Читать книгу Over the Ocean, Over the Sea - Y. Yoshi - Страница 5

Sho stood at the entrance to the cave, peering into the darkness. He was told not to go back in but that only piqued his curiosity more. Using a piece of the sails’ sheets, Sho wrapped a few apples in it and brought it with him to leave in the cave. He remembered the stranger’s delight with a mere apple. Hopefully, this would be enough to appease him if he got upset over Sho’s defiance.

Why it mattered to Sho, he did not know.

What Sho did know, though, was that he was going into the cave no matter what.

Tightening his fist around the bundle of apples, Sho squared his shoulders and headed in. He carefully manoeuvred around the slippery rocks and put a hand on the wall to guide him as he approached the knoll that led up to the open area where the trinkets were.

It was not a taxing hike, but the humidity in the cave clung to Sho’s skin and clothes, drenching him in perspiration by the time he arrived at the clearing. There was a hole in the ceiling that let light into the cave, allowing Sho to venture this far in without the need for a candle. Any further and that might be necessary, but not today.

The clearing still looked the same. The same low, table-like structure was there, the same trinkets were lying around, though in slightly different positions. The compass was still there too. Staring at it as he approached the table, Sho felt the urge to reclaim it again but he resisted, instead simply placing the apples next to it. His re-entry to the cave was already a big enough transgression.

A small voice in the back of Sho’s mind questioned again why he should let that bother him. Pursing his lips in annoyance, Sho smothered the voice away and looked to the back of the cave, trying to see if he can go in deeper.

The path ahead had a gentle decline that led into darkness. Swallowing his uncertainty away, Sho put his hand on the wall again and started walking in with cautious steps. If he fell in here and broke something, he might never see the light of day again.

Moving away from the clearing, Sho soon found his vision plunged back into impenetrable darkness again. It felt as if it was closing around him, enveloping him, making it harder for him to breathe. Logically speaking, it was probably just the humidity making his lungs work harder. Being able to see would make him feel much better though. Hopefully, there was another light source concealed inside, like the hole at the clearing.

It was hard to tell how long Sho had been wandering around, following along the wall, but it felt like ages and it seemed like he wasn’t going to find any end nor light if he went on. It was getting harder and harder to breathe as well, more so than before. Sho decided that he should turn around. He would be better off coming back another day with the candles.

As he turned, Sho began to find his ears being filled with the deafening sounds of his heart racing mixed with the echoes of his feet shuffling around on the gravel. He forced himself to slow his breathing and his heartbeat, taking in long, deep breaths despite the difficulty. It would be a bad idea to panic now.

The way back seemed to take less time and within moments, Sho was back at the clearing on the knoll. He sat down on the sandy ground, under the spot of light that illuminated the otherwise dark cave. The air felt less oppressive here. Maybe it was due to the presence of light.

After taking a short break, Sho started to make his way back to the entrance when he threw a glance at the table and felt his heart stop. The bundle of apples were unwrapped and there was one less apple now. He smiled wryly to himself, half glad that the stranger has accepted his offer yet worried about what he might have to say about Sho’s intrusion. Until the stranger confronts him about it, though, there was nothing Sho could do about it. That is if he even shows up again.

Hand to the wall, Sho descended the knoll, heading back to the entrance of the cave. When he made it back into the open air, the sun was just beginning to set and water has crept back up towards the shore, submerging the rocks at the entrance. Sho didn’t expect that he would spend such a long time in there but it was hard to keep track of time in the darkness.

Sighing, Sho resolved to take better note of the tidal patterns. Perhaps he should bring the watch with him the next time he goes in. Keeping his mind occupied with improvements to his plans, Sho hurried back to the house, eager to go indoors before the rising tide forced him to try and swim his way back.

By the time Sho made it home, his body was worn out and his skin felt sticky from the perspiration and salty wind. It’s a good thing he had prepared for a hot bath. After lighting the hearth in the front of the house, Sho fired up the boiler for the bath and as he waited, he sat on the walkway outside, crunching on an apple as he watched the sunset.

When the moon began to glow, Sho had bitten the apple down to its core. He dropped it into the rising water and watched, expecting it to float back up but it never did. He frowned. Weren’t apples supposed to float in water? Staring at the water for a moment more, he scanned the surface but saw nothing that resembled the apple. Giving up, he shrugged to himself and went back inside. Perhaps it was too dark to see.

Stripping his robes off, Sho hung them over the folding screen that separated the bath area from the rest of the house and rinsed his body before slipping into the warm water, sighing as he felt his muscles relax. Submerging himself underwater, Sho let the water work into his hair which has now grown past his shoulders. He has yet to decide if he should cut it short or just leave it to keep growing. Resurfacing for air, Sho was in the midst of wiping the water out of his eyes when a voice reached his ears.

“Did you think a few apples were enough to appease me?” the stranger asked. His voice sounded light and teasing like the last time they met.

Sho made a startled noise and kicked away from the direction of his voice. Raking his hair back and out of his face, he stared wide-eyed at the stranger who rested his head on his arm which he put on the edge of the bath as he watched Sho’s reaction with amusement. The stranger’s long dark hair drew a sharp contrast against his shimmering robes.

“Ever heard of knocking?” Sho sputtered, offended by his intrusion.

“Did you knock?” the stranger returned the question.

Sho stared for a moment. “How do I knock in a cave?”

“How do I knock at a house with no doors?” The stranger replied with a question again, his smile growing wider at Sho’s flustering.

“I…” Sho was at a loss for words. Breathing shallowly from apprehension under the stranger’s gaze, Sho eventually said, “I needed to ask you something. But you weren’t showing up.”

The stranger’s eyes crinkled as his smile grew. “Miss me already?”

“Uhn?” Sho made a confused noise as he felt his body grow warmer. He wasn’t expecting that answer. He technically did miss the company of people but…

The stranger laughed and waved his hand dismissively. “It’s alright, you don’t have to answer that.”

Sho’s features scrunched into a momentary scowl, annoyed with the stranger’s toying.

“So what was your question?” the stranger asked, clearly enjoying himself as he traced a finger on the water’s surface, posture relaxed. “I’ll try to answer it best I can.”

Keeping a straight face, Sho asked, “Is there a boat I can use to get off this island?”

The stranger chuckled. “That’s interesting… You actually want to leave?”

“Are you going to stop me from leaving?” Sho asked tersely.

This time the stranger burst out laughing. “Oh goodness…” he muttered, wiping at his eyes. “What do you think I am? Some kind of island spirit that collects souls or something?”

“Well…” Sho looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed. “I don’t know much about you…”

“You pirates are such a superstitious bunch,” the stranger remarked with a grin. “Though not for no reason,” he added so softly that it was barely audible.

“What?”

“Why do you want to leave? Are you not comfortable here?” the stranger asked, ignoring Sho’s question.

Sho blinked at him. “I have friends to look for, family waiting for me back home. I need to let them know I’m fine.”

“Family as in… a wife and children?”

“No no,” Sho denied. “Parents. Siblings.”

The stranger hummed. “I see… So very different from the previous ones, you are,” he commented, looking into the distance again. “Your predecessors never wanted to leave. Regardless of whether or not they had people waiting for them.”

“There were others here before me?”

The stranger nodded, lost in his memories.

“What happened to them?”

“Some died of starvation when I stopped feeding them,” the stranger said nonchalantly. “Others got lost in the caves and never made it back.” Before Sho could ask more about them, the stranger said, “Anyway, the short answer to your question is ‘no’.”

“No?” Sho echoed. “So what’s the long answer?”

“Long answer…” The stranger stared at Sho for a moment, contemplating. “Technically, there are boats but…”

“But?”

“They’re either underwater, damaged beyond repair, or if they’re on land, they’re not seaworthy,” the stranger said. “And they’re not on this side of the island.”

“So how do I get to the other side?”

The stranger held up two fingers. “One way is to swim around the island. I don’t recommend this because the waves will crush you against the rocks.”

“And the other way?”

“Through the cave,” the stranger answered dryly. “But I don’t recommend expending the effort to get there anyway.”

“What?” Sho frowned. “Why not?”

“That side…” The stranger’s brows furrowed as his face took on a troubled expression. It gave Sho an odd feeling, seeing such a look on him. “It’s a cave exit, right?”

Sho nodded.

“All there is on that side is a sandbank and rocks. Nothing like wood that you can use to fix the boat.”

The water in the bath sloshed as Sho sat up, thinking intently. “What if I were to bring the materials over through the cave?”

“It’s too long a trek,” the stranger said, shaking his head. “Remember how hard it was to breathe when you were in there?”

Sho narrowed his eyes at the stranger. “You knew I was having a hard time and you didn’t do anything?”

The stranger merely shrugged and continued. “It’s also too dangerous to go deeper into the cave. I’m telling you to stay out for a good reason.”

“What do you mean by ‘too dangerous’?” Sho asked.

“There are… things…”

“Uhhuh,” Sho muttered, unconvinced. “It sounds like you’re trying to make me believe that it’s impossible to leave.”

“I want to leave too,” the stranger stressed suddenly, leaning towards Sho over the edge of the bath. His agitation quickly died off as he sank back. “And I can’t do it without you, without someone transporting me out.”

Sho frowned, confused. “Why not?”

“I can’t fix boats, neither can I steer them,” the stranger explained. “There’s no way for me to get far like this, is there?”

“I guess…” Sho muttered. “I suppose that means you weren’t a sailor or something before you ended up here.”

“Of course not,” the stranger laughed, bringing a hand to cover his smile. “I’ve never even been on a boat.”

“Then how did you end up here?” Sho asked.

The stranger froze as an alarmed expression appeared on his face, looking as if he accidentally let something slip. Masking his emotions with a stony expression, he immediately stood up and turned to leave, coldly saying, “That’s enough for today.”

“Wait!” Sho called after the stranger as he scrambled to get out of the bath. He hastily wrapped his robes around his dripping wet torso and hurried back towards the entrance of the house, hoping that the stranger has not disappeared.

A sudden draft went through the house, chilling Sho’s body and making him sneeze.

“You should dry yourself up before you catch a cold.”

Sho looked up at the open exit where the stranger peeked in at him from the side. “Oh, good, you’re still here,” he muttered before sneezing again.

“Really now, go dry yourself up,” the stranger chastised. “I need you alive and well, not sick or dead.”

“You’ll still be here when I get back?”

“Can’t bear to be alone?”

“I’d… honestly prefer having company.”

The stranger turned and looked at Sho, surprised. He stared for a while as if searching for something on Sho’s face. Eventually, he turned back to face the sea. “I’ll be here.”

Sho smiled in satisfaction, slowly turning back into the house to dry off and change into fresh clothes. He did so quickly, and as Sho headed back to the walkway, now clean and dry, he grabbed the barely-drunk bottle of rum that he opened the other day and brought it with him. Settling down on the other side of the entryway, Sho put the bottle between him and the stranger and said, “Drink with me.”

The stranger glanced at the bottle out of the corner of his eye and stared for a moment. He then burst out laughing. “You can’t even drink!” he mocked.

“I know,” Sho griped. “But can you?”

Shoulders still quaking from laughter, the stranger looked at the bottle as he replied, “I don’t actually know. I’ve never tried.”

“And you mock me,” Sho grumbled. Taking a quick swig from the bottle, Sho let the liquid warm his insides before holding the bottle by its neck and offering it to the stranger. “Drink,” he muttered.

The stranger’s fingers curled around the bottle tentatively as the wide sleeve of his robes slid down to his elbow, exposing pale luminous skin that seemed to glow under the light of the full moon. The stranger examined the unmarked bottle and sloshed its contents around as he held it up against the moonlight. Taking a cautious whiff of the concoction, the stranger wrinkled his nose and stared at it. Giving Sho a glance, the stranger finally brought the bottle to his lips and drank deeply, swallowing three huge gulps before putting the bottle down.

“You… probably shouldn’t have drunk that much in one go…” Sho muttered, watching the stranger carefully as the alcohol worked its way through his system.

A smile appeared on the stranger’s lips as he leaned back and rested his head against the wall. He chuckled softly and mumbled, “This… feels good.”

“I see you’re enjoying it,” Sho observed, subtly shifting the bottle back towards him. The stranger would probably be pissed with Sho if he had too much and woke up hungover.

“No wonder you seafaring types like drinking so much,” the stranger muttered, now looking at the stars. “It feels so nice… and warm… I wonder what it’s like if I went into the water like this,” he continued as he started to shift towards the edge of the walkway.

“Hey, hey, no,” Sho pulled the stranger back towards him. “I’ve seen enough shipmates walk themselves into the water and drown like that.”

The stranger started giggling as he rolled over. “What a joke, I can’t drown,” he scoffed as if that was the most absurd thing he has ever heard of.

“I don’t care what you think, you’re not going into the water like this,” Sho insisted as he persisted with pulling the stranger in.

With a huff and a resigned smile, the stranger muttered, “Fine, I’ll entertain you.” He sat back up, this time leaning against Sho’s shoulder as he kept his silent gaze fixed on the full moon.

As Sho took another sip from the bottle, the stranger started speaking again. “Y’know, maybe, if you wished hard enough, the sea might bring you that boat you need.”

Sho snorted. “What am I, a three year old?”

“Well, I wished for a companion and you appeared,” the stranger said, his tone aloof.

“Oh,” Sho uttered, suddenly struck by a loss for words at the stranger’s frank statement. “... Could be a coincidence.”

“What about the apples though?” the stranger continued, languidly gesturing his hand towards the barrel in the house.

“Now you’re just making things up,” Sho chuckled, wetting his lips with another drink.

“Well, there’s no harm in trying, is there?” the stranger insisted, sounding slightly dejected.

“You’re right though,” Sho muttered. “No harm in trying.”

The stranger hummed, satisfied with Sho’s answer as he reached for the bottle. Sho handed it to him and the stranger took another long drink from it. The bottle was almost empty now.

Sho was staring at the glistening sea under the moon, lost in his thoughts when the stranger spoke up again. “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Can I sleep here tonight? I don’t feel like moving much.”

Sho raised his brow, surprised by the stranger’s sudden request. “I… guess… There’s no door stopping you anyway.”

The stranger chuckled. “True,” he muttered.

Sho took one final drink from the bottle before passing it to the stranger. “Here, finish it.”

The stranger took it without hesitation and gulped the remaining alcohol in one go. Staring at the empty bottle, he suddenly said, “Rei.”

Barely having heard what he said, Sho voiced a vague inquiring noise in response. “Huh?”

“My name,” the stranger stated. “Rei.”

Sho shot his eyes over to the stranger, or rather, Rei. “I thought you said you didn’t have a name?”

“I guess it’s been so long since it was last used that I couldn’t recall there and then,” said Rei, his expression unreadable.

“Huh,” Sho muttered. “I guess… you can call me Sho.”

“What a common name,” Rei taunted.

“Take it or leave it.”

Rei chuckled. “I’ll take it, Sho.”