Chapter 1
The said boy, glanced up at the molten sky, the dashes of colours moulding and harmonising together as if it were the outlandish concoctions of tea brewed from flamboyantly fragrant herbs discovered from the boundary beyond the sea, ones that he had never heard of, yet became fond of due to the eccentric brewer that lived in his makeshift home. He was never fond of when the sun set, he believed the Sun was mischievous, basking the villagers in warmth and protection, allowing their crops to salute the skies in praise, and the sleeping buds to awaken, only to abruptly disappear and retreat in the skin of the night. His mother always had told him the Sun was cursed, she talked of how once there was land that was blessed with eternal glow, yet the Guardians of the Night rebelled, and the sister Moon now ruled the skies at dawn. Tales of how the Moon had opened the realms of the skies at dawn, where monsters and spirits were allowed to crawl the sacred lands that were once protected by the Sun. He had always wondered of the consequences of exploring the depths of the night, his skin tingled with newfound curiosity, however, it was depleted the second he thought of Old Maiden Baba, banishment would be his very ending.
Perched on a battered and barren port, he contemplated his life, analysing every wrong-doing, every sin, every mistake, every factor that had contributed to this never-ending drama he called life. Ruefully, he wished that the show would just end, that the protagonist he was desperately waiting for would liberate him from this abyss of calamity.
It was autumn.
The cherry blossoms danced gracefully, swaying under the beams of solace projected from above, the sickeningly sweet scent of honey and lotus permeated the oasis that was the port, a signal that the maidens were occupied in creating natural medicinal ointments in preparation for their brothers returning from war, or for packaging as endowments for their beloveds of choice.
Every maiden was advised and forced to engage in activities that would enlighten them in the teachings of medicine, and the importance of natural products, this was a requirement before marriage, a maiden who had not enrolled in one of the neighbouring schools was also shunned and left to be classed as a tribulation. Women who brought misery. His heart clenched at the bitter recollection of his late mother, a tribulation, a free-spirit, one who was supposed to be solitary and deprived of the gift of motherhood, yet had committed a grave sin, her greed for her own creation had earned her a bittersweet ending, drowned in the sea that she so dearly loved, a companion at first but an enemy in disguise. His heart clenched, as the salty waterfall of tears erupted a suppressed wail from his mouth, once again he had clawed at the healed lacerations of his past desperately.
"Now now, my little warrior, why is it that you are crying at such a beautiful sight?" His mother whispered, perching down beside the fruit of her life, immediately he began brushing off his tears with a ferocious swipe of his hand. He had never wanted to show her his sorrow, a child's pain was always his mothers. She dangled her legs in the water to the rhythm of the wind, she always said the wind always sang it's melodies to the children of the Sun, a cherry blossom rested in her hair. His mother was always fond of the plant, always tending to her own collection.
Her long velvety dark hair swam around her, a stark contrast from the lack of hue in her complexion, her eyes transfixed on the deepening horizon, "It is just like Utah's tea." She remarked a smile embracing her features, a master of disguise, she always had masked her emotions from her innocent little boy, yet this time her deception faltered as he did not miss the slight wobble of her lips and the shivering of her fingers.
"Why?" The young boy asked beseechingly, his cheeks still rounded by youth, he was also missing a noticeable pair of teeth, his mind was plagued by wild thoughts, thoughts that no child should even think of, he desperately wanted to leave with his mother, news of her sudden departure, had left him stunned. No other maiden had to leave the land, it was unheard of.
"I will always return to you my young child, wherever you are I will always be watching you, whenever you're upset I will feel it my little one, so do not be sad any longer."
"Do you promise?"
"Always, now smile dear, it is a beautiful sight indeed." His mother embraced him tightly, enveloping him in her motherly warmth and affection, he did not miss the feel of her salty hot tears drenching his clothes, he tried to smile for his mother, a smile filled with sorrow as the waterfall of misery leaked from his eyes.
Many had believed that the said boy was deplorable, a boy who was cursed due to his sinful parents, a boy who had transferred misfortune to the village-an epidemic, a boy who had no place in such a pious and righteous village. The rumours piled up to the point that he was now a tribulation, he was neglected, his presence not even acknowledged, and it caused his inevitable segregation. Whispers of the night, echoed in his mind once more, blurring his once balanced mind into a state of turmoil and an intense inferno trickled through his body- a red sea.
Abruptly, he plunged himself into the sea, he was tired of it, the whispers, the people, the past that haunted him, in an attempt to become his own protagonist, he decided he wanted to liberate himself from the shackles of despair, he needed to join his mother. He wanted to be reunited. He wanted to not be alone. They called him, beckoned him to join them.
He felt life slip away slowly, yet he also felt a pull, forcing him back to the very life he dreaded. The sea was a companion and a foe, the very master of disguise.
