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Hello and Thanks for reading, This is my first posted stories on Royal Road.
I know I have a lot of weakness in portraying the stories but please bear with me :)
I hope I can improve the longer this series go with your feedback. with that said
have fun reading and sorry this is a very short opening which started this journey :P
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“Ah …..” I passed by another and noticing it too late.
“ Hey hey what are you doing ! get it right”
“ Yes yes, I’m trying”
“ Chee, young people this days...”
“ I won’t miss the next one”
“ You better be, we have stayed here for far too long”
“ Yes yes”
“ Lupa ! you won’t get paid if you don’t catch anything”
“ Mind your words now, cuz I’m gonna get a big one and you gonna pay hell lot for it” I said with all seriousness now since my nonexistent payment was on the stake here, but still must the dam.. old man threatened to take my wage away if I couldn’t catch anything.
I was hella sure that I was being useful just by attending in his small boat. This boat was around four rakat long and one rakat wide. A wooden boxes made to contain what we caught from the seas could be found at the rear and laying nearby was a pair of grey wood spears, a metal hook was attached in the front of it while some sort of string was roped into the half end indicating it wasn’t a one time use weapons to hunt, in other words a throw and retrieve weapon.
In the middle of our boat was a small mast sandwiched by our makeshift sitting place which was of course made of woods that was connected across the side of our boat. Beneath it were a pair paddles and a small unused grey wind sail. The paddle was made from grey woods that can harden it self when met by salty water which is great in this situation. However, that was all this small boat could offer as a means of moving and I was often the only one who peddled us back and forth to the village.
“ Just great” I grumbled while my hand now is back ,busy with my most skilled part in this trade as the old man was back to his old business, watching the calm seas with his eagle eyes that can found its prey easily or so what he told me.
I mean come on, I already helped him butchered the one he caught, put it in the wooden boxes and even sprinkled some salt on it so it won’t rot. I prepared food and water the night before our sail and I make sure that the boat was on passing condition to sail. I even went to some tavern that old pops with big boat often gathered and endure their random chit chat to found out the location of calmar, our specialty.
“ Oh there, right there behind the collection of sea weeds”
“ Hmmm” I squinted my eyes trying to find the calmar that pops mentioned, it was normally easy to spot calmar when it tries to hide within sea weeds since the color are much different when seen from above but right now the sun is shining so bright that it almost blinded me, making my hard task even harder.
“ You take to long, here catch the spear”
“ Oops”
“ Get it right lad”
“ Yes” I said short and clear hinting my willingness to catch this calmar.
“ Now it’s moving towards deeper area, you got only one shot lad”
“.....” I dare not to reply as all of my concentration was poured on this one chance
The calmar was moving about randomly, it seems it had sensed being followed. Not long after it shot black tint from it’s rear, making the area around it darker and the tint come afloat towards the surface blurring my vision of it.
However I am not a newbie like years ago that got easily confused by calmar tactics. I tried to spot the current water burst that would naturally form after the calmar shot its tint which this time was rather easy since the calmar was on the big side.
“ Haaa “ I shouted my war cry as I jumped from the boat, spear clutched in my hand tightly and my aim was clear. After the short duration of the disturbing current I could spot the calmar that was trying to head towards deeper part of the sea.
My hand was trembling with excitement, my heart was beating fast at the thought of my first success. The world feels slowing down, I sensed every precious second as I was getting nearer and nearer to water.
A professional calmer spear hunter could easily hunt it from the boats and just throw his spear but I was not, I had to admit it I am pretty bad with spear and the reason are now showing.
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I was trembling far exceeding my excitement, my vision getting hazy and darker even before I reach the water surface, my heart beats increase more and more, and I finally lost control of my body. I jerked, numbing feelings come bashing at every part of my body as I slammed into the waters.
ah … again I experienced this devastating sensation, this unexplainable feelings that always come whenever I tried to let go my spear towards my target. It already haunted me for the past 5 years and no matter what I tried it never fades. I didn’t even know why or how it happen.
“Are you alright lad ? you seems funny look at your pitch dark body now hahahaha”
“......”
“ Come fast abroad this safe boat my dark lord”
“......” I silently climbed the boat, I already let go of my spears and it sunk deeper into the ocean as I could easily pull it later. I felt a bit uncomfortable since some of the ink get stuck on my skin.
“hahaha oh come on, that was funny”
“shut up” I finally snapped, this old man never got tired of making joke out of me whenever I failed miserably like this. Can’t he understand that I tried my hardest in doing this.
“ ahahahahaha” now tears come rolling down from his eyes
“ Just stop it already, I tried you know !”
“ But ..but .. but what time is it now 300 ? 500 ? ever since you worked for me hahaha”
“ Shut up or I will throw you down to the sea”
“ ahahaha okay okay I stop .. hahaha … okay”
finally about time he shut up although I still couldn’t stop my trembling hand as I still felt the feedback experience
“ Lad, I think we had enough fishing today”
“ well okay, I will close the boxes and retract the spears” I said grumbly since the way he asked me was sort of backhanded.
“ As promised you won’t get anything today”
“ What ?” now did he really try to piss me off or what ?
“ Didn’t you hear me ? you won’t get anything today, not a single share”
“ It’s not fair”
“ What is not fair lad ? you were the one who fail, isn’t there a saying that a man catch his own prey ?”
“ Yes I fail, but I did everything else outside of that !” I retorted back trying to win some sound argument
“ Sure enough but I never ask you to do those thing”
“ grrrrr” now I gripped my fist tighter … I really want to punch him in the face, give him some beating so he understand more about hardship, long gone was my respect I had for this old man that he managed to score me years ago.
“ hahaha however, I will still give your caretaker some share”
“ Huh ?” now I lost him.
“ What huh ? She sold some of my calmar with higher price to certain community, so why not ?”
“ haaahhh … whatever as long as *WE* got some share all is fine” I really don’t know what is this old man aiming, angering me again and again and never get bored of it.
“ Deal , now sail us back “
“ You are not helping ?”
“ Well, do you want to take your caretaker share home or not ?”
“ Fine fine” I replied curtly.
“ I still hadn’t finished yet lad, only when you manage to get us back before the evening market open, otherwise there is no point in it right ? hahahaha”
“grrrrrr” this da….. old man really can get to my nerve, but whatever I already lost it and I couldn’t do anything against him. I don’t want to give my caretaker a problem after all and I could save some energy from shouting against him.
min pass by and we had said nothing but suddenly the old man broke my moment of peace.
“You dead on playing silent huh ?” His hand moved towards the small box that was tightly roped with one of the seat and he open it.Inside was delicacy that I prepared last night as a sort of emergency ration.
“ Well fine, just enjoy your silence”
[Crunch, Crunch]
“.....”
This old man …..
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For those who had read until the end this prologue I thank you again :)
Also I am sorry for not putting the hype in the begging like other authors do as such making the stories seems bland :)
I wanted to build it up slowly since with gradual progress I tough It would be more enjoyable.
one other reason was also because I fear I would run out of juices if I kept the hype up since the beginning haha
See ya on next chapter :)
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