SKY OF PAPER: AN ASIAN STEAMPUNK FANTASY

CHAPTER 71

I remembered how quickly the storm came. The thunder, the gathering clouds and then torrents upon torrents of rain. The surge in the ether we'd caused -that I'd caused- brought such a fury upon the sky that the clashing ships found themselves not only fighting each other, but also nature itself.

Kassashimei, Ren Tzu and I lay adrift in the swelling seas. I remembered the comforting embrace of my guardian as he kept us close, protecting us from the rising waves. Rescue boats from the mainland swarmed about, picking up survivors. The beam from their search lights swung like swords in the darkness until one of them pointed in our direction.

How pitiful I was, unable to swim, barely able to move, and worse still, I found myself suddenly weakened. The strangeness of it all left me wondering. Surely, guiding the ship as I did was an incredible act, but it was one that Kassashimei and I did together, and I could not see how it had left me in the state I was, paralyzed with fatigue. Stranger still, Kassashimei seemed fine as both she and my guardian struggled to keep me afloat. I strained to keep her shadowy face in view. She was watching over me without a single trace of panic or fear. There was only a warm mixture of concern and pride, like a mother reminiscing the noble deeds of her child. I managed a smile, which prompted her to press her forehead against mine.

She whispered, "it's time to go home."

The last few things I saw that night was a rescue boat steaming our way and a wave surging towards us. And when it crashed against our huddled bodies, Kassashimei and I were pressed under and it tore us away from Ren Tzu's grasp. I heard his muddled voice calling out to us as we sank into the depths.

There were blurry images.

The sounds of children.

The murmur and steady clatter of people going about their day. And then I heard the familiar melody of strings being plucked and played. I blinked away the haziness in my eyes to find myself lying in a single-room hut, looking out a doorless entrance at a young girl perched outside another hut across the way. An elderly man was teaching her to strum a shamisen. I strained to keep my eyes opened, but the afternoon light from the open doorway threatened to blind me.

There was a much older-looking woman in the corner, hunched over a boiling pot atop a small, iron stove. She noticed I was awake and shuffled towards me, then pulled a wet cloth from a water basin beside the bed and dabbed my forehead, all the while soothing me with mumbled words.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My vision grew hazy again, my eyelids heavy. Before my eyes closed again I caught a glimpse of another girl with a basket of vegetables stepping into the hut. She asked about me, and the old lady replied to her in a solemn tone. Then her face hovered curiously over mind.

It was Kassashimei; smiling.

When I regained consciousness again, I felt strong enough to sit up. I even dared a chance to pull myself out of bed and ambled slowly towards the doorway. As I came outside, I shielded my eyes from the piercing sun and braced myself against the wall, afraid that I would lose my footing at any moment. I found myself in a small village made of scattered straw and wood huts, all of which sat close to the sea. Several narrow piers lined the beach where a number of boats and draped netting lay tied. People walked by, politely glancing in my direction, all-the-while offering me the courtesy of a slight bow.

The old lady was sweeping at the bottom of the steps to the hut's entrance when she realized that I was out of bed. She started to mumble again and placed her wrinkled hands on my shoulders, gently ushering me back inside.

"Auntie it's okay." Kassashimei came around the side, the same smiling look adorning her face. "If he's well enough to come outside then I'm sure he can walk around with me for a while. Besides, it's a nice day today and he shouldn't be wasting it in bed."