Failure, a catastrophic failure. Years of work wasted away with a simple flick of a switch. I’d never been so outraged. I arrived back home early with a smaller load of firewood, hungry and devastated. I’d forgotten to eat my lunch. I entered through the back door, hitting my head on the frame again, and laid my bundle by the hearth. Father was still at work, and mother was just starting dinner. Domus sat at the dining table with a sewn cloth, her eyes narrow. I wasn’t aware she could sow until now, but it’s not like I’d ever tried to know stuff like that. The door shut behind me and my sister looked up from her work.
“Oh, it’s you.” She said, before continuing to fasten.
“Uh-um… yes.” The stairs were placed on the other side of the room which I always cursed. I was going to end our talk there but, before I even took a step she said,
“you could, stay awhile.” Her eyes were still averted but her face was flushed, her voice timid, it’s what most would consider cute. I was suddenly brought to mind the image of the red headed girl from my dream, and me being on the side that would consider her such, decided it best I don’t turn away her offer. I sat two seats away and watched her work. Her thin fingers nimbly move back and forth along the stitching, her small hands a fierce contrast to her ample bosom. “So how have you been?” She asked kindly, she turned to face to meet mind. I turned away to avoid those piercing blue eyes and nodded as a response. She looked disappointed for a second before continuing on, “I’ve always wondered what you did up there, all those gizmos and broken metal shards. Did it work?” I couldn’t hide my expressions, she knew the answer before I even spoke.
“N-no…” she didn’t yell or laugh; she only smiled sweetly and muttered something I didn’t understand. We were asked to set the table, and the conversation ended there. I stayed a little longer for dinner this time. Domus seemed more giddy than usual and was even still smiling when I left. I sat by the window sill, a yellow light over my face. I watched a spider crawl along its web on the corner to pass the time. Suddenly, a thought of the letter came to me. “The Capital would be loaded with all sorts of technological wonders!” I thought, signing it vigorously. For the first time in life, I slept with a smile.
I woke up late and felt refreshed. Breakfast had long been cleaned up. Agravain walked through the door with a bucket of fish and set them on the counter. “Damien! You're awake,” he said, only slightly surprised. Confidently I said,
“Yes I am.”
“Bout time,” he said jokingly. My reaction, however, surprised even me. I laughed, A genuine, heartfelt laugh. It was short and quiet but it echoed through the now silent house as my family stared at me strangely. It was Father, who broke the silence. “Damien.” He said while holding out a rifle. We walked to the far corners of the wilderness with a basket and two rifles. I hated this job but there are only so many forest jobs that avoid town. It was only now that I noticed the grey hairs starting to form on my father’s wooly beard. He stopped suddenly and I bumped into his broad shoulder. The crunched leaves and snapping twigs echoed around the silent morning forest. In front of us stood a twitching fawn beyond the bushes. Father pointed to me, then at the deer. I raised the barrel slowly. My hands shook violently, making it hard to get a clear shot. The deer turned its head to me and stared for a long while. That took the energy from me and I lowered my weapon. A shot was fired from next to me and the fawn collapsed dead. On the way home, my father didn’t speak.
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“I-I’m sorry I—,” I stuttered,
“Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have forced you.” I couldn’t bring myself to speak any further so we walked in silence. We arrived home around 3pm where father cleaned and hung up the animal. We sat down to what should have been a short lunch break.
“So how was the trip?” Agravain said, he looked at me worryingly. Domus answered for me,
“Dad said they got a fawn today.” My mother smiled sweetly, the only time I had seen that before, and said
“Oh how wonderful! Maybe I can cook it for dinner tonight, sounds good?” We agreed except Agravain who was quietly tapping his leg, red in the face. “So honey, is the stable almost completed? It’s been almost a month since we started building.” My father nodded without looking up from his food, he cleared his throat and said,
“We only need the roof and it’s ready for use,” he took another bite, “Agravain, are you alright? You haven’t touched your food.” I looked over to him, a drip of sweat fell from his forehead and I realized what was happening. My three days were up. He stood up, sending the chair backwards, and shouted, “Damien is going to Arcanus!”
The table went silent as they all turned to look at me.
“Damien, is this true?” My sister was in tears already. I backed away from the table and pushed myself against the wall. Agravain’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d done. Mother tried to take a step towards me, reaching out her hand. In shock, I slapped it away and ran from the house, bumping my head on the door frame. I dashed through the town ignoring the peering eyes as I pushed past the crowd. I reached the docks and collapsed on the plank. At the base of the village sat a vessel larger than anything I’d seen before. An ironclad ship with a bronze rim and mast. The bow was a pearl sculpture of a fair lady in a yukata and wearing a mask with features similar to that of the mythological kitsune. As I walked up the ship’s incline, the captain bragged about the boat.
“Behold, the preeminent Durus. Only one of its kind. It’s lasted twenty years, never seen a battle, and is kept in luxury condition for our frequent guests. Would you like a tour?
“Yes, that would be lovely,” I responded politely.
As I said that, the keel shuttered violently as the jets beneath us rocketed upward.