Starlight Book Club Entries

setting, week three

The warm winds swept in through the window as a smile curled up on Penny's lips. She took the towel next to her bed, wiping off a few beads of sweat from her head. Sitting up in her bed, she glanced around. Where was Mother? It wasn't usually like her to be missing very early in the morning. Ever since Father and Peter left for the Other Waters when she was but a newborn baby, Mother was the first and last thing she'd see every day.

Outside, the waters of the Red Sea tickled the shore, as they did every day. The hot sun beat her skin as soon as she she allowed even the slightest bit of her body to be exposed, and she threw her coat on the moment she stepped out, donning her hood as well.

There were footsteps along the sand, but nothing else that would tell her where Mother was. Her only company was the family of scorpions that burrowed in the hole next to spot at the edge of the carpet where she always left her shoes.

She looked to the waves. No one at the shore. No one swimming in the red waters. No chefs fishing for the scrumptious chili-fish nor alchemists tracking down the magical flame-fish.

The waters held back today, sparing her their rage, the rage that had forced nearly everybody to move out years ago. She dipped her foot into the crimson waters, taking a deep breath as the searing hot waters foamed around her skin, slowly seeping down. That always was how it was supposed to feel. It hurts when you first step in, but it's okay after the first second.

She squinted. A wooden boat rowed in from the distance. Aboard it was a man, paddling while sweat dripped from his forehead like rain. He jumped off the boat once he reached shallow waters, yelping as he danced like he was standing on hot coals.

Penny smiled, yanking his arm and guiding him to the shore. The sand filled his shoes and he stamped about with a scowl on his face, but she simply rolled her eyes, taking her bucket and splashing them clean.

He sported a black and green fluffy coat, one that extended down to his knees. Penny looked it up and down, nodding as she smiled. Her gaze hovered around his face, though, and he had actually been speaking. His mouth was opening and closing, his tongue dancing inside.

She waved her hands in front of the man, who continued speaking until she put a finger on his lips. The man furrowed his eyebrows and watched her hands in silence once she took her finger away. Penny tapped her ear twice.

He scratched his head, looking at it for a second or two, then nodded, mumbling to himself. He then patted her on the back, winking and sticking his thumb out of his fist.

Penny smiled, nodding. What did it mean when a man sticks his thumb out of his fist? He was smiling, though, so it couldn't have been a gesture of attack, right? She led him to her home, taking her shoes off at the door and pointing at his. He did the same, nodding at her.

She stood up on a footstool, searching the shelves for any food there might have been. They smoked fish on the roof every day, so there should be one or two extra bits. Feeling a dry, crispy chili-fish, she took it and set it on the table.

The man stared at its red scales, sniffing it. He smiled and nodded, mouthing something at her. Taking a bite, he chewed for a few seconds before he stuck his tongue out, panting and flailing his hands in front of his mouth.

Penny rushed to the pitcher, pouring everything in it into his mouth. He sighed, then laughed, pulling something out of his pocket. She watched it as he set it down on the table.

It had a brown base, and it looked rather spongy - there were little holes all around it. On top of it was a swirl of white that looked like bird poo, but it smelled... good. It wasn't a smell that she recognized, but saliva flowed into her mouth. Little colored rocks were on top of the white swirl, giving off a faint scent of fruit.

He gestured towards it with an open palm. Smiling, Penny took it and put it into her mouth. The brown base was soft and melted in her mouth. It had a deep, nutty taste, but there was something else, something new here, something she couldn't name or recognize. The white swirl had a lighter taste, like milk, but there was also something different here. And the colored rocks... oh, how they were like the starfruits of the other island, only a thousand times more sour.

Penny took a deep breath, smiling as she lay back on her bed. She winked at him, returning the motion of sticking one's thumb out of a closed fist. She pointed at him, performing wavy, bouncy gestures with her hands, then shrugged.

The man furrowed his eyebrows again, scratching his head and chuckling. His eyes lit up and raised a finger, smiling and pointing at his coat. The tip of his index finger rested on the green portion of the coat.

Green, green... that was it! That was where he was from. This man was from the Green Sea. Penny cupped her cheeks with her palms, jumping up and down a little bit.

There had been a few nice visitors before. There was the fur-covered lady from the Blue Sea, who gave her a rock that was smoking but wasn't hot, and brought water from the Blue Sea, which tasted saltier than even the most heavily salted dried fish.

There was also the robed, long-haired man from the Yellow Sea, who brought warm water to drink, but also added a few leaves to it, leaves that made it smell like flowers.

But the Green Sea? Penny hadn't met anyone from the Green Sea. It was, after all, the furthest away from them, and she'd be lucky to get even one visitor in a year. She also lived much too far away from Aka'Eyen to see what treasures the traders from the Other Waters brought.

Small rays of light shone in through the cracks on the door. It was Emer, the only other resident in her little slice of the coast, and the only boy her age she'd ever met.

The Greenlander turned around to face him, watching as Emer signed to her, but it wouldn't have helped much, because the Greenlander probably wouldn't understand Reddic - much less the Reddic Finger-Speak Penny used instead of speech.

Where's your mother? signed Emer, raising his eyebrows with a bit too much exaggeration. Penny grinned, covering her mouth as she doubled back and giggled. Emer still had a bit more to learn before his Finger-Speak looked natural.

I don't know, she wasn't here when I woke up. The Greenlander's jaw dropped when his eyes met a painting hanging on the wall; it was the scene of a tree her mother had made while Penny was but a baby in her crib.

The Greenlander put his hands on his head, jumping up and down while shaking Penny, all the while speaking. His mouth was moving and his tongue was dancing, but it all meant nothing to her - she turned her eyes to Emer, who tapped the man on his shoulder.

There appeared to be a few moments of panic before Emer turned to her. The man knows Reddic, he signed. He says he's your father.

Penny gasped. Her father? Had he finally come back from the Other Waters? This was new. This was important. This was urgent. But where was her mother now? Where was her mother now when this fateful morning would have been the worst time for her to go missing?

She kicked the door open, storming out while rushing in the shore's opposite direction. The road was empty, but there were footsteps leading up to it. Emer and Father caught up to her.

Here it began once more. Here her other parent had vanished once more, although now that she was just barely of age, maybe, just maybe she'd be able to track them this time. She wouldn't let go now. Not for Mother. Not for herself. Not for Father.