I ascend a very narrow stone stairway, to a small weathered door. The door exits underneath an old wooden pier. The beach is quite beautiful (as most beaches are).
I'm still not sure exactly where the pier is located (the endless basement's twisty turning passages seem to have a mind of their own). My best guess puts the pier somewhere along the Eastern US coast.
The pier is a strange, but happy place. It seems to be wholly inhabited by children and young teens. Runaways mostly.
Along the pier, there is a large white tented pavilion filled with rows of tables. The children are gathered around large gaming cards. Players toss their coins onto the cards and when coins land on a child's number the child takes the coins and then jumps off the pier into the water. It seems to be an easy way for the younger children to earn some money.
I didn't spend much time at the pier as I felt rather conspicuous and out of place.
