Tickets ready. Yes, even if you’re enormous. Especially then. You’re not sneaking aboard by claiming everyone can already see you.

I carry the islands’ arguments across the water. Hippos discussing weightlessness. Owls requesting better views. An octopus offering a handshake that becomes most of the boarding process.

My hull is unbreakable. My patience isn’t. People confuse those qualities until I explain how close the railing is.

A goat rehearsed opera beside the sleeping passengers. I gave him a private performance area facing the sea. Much improved reviews.

Whatever strange shortcut the others promise, I get you across.

Sit down. Keep your ticket. Stop calling the deck an extension of your personality.