Читать книгу Over the Ocean, Over the Sea - Y. Yoshi - Страница 2

After a week on this island, Sho had found a rhythm to his routine. The surprise food this morning threw him off quite a bit though. What was he going to do for the whole day without the need to search for food? He didn’t really want to explore more either. The knowledge that there was someone else here with him, someone who probably watched his every move, wasn’t exactly a comforting thought.

In the end, Sho decided to stay in the house and clean up a little more, make things a bit more comfortable. He wondered if he should build a raft or something to try leaving the island. But without the compass, Sho wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Getting lost at sea without adequate supplies would be a much worse fate than staying on this island for the rest of his life.

As night fell, Sho started a fire in the sunken hearth in the middle of the house. Putting a pot of freshwater over the fire, Sho added in a few strips of the seaweed he found and dried out, along with some of the shellfish that was dropped off at his doorstep this morning. Hopefully, the boiling will eliminate any possible toxins.

A full moon rose on the horizon and Sho settled on the walkway right outside the house, bare feet swinging over the edge, just above the water as he set up a fishing rod and leaned back, relaxed. There was no need to catch anything. But having something to do, to anticipate was better than sitting around doing nothing.

While waiting for his stew, Sho tried to formulate a plan to leave this island. He would definitely have to gather food supplies first if he wanted to do so. Leaving would be easier if there was a fishing boat still docked somewhere on this small island though. But if a friendly ship came by, and he manages to catch their attention, that would be even easier. Sho wondered if his shipmates were alive. Hopefully, they survived. Maybe they did and they were looking for him, or not. Maybe. Hopefully.

The line on the fishing rod unravelled, with the catch on the other end speeding off. Casually, Sho picked it up and started reeling the creature in. It wasn’t too difficult. There wasn’t much weight behind it. Before long, he pulled his catch out of the water. It was a squid. Its ink could be useful for writing if that was ever necessary. But he didn’t need more food to keep now. It would just go to waste.

Unhooking the squid, Sho threw it back into the water and set his rod down. He didn’t expect that he would actually catch something. He shifted, folding his legs in as he stared at the moon. Sho soon got bored though. Humming a shanty he picked up from his time at sea, he stood up and went back in for his stew. Sho quickly ate his fill, but there was still half a pot untouched. He pursed his lips as he put the lid back on the pot. It should still be edible tomorrow.

Sho lay down on the bedding he set a short distance away from the hearth. It took him a while to figure out how far was too far and how close was too close, but he finally found the right spot. With a satisfied palate, he had intended to go to sleep but the salt from the seafood and the seaweed had him needing a drink. And he didn’t exactly feel like drinking water. He glanced at the untouched crate of rum that sat in a corner of the space.

Without much hesitation, Sho went over to the crate and pulled out a bottle. Popping it open, he sat down on the plank walkway again and started to drink, watching the moon and counting the stars as he did.