Chapter 44: A short tale so far

Chapter 44: A short tale so far

“As is a tale, so is a life: Not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.”

Seneca

My funeral was a sad occasion.

Super senses, Echolocation, Eavesdrop, and Mana Sense allowed me to hear it from afar and see it to an extent, hidden as I was, in a backpack carried by Des who stood side by side with Sinis, alone alongside Grandfather’s boat. They were waiting till after the funeral to head to the island with me. No one had really questioned what or who the two boys were in the light of the news of my death and my two servants, slaves, employees or whatever they were, would be accompanying their lord in his escape into exile. Their lack of the language Bussola was a blessing in disguise as they were unable to confirm or deny any story of my demise. There was no need for them to lie unable as they were to understand or answer any of the questions they had been asked. The story of what had happened rested with my maternal and paternal grandfather’s. One a pillar of the community the other, well I was still unsure what precisely it was my more militant grandfather did exactly.

Des and Sinis spoke quietly to one another watching the ceremony unfold. Another language to learn another skill and experience to gain but I had not started yet too wrapped up in the events unfolding on the shoreline.

I had a small coffin, more a wooden box than anything fancy, it was placed on a raft which was about to be pushed to sea. Obviously, it didn’t have my body in it and everyone knew that. The story of my demise was that I had or rather my body had never been found after I dropped off the cliff into the sea. It was not a difficult story to tell as it was for the most part true and it wasn’t hard to understand that a baby would never survive the fall. In fact, it would have been more challenging for the people of the town to know that I had survived. People were cross but it was a wave of diffuse anger spread out among a few the people blamed. Some blamed the attempted murderer or man acting as an assassin, some the merchant, some the nobles, some my grandfather. It all depended on how they viewed the world and how much of the story they were aware of. Either way, it was a shock to the system and the majority were stunned by the sudden disappearance of the latest addition to the island not through accident, illness, or injury but through foul play. Their emotions seemed to switch between sadness that debilitated and a wave of anger that drove them to action. But held by the service, they stood in silence as my family stepped up to the coffin. Before they pushed it out onto the lagoon they had some final words to say.

“To Kai, the song of my heart.” My mother spoke quietly but clearly for all to hear, remembering all the times we had sung or hummed together. She placed a little whistle on the raft next to the box.

“To Kai, the sailor of our little sea.” My father intoned, louder, proud of the progress I had made, yet still clearly sad about my passing. He placed a small sailboat alongside the whistle.

“To Kai, my brother a merchant in the making and a tall tale cut short too quick.” Aleera said. As she placed a little bag of salt and a toy soldier or doll down with them.

I wonder where they got the items from as I had not seen them before, or who they were for

. . .Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.

Probably not.

. . .

I could just imagine the conversation in my head.

“Where’s my rent?” baby me.

“Kai?” confused grandfather.

“You pay me now!” baby scream.

“I’m going to go get my bow and arrow, time to practice your dodging skills.” Sardonic grandfather.

. . .

Somehow, I didn’t think it would go as well as the 2-year-old landlord Pearl I had laughed at all those years ago.

. . .

As we sailed across the inner lagoon of Wester Ponente, I was not bothered by the fact that I had been packed away in a bag. I closed my eyes and napped or daydreamed about what was to come next.