Nothing could disturb the sense of satisfaction Klara felt as she walked along the docks of Liverpool, not even the crashing of waves against the ship's hull. The Fortune. It was a majestic ship that left her in awe every time she managed to get a glance at it, but most of all was the one that was to carry her to a new life. Just weeks ago the entire thing had seemed like an impossibility yet there she was with a ticket in hand, one that she had obtained without much effort at all. Her bunk mate, an old man, had supposedly kept it for himself but instead had left just days earlier in a drunken rage. She had waited and once there was no sign of the man, she had packed up the ticket with the remainder of her things and began a journey to the English coastline where the ship in all her glory resided. 

America. That was where the ship was headed. New York. She didn't know much about the place, but she knew even from people back home in Poland that it offered all sorts of opportunities to people like her. It was still unclear if that had been her real motivation for taking the ticket or whether it had been a sense of adventure that drove her to it, but none of that mattered. She was here now and about to experience what had been rumoured all over England to be a ship of beauty. In her possession was a Third Class ticket and judging by the price that was listed on it, even it seemed to be beyond anything she could have afforded on her wages. But it was rumoured that even steerage on this ship were to be kept in the best possible conditions. She really hoped those rumours were correct, rapidly recalling the rats she had managed to unintentionally befriend during her passage from the mainland. The whole thing seemed comical now of course, but it hadn't been once she discovered the bastards gnawing on her clothing. 

"Just one." Klara spoke in heavily accented English as a poor old man approached her, asking if she had a second ticket. The entire incident baffled her as she knew anybody with eyes could likely see she was poor herself, but she quickly forgave herself for not blowing up at the man upon realizing he was blind. "Don't worry. By the grace of God your son will get on that ship." She added, smiling even though the man couldn't see it. The whole situation made her feel bad as the man had just wanted a ticket for his son, but her eighteen year old self was just as powerless to help the situation as he was. With that, she walked off and continued exploring the docks. Many people were already getting anxious to board the ship but Klara had decided to wait, wanting to take in the sights. It was only half the adventure for her. Exploring the docks of course was bound not to beat the run-in she had had with a gypsy caravan back in the countryside near her hometown, but it was something. She had jokingly asked them for a ride and surprisingly they had accepted, getting the girl to the outskirts of the next city. 

However, getting on this ship, The fortune, was bound to be an adventure in itself. Klara had initially wanted to wait, but once she saw multiple carriages pull up, and fancy ones at that she knew this was really no ordinary ship but in fact a haven for the rich and famous. Their lives had always managed to fascinate the girl, perhaps out of curiosity more than anything since she knew she could never be like them. "I think I'll like it here." She uttered to herself as she placed herself behind a hay bale to examine the particular group of aristocracy that had just arrived. Just from overhearing their discussions she had learned the man was heir to some sort of industry in America. She suddenly knew what that meant: she'd be working for men of fortune and that had potential to provide her a decent life. 

Once the first group was gone and on the ship plenty more started pulling up. One of the groups present seemed to contain a much younger man, seemingly close to Klara's own age. She began admiring him and found him to be quite handsome, but naturally she knew she never stood a chance even getting close to somebody of his status. [i]Keep dreaming Klara, keep dreaming...[/i] She thought as she lowered herself back behind the hay bale. She knew her time to board the ship was quickly approaching, but now she intended to wait until some of these people were cleared about, especially the man she had just been admiring for so long. Last thing he needed to see were her cheeks which were now red from blush. Not even her flowing light brunette hair could conceal the embarrassment she now felt.