So, what happened next?  

- Do you believe in ghosts?

The Captain would have laughed off this topic a week ago if someone had dared to ask it. But the elderly librarian had been a friend of his for decades, and he knew that his friend was not one to play pranks.

- A glowing ship on the horizon, you say? Well, it could be anything from an optical illusion to a group of pranksters who decided to have fun scaring people at the pier.
- Cap, she looked exactly like in the photos from a hundred years ago.
- Okay, I'll go out to sea and check the coastal waters for anomalies, if that makes you feel better.

The librarian seemed to have truly calmed down, which surprised the Captain quite a bit.

The weather looked perfect, the Captain was anticipating a pleasant evening boat ride.

But then, just as the pier faded into the distance, all of a sudden:

- Wait a minute... A glowing ship?! — The binoculars had nearly dropped from the Captain's hands. — This can't be serious! I'm setting course for it! Whoever opted to play this joke will soon be discovered!

The Captain turned the wheel. Suddenly the wind picked up. The thought flashed through his mind that a chase on the open sea at night was a bad idea.

All at once, the wind appeared to be coming from every direction. Riggings buzzed pitifully, canvas flapped, sides creaked.

A pale light broke through the clouds and illuminated the path ahead. There was an island directly ahead!

- What a great place to moor!  I'll wait out the storm here. I may as well check where these glowing jokers were washed ashore.
- We are not jokers. We were looking for help. Maybe you can free us?

On the beach near the pier, a man stood. He was emitting a shimmering bluish light glow. He wore what looked like a uniform coat from a century-old painting. Even though the details were blurry from the deck where the Сaptain was standing, he couldn't help but notice the stranger's cocked hat. No one has worn those hats in a hundred years!

- By Thunder! Who are you? And why are you glowing?
- I am Frederick Thorne, captain of the Mirabelle. Our ship ran aground on this island one hundred years ago. It was then that we realised we couldn't get out of these waters. I was hoping that someone would notice us and come to help.
- Are you kidding me?! Are you ghosts? Oh my... Why can't you leave the island?
- It seems like every time we go out to sea, the wind shifts and brings us back here. It feels as though we're going through the shipwreck again. This is a curse, I believe.

Cursed ghosts?! What’s going on here? ‘I need to figure it all out,’ decided the Captain and set off to explore the island with Frederick.

It turned out that the island had been home to a naval base, but the buildings had long since been abandoned, leaving just their foundations visible. In order to make the island habitable again for marine conquerors, the Captain decided to repair it. Captain and Frederick built lighthouses on the rocks, ship repair docks, and houses for sailors.

As the Captain travelled, he encountered sailors from the Mirabelle crew, and their stories gradually clarified the history of the wreck.

- Frederick, your sailors and navigator told you that you had a passenger on board who wanted to change course. Do you remember anything about this?
- I remember, yes. One gentleman insisted that he really needed to get to some island. He said that it would bring him incredible wealth and glory.
- And you agreed to change course?
- Of course not! We continued on our way according to the planned route.
- We need to find this man. Maybe he’s the clue.

As they made their way across the island, Frederick and the Captain kept inquiring about the man seeking treasure from everyone they met. The crew and passengers had a hard time recalling what had happened a century ago, making the task more challenging. Still, there was hope.

- Excuse me, do you know the passenger on the Mirabelle who was looking for treasure?
- I do indeed. It was me.

Reginald Croft inherited a map from his archaeologist parents. The map led to a treasure. Reportedly, it was the fabled "Ocean Star", a stone whose light can be seen for miles. The treasure was hidden on this island, but the captain flatly refused to deviate from the route. Neither threats nor promises to share the spoils helped. In order to reach this place, Reginald modified the route map.

Well, his dream came true. He reached the island and found the treasure. But the curse of the treasure turned all the people on the Mirabelle into ghosts and tied them to this island. Reginald showed the treasure to the captains.

- What a glow! It's like a star fallen from the sky! What do you think, Frederick?
- It is truly beautiful! What a pity that it is cursed. Its radiance could have served as a guiding star.
- You are right! We can lift the curse if we make its source serve good. Let's turn the stone into a ship's lantern! Its light will show the way!

The Captain placed the shining stone on Mirabelle's figurehead. Everything was ready to sail.

Frederick pulled his cocked hat down tighter on his head, grabbed the wheel with trembling hands, swallowed, and gave the order to cast off the mooring lines. The Mirabelle responded softly and glided across the water. The Captain remained silent, his eyes fixed on Frederick.

- … I feel something. The sea is calling me again. The island doesn’t hold us anymore…

Frederick's voice trembled, he turned to the Captain and smiled.

- We are free! Without your help we would wander on dry land for eternity! Now we are free to sail the seas and show the way to other ships. Thank you!