“Is there any way to make this easier? Surely there must be some trick to it,” Milo said, half asking, half begging for a way out.

“No.”

“What are some of my options for things I can do?”

“Jump straight in. Slowly wade in.”

“But it’s so cold! How do you deal with it?”

“You jump in. Make it quick.”

“...”

Milo and Gu were sitting on the fur pelt in front of the fireplace, mug of warm tea in hand after yet another day of failed attempts at boarding the boat. The boy hadn’t succeeded in getting more than ten steps into the river before the ruthless chill of the autumn air and frigid waters made him turn around and run back home in search of warmth. He tucked his knees into the oversized jacket and sipped on his tea.

“What if you carried me onboard?” Milo kept searching for solutions.

“And if you fell in the sea? Want me to carry you up then, too?” Gu scoffed.

“Yes?”

“No.”

“...”

“You need to learn how to handle it yourself,” Gu said with an air of finality.

The two drank their tea in silence while Milo fidgeted with the soft fur of the rug, repeatedly flipping the edge up and down with his feet.

“What if I used Birdmom’s feather?”

“...” Gu shot Milo a warning look.

The boy coughed, “What if I used the Queen of the Northern Forest’s feather?”

“En. You could. But you’d learn nothing. What if you don’t have it one day? Just drown?”

“What about after getting out of the water? Can I use it to warm up?”

“It’s yours. Don’t ask my permission.”

Milo sighed to himself, “What should I do? What should I do?”

“Jump in,” Gu said flatly.

“...You’re not very helpful.”

Gu grunted in response and finished his tea.

“Is there really nothing else?” Milo asked quietly.

“We can try every morning until you get it. Fire and a meal after,” Gu said.

“But–”

“During the rest of the day, you can do as you wish. Relax. Try again. Whatever you want. There’s not much to do until winter arrives.”

“But none of those actually makes things easier. Is there really really really no other option?”

Gu sighed and took a deep breath before replying.

“With a Gift there would be options. You could warm yourself with the Gift of fire; you could shield yourself with the Gift of air; ride a beast with the Gift of taming; do an infinite number of things with the Gift of water. And so on.”

“But I don’t have a Gift.”

“No, you don’t. With martial arts, there are many options too, but…”

“But…I don’t know that either.”

“I know. So for you…you just have to get used to it.”

Milo looked into the fire. Lazy flames drifted around in the reflection of two eyes that dimmed by the second.

“It’s not fair,” the boy whispered.

Gu moved to sit beside the downcast child, “No. It’s not.”

♢♢♢

The next day.

Milo and Gu were once again standing by the riverside in front of the boat. This time, however, contrasting the grumpy uncle dressed in plain autumn furs, the boy had wrapped himself up in an enormous blanket made of effervescent light and shimmering colours. He looked quite proud of himself.

“I decided to take your advice, Uncle Gu,” Milo said.

“Jumping in?”

“En. Please keep the feather for when I get back.”

Gu nodded and took the feather.

Dressed in only his underclothes, Milo took a breath then ran straight into the river before he had the chance to change his mind or lose any of the remaining heat from Birdmom’s feather. He took one step into the water. Two steps. Three steps. Then, once the water seemed like it was deep enough to risk it all, he pushed off the rocks and leapt head first into the icy shallows. And immediately screamed.

Gu chuckled.

“If you stay in for thirty seconds, I’ll give you a reward,” Gu shouted to the boy in the river.

“It’s so cold, it’s so cold, it’s so cold, it’s so cold, it’s so…” Milo recited over and over.

“Repeating that won’t make it warm.”

“It’s so warm, it’s so warm, it’s so warm, it’s not helping at all, it’s so cold, it’s so cold, it’s so…”

“Ten seconds,” Gu updated. “Move around a bit. Get used to the water.”

The boy paddled around for all of two seconds before he yelled back with a voice full of grievance, “Why did that make it even colder?!?”

“That happens. You’ll get used to it. Twenty seconds.”

“The reward…better be…worth it,” Milo said with chattering teeth.

“Twenty-five seconds.”

Gu walked right up to the water’s edge and prepared the feather for when Milo got out of the river.

“Thirty.”

“I’m…coming out…now,” Milo stood up from the water and walked over to Gu with shaky steps. He wrapped the feather blanket around himself and let out a sigh of comfort as the warmth renewed his frozen spirits.

“Good job,” Gu praised with a nod.

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“Thank you. So what is the reward you mentioned?”

“The reward is knowledge,” Gu said.

Milo looked up with interest.

“In those thirty seconds…you could have swam to the boat and finished the task,” Gu said, then started walking back to the cabin.

“I’m going to bite you.”

Gu chuckled and returned to the cabin to make breakfast and tea.

♢♢♢

An iridescent cocoon and a man dressed in greys and browns stood side by side beneath the afternoon sun. Water splashed lazily against the rocks dotting the shoreline as the currents ebbed and flowed. Although Milo’s attempts to complete the second task were usually done in the morning, the boy had begged and pleaded until he finally managed to convince the grumpy uncle to accompany him outside for a second chance. After realizing how close he was last time, the boy was filled with newfound motivation and courage.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Gu said, holding out a hand.

“En,” Milo clapped twice with great ceremony and placed the feather on Gu’s palm. It shrunk down to a single foot and laid there reflecting the sun’s rays in its ever-morphing iridescent way.

Milo was ready.

He took a deep breath and started running into the river once again. Three steps in, he leapt forwards in a graceful arc like a penguin attempting flight. He pierced the surface of the river and fully submerged. Then with a sputter, he lifted his head out from the water and started doggy paddling his way over to the boat, neck craned as far back as humanly possible in order to keep afloat.

Gu watched and made no comment.

The boy eventually managed to slowly paddle his way over to the side of the boat. He was realizing, actually, that after getting used to it, the coldness of the water wasn’t that bad at all. It was still cold, of course, but jumping in with full conviction somehow made it less painful than his previous slow and tentative attempts.

Reaching up to the boat’s ledge, Milo knocked down the rope ladder and started climbing up. His heart raced with excitement. He was so close.

With one final pull, Milo lifted himself up and over the railing, and onto the deck of the boat. The long-awaited boat. He was tempted to kiss the floor, but decided against it when he smelled the slight ocean scent. Regardless! He had made it, and he was proud.

When Milo stood up and looked to the shore, he saw Gu applauding his success. He took a quick bow and felt bubbly from the recognition of his accomplishment.

But then he looked back up and saw the grumpy uncle take a running start, hop lightly onto the rope attached to the ship – causing it to barely dip an inch – and then again onto the bow of the ship in a single fluid motion. Milo’s pride fled as quickly as it arrived.

“...That was an option?”

“If you had the training,” Gu nodded. “Want to try?”

Milo looked at the distance between the boat and shore.

“Actually, nevermind,” he held out his hand and took the feather back from Gu to warm up. “So what’s the third task?”

“Follow me.”

Gu walked to the stern of the boat and watched the mild current of the river’s eddy lap against the hull of the vessel. The man’s eyes reflected swirling tempests despite the gentle waters below. He waited for the boy to join him.

“Okay, what’s the task?” Milo asked eagerly when he caught up to the back of the grumpy uncle.

“Are you sure you want to know now?” Gu’s eyes were fixed straight ahead. “We can wait until tomorrow.”

“We’re already so close! I’d like to hear it now, so please,” the boy bounced on the spot. “Please tell me the third task.”

White knuckles gripped the railing of the boat as Gu wrestled with himself, but his face remained a muted, stony mask overlooking the water. Milo, still bouncing up and down excitedly, picked up nothing out of the ordinary from the man’s back.

Gu unclenched his jaw and forced out a neutral voice, “The sea is a beautiful place. Perhaps the most beautiful in the world.”

“En, en. That’s why I want to go so badly,” Milo nodded while swinging Gu’s right arm back and forth with both hands.

“But it’s also one of the most dangerous places.”

“You keep saying that, but it doesn’t seem that bad. So what’s the next task?”

The wind gusted and pushed the boat further into the river. With a groan, the ropes that moored them to land were pulled taut, straining in protest against their secure bindings. Loose cords and fabric flapped about, hitting everything within reach. Gu let the bitter cold pass through him without so much as a twitch. Milo, wrapped in his mystical feather, felt nothing of the chill – only comforting warmth.

“Come. Take a look at the river,” Gu said.

“Okay, what about it?” Milo skipped over.

“The river carries as much danger as the sea. Its waters flow strong and should not be taken lightly.”

Milo watched the surface of the river swirl and dance with an elaborate, flowing choreography that put even the palace courts to shame. Bubbles and streams weaved around each other, clashing, mingling, parting, and returning with countless variations. They popped up and disappeared at random, no two alike.

Small pockets of stasis formed when the current split around the rocks that breached its surface. The stillness stood out against the power of the raging currents that surrounded it. Milo noticed that all the water between the boat and shore was also just as still and slow-moving. In some places, the current was even flowing idly in the opposite direction.

“That’s called an eddy,” Gu said, following Milo’s gaze. “It’s the safest part of the river. The only part that won’t drag you to an early grave.”

“It really is beautiful. I can’t wait to see the sea and learn even more beautiful things about the water,” Milo said with a smile.

“En,” Gu gritted his teeth.

“So what’s the third task? You’re being so sneaky about it. I’ve had to ask five times now.”

“The third task…” Gu trailed off, putting a hand on Milo’s back and guiding him to the railing of the stern.

“Yes?”

“...Is learning to swim,” Gu said. He grabbed hold of the feather’s quill with his other hand.

“Okay, how shoul–”

Gu pushed Milo off the boat. The feather, held in place by the man’s firm grip, unfurled from the boy’s body as he plunged into the water. Milo’s eyes shot wide open in shock and confusion.

Splash.

Gu clenched his jaw and put the feather down. He sat with his head buried in his hands and waited.

♢♢♢

Cold.

Milo’s mind flashed with pure white – the shock of the sudden submersion paralyzed his mind and made him forget everything. Panic. He gasped out of reflex and instantly had both his mouth and airways flooded with icy water. He swallowed the water in his mouth but this only agitated his throat more. Cough. More water rushed in. Air. The boy felt his body cry for breath. He inhaled through his nose. Agony. Searing pain scorched his sinuses from the watery invasion. Pain flared from his nostrils and radiated through his head and neck. Up. Arms and legs flailed in a desperate attempt to breach the surface. He felt water against his eyelids. Out. Kicking until his nose felt the touch of air, he took a breath. Gasp. The water moved. He wasn’t stable. He inhaled a noseful of water and violently wrenched his head away. Death. The boy lost control. He thrashed all around trying to escape the icy mire of the river’s grasp. Fear. Panic. Panic. Panic. Panic. PANIC.

Suddenly, Milo felt a pressure around his waist and he was lifted out of the water. He coughed violently, hacking his lungs raw to purge all the fluid inside. Then, with a gasp, he drew in a proper breath of air – cough – before descending into another fit. Quick, shallow breaths soon turned into hyperventilation. The arms wrapped around him held firm. They were getting closer to the boat. As soon as the rope ladder was within reach, Milo kicked and squirmed in desperation until the arms released him, and he clambered on board. He crawled over to where the feather was lying on the floor, and wrapped it around himself. In a daze, he stared blankly at the planks on the deck and let out the tiniest whimper, breaths nearly inaudible. Despite the immediate warmth of the feather, Milo found himself shivering. He curled up into a ball and wrapped himself even deeper into the soft plumes.

Thump.

A set of feet landed on the boat, accompanied by a constant drip.

Thump. Thump.

They approached the catatonic boy and paused.

Creak.

A pair of arms wrapped around the bundled child and lifted him up.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sturdy frame that supported the boy bobbed up and down. He felt it tighten and compress.

Whoosh.

A sudden rush of pressure. Weightless.

Thump.

They landed, but the firm arms absorbed most of the impact.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Grass, rocks, dirt, fence, stairs.

Clank.

Door. The boy felt his position shift a bit, then return to normal.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Warm air touched his face, and he buried his head into the feather.

Plomp.

Milo was lowered onto a soft cushion, where he sat, unmoving, until night fell.