Walking around the coastal village, I wave to the villagers as I pass on my way to the market. I pay a couple copper for two fresh caught fish, and throw them over my shoulder as I walk around. I get to the fresh fruit area, and smirk “Got caught stealing fruit again, Justin.” Justin looks at me annoyed “You set me up! You knew Pa was going to be out on the docks, so when we were snacking in the front of the cafe, you knew he would see us and went to get something while I got caught!” He complained “Now, that was not my fault that he looked at you the moment I went to get our drinks.”
He just glared at me. “Anyways, order and amount.” He said with a practiced, tired tone. “Three apples and two bags of trail mix.” I say. He hands me my fruit and trail mix. “7 copper.” He puts his hand out. “Since I’m your friend, can’t you reduce the price.” I say pleadingly. “Nope.” He says firmly, and shakes his hand, as if reminding me it’s there “Seven copper.” I sigh in defeat and hand over the copper “Nice doing business with you Shankhe.(pronounced sh-ah-n-ck-eh.)” I glared at him, “Have fun fruit dealing.” I say mockingly back at him. He grumbles something incoherent, but I turn away at that.
As I walk through the market, several fish men and tourists are going around. This is Shitaki, the kingdom of tourism and swimming from the Shafka area. Although Shafka only has two kingdoms, Shirono and Shitaki, it has lots of tourism. Shirono is a kingdom of fish men, who love making boats, even though they swim, because the tourists have been around that long. They also have great fishing and all sorts of things, although are less open to visitors, due to discrimination in the past when they didn’t make boats and were viewed as animals for their less humane appearance.Now, their counterpart kingdom, Shitaki, mostly takes all the tourists, while Shirono focuses on what they do best, making boats and fishing.
Soon, I approached a two story wooden building. I let myself in, and younger kids rushed to me, attaching themselves to my legs. I chuckle. “Matron, I’m back.” I call out to the room, where they’re setting up for my farewell party. An older woman, looking about 60-70 comes out from the kitchen, though looks can be deceiving, since she’s a magic user, so she could actually be way older than what she appears. “Thank you Shankhe.” She says as she takes the fish from me. “What will I do without you?” She asks with a chuckle.
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You see, I plan on becoming a traveler, someone who explores the world, and today is my last day in this village, somewhere I’ve grown up in for 16 years. I sit back and relax as I watch the younger kids play and have fun in the yard, smiling at their antics. Matron is finally done making dinner, and she lays the food out like a feast on tables.“Dig in!” She says, and the kids do vigorously.
I smile melancholically as I see them, knowing that it’ll be a long time until I see them, and this, again. I then start to dig in, enjoying and savoring the taste of Matron's cooking.
Soon, the kids were tuckered out, and soon went to bed. I did too, but I couldn’t sleep for a long time, thinking about all the good and bad times I’ve shared in this village, and fears about the future started to creep into my mind. Matron poked her head around the door. “Shankhe?” She said gently, as she walked in the dark room “You’re still awake?” She asks, as she sits on the edge of my bed. “You know, you’ll be tired tomorrow when you head out, come on, get some rest. You can worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.” She says, before quietly slipping out and closing the door softly. I smile at where she was a minute ago, classic Matron. I then try harder to go to sleep, and soon fall fast asleep.
The next day, I get up early and pack up my stuff, then head down for breakfast. As I eat my porridge, one of the younger kids comes up to me. “Sh-Shankhe.” They sniffle. “Do you have to go?” They ask, tearing up. I look down at them. “It’s my dream.” I say. “What a dream if you don’t follow it.” I smirk. Eventually, I finished and put my stuff in the dish bucket. I then go out to the well to get some more water for Matron the very last time. Soon, it’s time for me to leave. I grab my backpack, and start to walk to the edge of the village. Matron and the other kids with her come as well to wave me off. I wave goodbye as I leave, seeing even Matron cry is a surprise, but as I turn the corner and out of their sight, I march happily to adventure.