The Dragonflies

A boy was lying down on a platform of splintered wood. His face occasionally lit up from the flames, revealing the light reds of bruises, the blacks of soot, and the blues of tears. His eyes struggled to stay open through wetness and heat, but he could make out two dark objects. One was a large husk of a man standing over something, his fist holding something. The boy could see a familiar sail of a simple yet recognizable pattern over the silhouette. That sail was disintegrating due to the blaze.

The worst of this is that there was no sound he could hear from the boy. No crackling of embers, the swaying of the ocean, the breaking of wood. There was not even a single voice from the other occupants on the voice. He could see the man mouthing something, but his mouth movements failed to display any sound. Helpless, the boy did the only thing he could do to get his sound back.

He screamed.

Ekonah’s eyes opened instantly; the mess of orange and black that clouded with vision vanished. Instead, the dark brown of the wood and the greens of the foliage peeked their way through the windows and cracks. A pine-like scent and the cool breeze replaced the fire and smoke that invaded his nostrils. He put his hands to his face, rubbing the sweat off of his face. This sleep session was the fourth or fifth time he repeated the memories of himself. He slightly lifted his shirt, wiped the sweat, and pushed his long, shaggy hair back as he leaned back to the bed. He closed his eyes and flopped back to his bed, trying to go back to sleep, praying he didn’t dwell back there. However, he awoke, once again, by a reassuring voice.

“KONAH! HEY KONAH! WAKE UP!”

Okay, reassuring was probably an understatement.

Ekonah pulled the blanket over himself, trying to deafen himself so he didn’t have to hear Thione keep yelling. But the young woman wouldn’t cease, and his blanket isn’t known for soundproofing. So, he did himself a favor and fully woke up.

Ekonah’s cabin was small. When his father built it, he wanted two things. One, they wanted this to be away from everyone, so the cabin is in a secluded corner of a secluded island. The second is to disguise it so that the average viewer would see just a cabin, maybe even a clump of rocks and branches, if they weren’t looking hard enough. Ekonah’s bedroom followed the cabin’s secluded pattern: a tiny box in the corner of the house; the rest of the space contained a small kitchen, a lounge area, and a stack of files in the corner, properly preserved to prevent wear and tear. He opened the door, leading to a few steps that seemed to meld themselves into the rock below it. There were a few other utilities outside, such as a drying rack, but most of his surroundings covered themselves with mossy stones and droopy trees. There was also a woman in a green garment and a yellow sash around her waist. She had black hair tied in a small bun, though not correctly, as strands of hair seemed to jut out. To Ekonah, however, what stood out was that she was carrying a massive round purple fruit to her side, so large that she had to take it with her arm under it. He looked at Thione, the girl with the fruit. Thione looked back, smiling very excitedly. Ekonah knew what exactly Thione was here for and sighed. He beckoned her to come inside as Thione jumped down.

Ekonah peppered a few bits of herbs and spices into the pot of stew, bubbling with such intensity it made the fruit chunks bob in and out of the water, dunking themselves into more gravy and spice. He continued to stir until the red mixed with the green and poured the meal into a small wooden bowl. He watched as the smoke rose from the bowl, swaying a gentle rhythm, unlike the chaotic dark clouds from before. Taking a small rag, he carried the bowl and placed it gently into Thione’s waiting arms, who was already seated at the table. She was eyeing the stew the entire time.

“Careful, it’s a little—” Ekonah interrupted Thione as he started wolfing down on the food. “...hot…” he completed, turning around to make himself a bowl. He might as well make himself one.

Thione swallowed the first bite and laughed. “Look, I know I say this all the time, but I’ll say it again. You are the best cook, period,” she complimented.

“Then I’ll respond with what I always say. Thank you.” Ekonah noticed something about Thione’s person that he hadn’t seen earlier. “Now, is that something I need to cook as well?” he asked, pointing to the bag Thione had in her other hand.

Thione paused, looking at her bag, her mind flipping a switch as she realized her original purpose. “Oh, this?” she responded. The Rainu fruit was for me. This is for you.” She tossed the bag to Ekonah, who just let the bag hit him and drop. After all, he was carrying a bowl in his hands. He set the bowl on the table and picked up the leathery and leafy satchel, unfolding it to see what was inside.

“Clothing?”

“Yuff sm yu nid anmnf paun.” Thione said, causing Ekonah to perk up and stare at her in disbelief and confusion.

“What?” Ekonah responded, staring at Thione. Her cheeks were full of stew, causing her to speak in a jumble of letters instead of coherent sentences. Her eyes widened upon realization and she took a big gulp.

“Whoops! My bad! I meant to say that you needed a new raincoat, right?” Thione pointed at him without hearing a response. “Put it on! I want to see.”

Ekonah eyed the bag, placing the bowl down. He walked into his room but immediately came out of it, not holding the bag in his hand and not wearing it either. Thione’s expression changed from excitement to disappointment.

“I’ll put it on later. Don’t want you to spill anything on it.” Ekonah reassured her.

“Hey!” Thione accused, suddenly standing up, causing the bowl to tip. Luckily, she had already finished it, so nothing spilled. “I’m not that messy!”

“You’re not. I’m just kidding. Let’s eat!” Ekonah replied, sitting down in the chair in front of her.op

The only window in the cabin lay in the dining area, where Ekonah and Thione were. Ekonah peered out the window, noticing the endless emptiness of the ocean. He tried to think about his current situation. He and his father arrived here seven years ago, and three years ago, he disappeared without a trace. He scrunched up his face, wondering why his father abandoned him like this. Is “abandon” even the right word, as he could be doing this for Ekonah’s safety. Ekonah had those three years to ponder and theorize about his father’s motives and whereabouts. Still, he never felt confident enough to bring out a solid conclusion.

Ekonah sighed. What he did know was that his father was always prepared, and every part of him denoted a plan. So maybe this was part of some plan. Maybe Ekonah himself was part of some plan. Yeah, Ekonah was going to believe that.

Plus, Ekonah was technically not alone.

Thione ended up finishing her meal quickly and looked at Ekonah’s bowl. He chuckled, pushed the bowl towards her, and watched as she wolfed down the meal.

Thione’s eyes lit up, and she remembered something. The big eater took a big gulp, freeing her mouth so she could speak clearly. “Oh yeah, it’s that time of the year!”

“Hm?”

“The traders are back.”

Ekonah leaned back. Right, traders, he thought.

“Wanna come?” Thione asked.

“Hm?” Ekonah said again.

“To the traders, dummy. There could be some cool stuff, right?”

Ekonah leaned back, thinking. He looked at a corner of the wall. There was a gash of splinters, evidence of the last thing that Thione brought. To be fair to Thione, none knew what it was, and Matron took it with her immediately afterward.

Thione’s eyes followed the direction of his, and she realized what he was looking at, her cheeks turning red.

“I’ll… I’ll be sure to ask them what I’m buying.”

Ekonah looked at Thione’s face, almost burying herself in her empty bowl out of sheer embarrassment.

“I’m sure you will,” he smiled. He looked closer at Thione, realizing he hadn’t answered her primary question.

He smiled, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, I’m not going to be joining you.”

Thione looked up from her bowl before closing her eyes, grinning, her past embarrassment vanishing.

“Yeah, I knew you were going to say that.” She opened one eye, her grin expanding. But I had to try anyway, right?”

If there is one thing about Thione, she will always try again and again. Whether that’s positive or negative is a different question altogether.

Ekonah chuckled. To be honest, a part of him did want to go there. He remembered every year peering out the one window, looking at the ships in the distance. It was interesting to see how far technology was advancing year by year. According to Thione, one ship was called the Hollow Tree. That ship amassed minor improvements every time it landed in port, and Ekonah wanted to see those improvements personally.

But, there was a reason why his cabin was far away, even from the village, hidden within the leaves and oak.

Caution aside, Ekonah didn’t want Thione to leave empty-handed. “Wait one second,” he exclaimed before heading into his room.

In his room was a leafed carpet, the leaves of which were from the Rainu fruit. This carpet was the first thing he and his father received when they arrived on the island. It was good etiquette, and Ekonah loved landing on the grassy rug when he woke up.

However, there was a second purpose for this carpet.

He gently pulled the interweave rug, revealing what appeared to be just more of the wood flooring at first glance. However, one with a detailed eye could notice what seemed to be a metal handle attached to one of the boards. Ekonah tugged at this handle, revealing a hidden compartment lined with gold coins. He grabbed some and stuffed them in a leather bag.

He ran back, seeing Thione patiently waiting for him, her smile wide.

“Here you go,” he said, handing her the bag.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Thione said.

“Well, how else were you gonna pay for it anyways?”

Thione’s grin of happiness slowly turned into a grin of sheepishness. “I was going to ask Matron for some.”

“No way…why?”

“I assure you, she’s nicer than you think.”

Ekonah chuckled as he collapsed in his chair, looking up at the roof of his cabin.

“Already tired?” Thione asked, making her way to the door.

“Well, you woke me up from my sleep earlier. I’m probably going back, or maybe just stay here,” Ekonah responded. He wasn’t looking at her directly, but he could still sense her twinge of embarrassment. He raised his hand, his fingers forming a thumb. “Buy something nice.”

Thione responded with a peace sign, and when Ekonah heard the door close, he closed his eyes.