubris that ultimately sank the Titanic.*

A terrible accident almost occurred just a few minutes ago. The Titanic set off on her maiden voyage and was almost struck by another ship, the SS New York. The SS New York was moored to another White Star Liner, the Oceanic. As the Titanic passed them, the mooring lines of the New York snapped, with reports like gunshots. I watched from the deck of the Titanic as the New York swung towards us. Thankfully, due to the quick thinking of all involved, the New York missed the Titanic. I have heard some of my fellow passengers saying that the incident is an ill omen to come, but I don't buy into any of that superstition.

*Maybe he should.*

They say that this ship is unsinkable, and if they can design a ship to be as beautiful as this one, I'd have to believe it.

I have taken the time to explore the first class section of this masterpiece of human ingenuity.

*Again, hubris.*

The forward grand staircase is a piece of art in and of itself. The beautiful glass dome overhead elicited a gasp of awe from myself. The wrought iron piece is an absolute marvel to gaze at, and the sun reflects through the glass in an ethereal and majestic manner. My words can do no justice to describe the grandeur of this ship.

I am meeting Sir Perry for dinner tonight in the first class dinner room. We will conduct the first part of our interview there.

*The interview was written in shorthand, and after flipping through the next couple of pages, most of the rest of the journal is. Thank goodness for the internet these days. I have added the quotation marks to keep track of who's speaking.*

April 10th, 1st Interview with Sir Peregrine Taisteal:

"What is your family history?"

"I'm afraid I don't know any of my family. I was raised an orphan in Valencia. When I was old enough, I began sailing on any ship I could. I have sailed all around the world, and continue to do so as you can see. I took the name Taisteal when I turned 18, because it is the Irish word for travel."

"Are you familiar with what Peregrine means?"

"I am, yes."

"So you're aware your name is literally Traveler Travel?"

*That has to be one of the dumbest names I've ever heard.*

"Yes, but very few know that and even fewer are able to put the puzzle together."

"I'm glad to be among those few then. I suppose you acquired your immense fortune sailing at sea then?"

"You suppose correctly. The pay was good at times, and the rewards were far greater."

"Rewards?"

"Yes indeed, when you hunt down pirates and aggressive natives to protect their colonies, the king and queen reward you greatly."

*This is an interesting development. The last of Spain's colonies were handed over to the USA as the result of the Spanish-American War, which was in 1898. If he was 25 in 1912, then he was 14 in 1898. More interesting is that piracy faded out of the Caribbean (Where most of Spain's colonies were) in the 1840s. Meaning he has to be at least 72, but that's insane!*

"Just how old are you?"

*Right!?*

"I find that age is not what's important, but where and what you do."

"Wise words, I'm sure. You said you were an orphan, is that where your heart of philanthropy comes from?"

"A part of it comes from my less then perfect childhood, yes. More of it comes from a guilt of sorts. Some of my money has come from less than reputable sources."

"And just what are those sources?"

"They're not important anymore. What has happened can no longer change without lying. What's more important is what happens now and later. We can learn from the past to shape the future, but we cannot shape the past to change the present."

"You have a plethora of wise sounding things to say don't you?"

"Well Mr. Thomas Graham, when you have a name like Traveler Travel, it is expected of you."

"I would bet on that."

"Now, I'm afraid I have to retire for the night. We'll save some questions for the next couple of nights."

END INTERVIEW

*As far as interesting developments go, that was the farthest I've ever seen.*

We cut our interview there, and went to our respective rooms. As far as more in-depth first impressions go, he really is a mysterious man. Truly the world will be in for quite the threat when my article about him comes out.

*Too bad that article never sees the light of day. There is no such article archived in the New York Times.*

*There are pages missing here. Looking at the next page it seems all of the entries for the twelfth, thirteenth, and most of the fourteenth have been torn out. All that is left in the journal is the final interview and the night of the sinking it seems.*

April 14th, Fifth interview with Sir Peregrine

"What is it about the sea that calls you to it?"

"I am a Spaniard sir. We are called to explore the sea at very young ages. At first it is the promise of money, glory, fame even! If we were sailors it was the prize of knowing we were serving our king and queen. But after a year or so, the call to the sea changes from one from men, to one from the sea. When the sea was made, it was with an ethereal beauty that transcends men, and yet also with a threat of death at every point. The sun scorches from above, the water freezes below, the sun dehydrates and takes the water from you, the water drowns you and fills you with its death. Not only do your surrounds try to kill you, but there are creatures below that survive without light and feast on the dead carcasses of those that swim above them-

*A real party pal this guy is.*

"-and all who sail know these things, yet they still sail. That is the greatest testament to humanity. They look at the deadliest part of the world and decide 'No, I won't let that defeat me. I will conquer that and rule it.' That is why I chose to have this interview here on this marvel of a ship. 'The Ship of Dreams' they call it. Now there is only one master of the ocean, and it is humanity."

"I could not have said it better myself Sir Perry. Now, do you believe that this ship is unsinkable?"

"Of course not. No ship is really unsinkable. Many ships have been deemed unsinkable. While we may be the masters of the oceans, it still is a wild beast that lashes out at us. Do not make the mistake that it can not kill us all."

"Well said sir, but I believe that the ocean or any power that be would have to try very hard to sink this ship."

*Oh Thomas, if you only knew.*

"There is nothing that needs to try hard to destroy mankind, as mankind does not often need help."

*The interview ends there. The shorthand continues however, and I now assume this is a record of the sinking. How exciting!*

After the interview, Sir Perry and I retired for the night. I awoke at around 11:45 to a very loud sound. I dressed quickly and made my way to the top deck. Apparently we struck an iceberg. As I write this it is now 12:10 and orders have been given to uncover lifeboats and to have all passengers put on life jackets.

*The shorthand stops there and goes back to regular writing. Thomas writes the rest of the account as a recounting of the events after they had transpired. I was hoping that this would be while the sinking was happening, but at least he tells the story.*

April 15th

I write this now safely on board the Carpathia. The Titanic sank last night after about two and three quarters of an hour. Many lives were lost, among those were Sir Perry. I am surprised at my survival myself. I will document the events that I remember happening in this journal.

When the order to uncover the lifeboats was given, I decided to go find Sir Perry. The people around me were calm, most said it's a drill, but I was doubtful. Why would they do a drill in the middle of the night? Something had to be very amiss. I knocked again. He answered and I told him what had happened; that being that the Titanic had struck an iceberg and the crew was ordered to uncover the lifeboats and have passengers put on life jackets.

"Is the damage bad?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't really matter, this ship is unsinkable. We'll be fine."

"If you think we'll be fine, why are you coming to tell me?" I could tell he sensed some of my doubt in the ship's safety.

"Better safe then sorry of course."

"Then we best get a move on to the hold."

"The hold sir?"

"Yes, I have a very important crate down there that I need to make sure gets off the ship before it sinks."

"Is it really that important? I mean surely the ship will be fine, and even if the ship is in terrible danger, life is more important than any cargo."

"That maybe, but this cargo is more important than most. It holds the greatest portion of my fortune."

"What is it?"

"If you want to know, you'll have to come with me to see it."

"Alright, but we have to hurry."

We began our walk down to the hold. I suggested using the elevators, but for some reason Sir Perry refused to use them. He said they reminded him of something he did not wish to remember.

We had to swim through a stream of people in order to get to the lower decks.

*Poor choice of words there.*

We could sense a feeling of confusion from them as we navigate our way lower into the ship. I overheard one person asking if we were nuts for going into a sinking ship.

We made it to the hold with Sir Perry's cargo. When we opened the door and saw that there was approximately a foot of water that was rising quickly, it became very apparent to both of us that the ship was in a most perilous state. Sir Perry rushed into the hold. He searched for his crate, while I looked for a pry tool. The water was freezing and I did not wish to stand in it for long at all.

Sir Perry located his crate quickly, but I was having difficulty locating a pry bar. The water was rising rapidly, and had risen to the middle of our thighs. I started to lose feeling in my feet, a feeling I hoped would not continue.

I finally located a pry bar and sloshed my way to Sir Perry. He ripped open the crate and inside was a treasure chest! He told me that this was the most important part of his entire fortune and opened it for me to see. It was filled with golden spanish doubloons. I asked where he had received them, but he only replied saying that it wasn't important and all that mattered was that we needed to get the treasure out as quickly as possible.

"How do you plan to get it out of here?"

"I had wheels put on it, but we're going to have to carry it up the stairs."

*I'm surprised it took humanity this long to think of putting wheels on trunks.*

"We'd better get a move on then."

By the time we carried the chest out of the hold, the water had risen considerably. It was then up to our chests, and we soaked to the bone. My clothes did nothing to keep me warm. The water followed us through the ship while we transported the chest to the top deck where the lifeboats were. It was a struggle, but we made it after an hour.

When we emerged from the bowels of the ship, the forecastle of the ship was close to the water. There was a noticeable list to the port side and everyone now knew the ship wasn't going to make it to New York. There was a palpable sense of fear and panic as the ship sank. Sir Perry rolled the chest to the nearest lifeboat. He began speaking to an officer about getting his chest into a boat. The officer berated him about it, saying that firstly they're loading women and children first, and secondly lives are more important than cargo. Sir Perry rolled the chest towards me.

"I understand the importance of life, that's why I want to get this chest off."

"Does it float?"

"It's full of gold doubloons, of course not."

I noticed a lifeboat beginning to row away, and suggested we jump and leave the chest behind. Sir Perry said no, explaining the chest would swamp the boat and sink faster than the ship would.

The officers started directing people to a boat, and so Sir Perry and I followed. He tried to convince the officer that the chest contained supplies that might prove useful at sea, but the officer didn't believe him.

The water began pouring into the portholes, quickening the demise of the ship. Sir Perry continued to argue with the officers to try and put the chest in a boat. The bow of the ship continued to dip farther underwater and there were only two boats remaining. Captain Smith then called out to the lifeboats to come back and rescue more people. Only two boats heeded his call and returned to take on more passengers. Sir Perry called out to some boats to take the chest, offering rewards of money, but none took his offers.

I then turned my attention to try and talk him into leaving the chest behind.

"Leave the damn chest already! We need to get off the ship!"

"I can't leave the chest behind!"

"It's either leave the chest, or drown with it!"

"Then I'll drown! I can't ask the same of you, save yourself."

"No."

"Fine then. Guess this is it."

We set up chairs to sit and wait for the end. The angle of the ship grew too great to sit, but the list to the port side seemed to correct itself. As we waited for the end, there was a cacophony of metal. It sounded as though the ship itself was screaming. The forward funnel gave way, collapsing into the sea, and causing a large wave to splash onto the ship that swept people off and out towards the sea. This is when the Titanic's final plunge began.

The rate at which the ship sank seemed to increase tenfold. The stern rose sharply into the air. The chest rolled off and into the sea. The reason we didn't get off the ship indeed sank faster then the ship itself. Sir Perry and I were unable to maintain any comfortable position on the deck, and so stood ourselves up on top of a wall. We gave one final look of respect, worry, and well wishing, then we both jumped out and away from the ship. The water shocked me to my core and I thought I would pass out from the frigid cold, but I retained my consciousness. I swam away from the ship as it plummeted down towards the depths. A lifeboat was nearby and they helped me club on board. I looked for Sir Perry but I never did see him again.

We floated around the wreckage looking for anyone who may have survived, but there weren't many. At about 5 am this morning we were found by the Carpathia. The warmth is so very welcome. It doesn't look good for my feet however. They're a very unnatural color and have no feeling. I'm fairly certain I will lose them.

*That is the end of Thomas Graham's writing, but there is more here. It is shorthand, but it is in a different handwriting.*

Hello. My name is Peregrine Taisteal.

*He survived!?*

If you are reading this, then you can now explore the bottom of the ocean. You're probably wondering as to why this journal was located in a watertight safe at the wreckage site and why certain sections of it have been removed. I'm afraid some parts needed to be removed, as they became too personal and revealed some secrets best kept to me. After the Carpathia made it to New York, I stole this journal and put it on the bottom of the ocean. The reason why is because I am something of a secret myself, a cryptid if you will. I must go back into hiding. Now, you may be tempted to find that chest full of treasure. Well, the chest slid off the deck into the sea, but you won't find it. It has been collected.

I will add some final thoughts to the matter of the Titanic however, as this journal has a record of that tragic night. It is man's immense ego and pride that causes us to think we might have control over this world. In the end, our stubbornness always leads to our destruction. It is man's fate, that when left to his own devices, dies. While we may learn from this disaster, we will never learn the lesson that needs to be learned: we are not the masters of this world.

*That is the end of the journal. Who the hell is this guy? I'm gonna make a ton of calls tomorrow and get some bloody answers.*

March 12th 2022

Report of James Videl, a diver and explorer of shipwrecks. I called every connection I have to figure out who this Sir Perry is and I have no answers! It's like this guy doesn't exist!

I was in the middle of this report when a knock came at my door. I opened it, expecting to find one of my crew, but nope. It was Sir Perry! At least that's who he said he was. He told me he was informed about my inquiries of him and that I should stop. I asked who he was and he simply said his name, and left. I guess that's all I'll ever know. He must be immortal or something to live this damn long. Either way, my business is ships, not following some strange mystery. I do have a cousin though who would be very interested in this story though.

End Report.