CHAPTER 2 - THOUGHTS ON THE SAND
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Natirra walked with remarkable speed. She didn’t like that particular segment of the forest that made up the path to the beach, because even though she could see the beach at the end, it still took her a long time to reach it, and seeing it constantly ahead only irritated her, making her feel distant despite the proximity.
As she walked, however, she had a moment of individual thought in the emptiness of her walk, and began reflecting on her day so far. She had a new task, and would be meeting Riaca to work on that very particular project, but… Despite everything, she still didn’t understand what was so important about studying herself. And what was so important about understanding the world we live in? This wasn’t the first time she asked herself these questions.
“I already live on this planet, I already know the Narwhals, I know my species, I don’t need to study them, it’s a useless effort.”
But those aggressive and annoying thoughts were probably caused by the environment surrounding her, because the moment she felt the sweet and warm sand around her sandals, she felt more relaxed.
She lifted her head, which she always kept down to avoid looking people in the eyes, and observing the vast sea in front of her, with the sound of the waves flying into her ears, she took a deep breath, letting the sun kiss her as she stepped out from the shadow of those trees.
It didn’t take her long to reach the point where the salty water and sand met, and the ground became harder and cooler, as she reached the wet sand.
At that time of day, few animals appeared for some reason, and they all hid within the sea, except for a few exceptions that Natirra didn’t seem to notice at the time. The beach in front of her revealed itself as an endless plain of sand. That particular point was devoid of rocks.
“Better that there’s nothing,” she thought, smiling, and reassured herself that she could have a moment of calm.
It had been her routine ever since she had the ability to go out alone. She couldn’t help but be drawn to that beach, watching the waves hypnotically, their constant sound inspiring her mind to wander through her ideas.
Even the light wind that touched her face had calmed down today, disappearing altogether.
It was just her, the sand, the sea, and the sun.
At that moment, she remembered the professor's words, and sitting on the sand, watching the sea, she began to reflect.
“I didn’t think the sea was so big.”
She knew the sea was big, of course, but like any simple mind, she couldn’t imagine the true scale it could possess.
She lowered her head as usual, even though she wasn’t talking to anyone, and there was no reason to.
But for her, it was like talking to the sea itself. “And yet, I didn’t know.”
Then, once again, she observed the vastness of the ocean.
“Maybe I don’t know everything about this world, and maybe I did deserve the scolding, but… Riaca didn’t, she seemed really annoyed, even though she tried to hide it… What a mess.”
But it was no use crying over spilled milk, and she knew that well, even if she couldn’t avoid doing it.
Then, she closed her eyes and laid her head on the sand, where the sea barely reached, only gently caressing her hair.
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll do my best to help her, that’s all.”
For her, the sand wasn’t a problem; it didn’t bother her, and it wasn’t generally considered unhygienic to have some on you, at least not to her.
Keeping her eyes closed, her mind wandered to distant memories.
…
Natirra approached the port, observing it from afar and looking for her brother. She still didn’t know if he had left for his long expedition, but she hoped with all her heart that he had stayed a little longer, that he had been slightly delayed, so she could say goodbye. She had only heard that her brother intended to embark on a journey, but she hadn’t had the chance to ask him, as he was already gone.
The port was next to her beloved beach, but in an isolated area, far from where she usually stayed.
It was probably one of the most important structures in the entire village, certainly the most used, and it was the second most important structure besides the communal center.
The port wasn’t very large, holding around four ships. The spaces were rented out a few days in advance, and despite what one might think, the price wasn’t too steep.
She was surprised, as she got closer to the port, entering and reaching the area where the ships were supposed to be docked, to find that the ship assigned to her brother (recognizable by the fact that it bore the name of Natirra’s family, the Sarel family) was completely empty.
Aside from, of course, the strange fact that it was even there in the first place.
Natirra was grateful for that. She looked around; aside from a few guards, the place seemed eerily empty.
She walked along one of the docks, particularly the one where her brother’s ship was stationed, and looked around again.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
«“At this time, he should already be here…”» she muttered, whispering to herself. She looked around once more, keeping a distance from the edge of the creaky dock. That creaking wood didn’t reassure her much, but falling into the water wasn’t her main fear; it was the terror of slipping, and then a deeper fear of the sea.
The ocean fascinated her, but the thought of being in a vast expanse of water, just water, frightened her. And then, there was the thought of all the things that could be hidden within it.
Finally, she reached the end of the dock and couldn’t help but focus on her reflection in that clear water. The bright sun made everything clear, but it was a peculiar feature that the water remained hidden, private, not revealing what lay beneath the surface.
Suddenly, though, it seemed as if Natirra could, with her young child’s eyes, see a silhouette approaching, hidden under the water. She brought her head closer to the water in an act of innocent curiosity, and before she could squint, two strong arms burst out of the sea, grabbing her fragile horn and pushing her entire body underwater.
She fell, there was a loud splash, and she sank a few meters under the water, tumbling before regaining her bearings.
Quickly, however, she took control of herself.
She opened her eyes wide, her gills sprang into action, and her dolphin-like fin prepared for swimming—she couldn’t afford to sink, after all. She knew how to swim.
Before surfacing, she looked around to understand the cause of the attack, and suddenly saw her brother, with a playful, smiling face, swimming around her before pulling her up from the sea once again, even though she could easily have done so herself.
The two of them, once they reached the surface, leaped out and landed, soaked, on the dock.
Natirra, still getting used to the rapid change of environment, exclaimed as soon as she emerged, with a shrill voice:
«“What’s wrong with you?! You scared me!”»
The boy laughed before giving her a pat on the shoulder. «“I expected that, I wanted to make an entrance.”»
«“You’re not funny.”»
«“Narwhals love to swim, so I did you a favor.”»
«“You could have… at least not surprised me, no?”»
«“Maybe, but it was also a punishment.”»
Her brother stood up. Natirra remained seated, having given up on drying her hair; it would stay wet anyway. Her brother didn’t care at all.
«“Don’t think I don’t know that Mom and Dad didn’t give you permission.”»
Natirra lowered her head, silently admitting that her brother wasn’t entirely wrong.
«“I wanted to see you… You’re leaving soon.”»
«“Dad’s going to be worried.”»
«“I don’t care.”»
«“Mom’s going to beat you up.»”
«“Ow…”» she thought for a moment about the countless tortures she would face, but that wasn’t enough to stop her.«“Can I come with you?”»
«“Don’t even think about it.”»
«“Huh?! Why not?! But… there’s space for me.”»
«“How do you know?”»
«“There’s no cargo! Where is it?”» Even Natirra had stood up at that point, approaching the small ship, where she pointed out that it was completely empty.
«“It’s not a shipment, it’s my boat.”»
«“Huh?”»
He flashed a bright, confident smile at the young girl. «“I’m going on a journey.”»
«“What? Journey?”»
«“It’s like a shipment, but… you don’t reach a destination.”»
Natirra, in a single moment of naivety, scoffed. «“Then what’s the point?”»
Her brother sighed, gazing at the distant ocean. He approached the dock once again, leaving Natirra behind, who watched him curiously.
«“This world is really big, Natirra, and I’m young. I want to explore it all. But life is short. Mom and Dad aren’t exactly supportive, but it’s a choice I’ve made.”»
«“How long will you be gone?”»
«“I promise to come back soon, but don’t count on it. I want to explore the world, all of it.”»
«“But…”» Faced with a subject larger than herself, one cannot help but reject it. So she repeated the same childish question she had asked earlier:
«"...But what's the point? Stay here, don't you like it here?"»
«"The world isn't just this island, and as much as I love it, I know there are many others like it, or maybe even more beautiful. I want to see them. Like I said, I want to explore the ocean and the world."» Then, turning toward her, he finished his speech, his eyes bright in contrast to the strong sunlight.
«"This world is very big, there are many things to understand, many stories to discover."»
Natirra, as if struck by a surge of inspiration, ran toward him. «"I want to go with you! Let me come with you!"»
«"Don't even think about it. You're not even an adult, let alone responsible. And besides, I thought you hated the sea."»
«"Yes, but... But... But I'm not small, I'm..."»
«"Five years old. You can legally leave at eight."»
«"Who cares about legality!"»
«"You're too small!"» Lowering himself to her height, he gave her a few pats on the head. «"When you turn eight and become an adult, I’ll think about it, but only if I'm back from the journey!"»
«"Mean!"» And with a furious headbutt, she pressed her still small horn into the boy's stomach, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the water once again.
…
"Lucky him, I wonder where he is now, maybe he's having fun."
She opened her eyes after an indefinite amount of time, unsure how long she had actually let her mind drift through memories, but now she wanted to think a little about the present.
Her brother had still not returned, after all this time, and there had been no news of him.
When Natirra asked her parents when he would be back, they always told her he was old enough to take care of himself. The thought that he might be gone forever passed through her mind.
"When he left, he was twelve, just like me. If I calculate, he should be nineteen by now."
As the small, gentle waves washed over her hair, she felt more inspired.
"But despite everything, you still scare me, dear sea, very much. But..." And thinking of her brother's words, of that obvious fear she had, of that sort of limitation, she felt a disgust welling up inside.
"I'm tired of being afraid of you."
But before she could dwell on the thought, something interrupted her.
All of a sudden, she had to look up. An unusual event seemed to be happening. A sound, one she never thought she'd hear, assaulted her ears. She jerked her sandy head up, ignoring it, and looked toward the forest in the direction of the village. A sound of bells was coming from what appeared to be the village center.
"The announcement bells... Something's happening…!"
The announcement bells only rang for urgent messages from the island's leader, and when they sounded, everyone had to gather in the village center.
Natirra, like everyone else who heard those ominous bells ringing, quickly dropped what she was doing and headed quickly toward the forest, promising herself to finish her thoughts later.
However, she didn’t know that from then on, she would have many more thoughts to contend with.