Sink or Swim
Kiritori laughed, sitting down on the short grass, an old beaten sack placed in front of him. He happily opened the material, slowly reaching his dusty hands inside and pulling out a sparkly blue gem. He giggled like a child on Christmas as he saw the rainbow of colors in shine through the clear jewel, before he peered into the carrier and admired his new found items.
"So beautiful!" he gasped, taking out more stones to admire their beauty. "I truly outdid myself this time! Yes, I sure did! Look at these beautiful gems! Emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, you name it, I got it! And it's all thanks to my quickness!"
Kiritori giggled more as he praised himself, placing the stones back in the bag. Once he had gotten his pack tied up, he swung it over his shoulder and headed for home. He hummed a quiet tune as he walked down the little path, skipping across the stones in the river to arrive at his dwelling sooner. Though, as he reached the middle stone, Kiritori found himself losing his balance. The water seem to travel more quickly now, the droplets of water smashing into the stones, wetting them and making them unable for anyone to step upon. Kiritori let out a shriek of fear as he fell into the freezing water, his body being plunged into the clear liquid. He lost his grip on his old sack, which floated safely away.
"Help! Someone!" Kiritori cried as he managed to break free and gasp for air. He trashed around, trying his hardest to grab anything that could hold him. A wave of water rolled forward, before finally landing upon him, his body once more immersed in the water. As he went down, the little stones and pebbles rose up, hitting his body. The rocks tore away his necklace, bandanas, rings, bracelets, and even managed to rip open his pocket that contained his wallet, which was lost in the swarm of droplets along with his other belongings. Surprisingly, the rocks did no harm to his body. They just stripped him of everything he had taken.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of endless freezing agony, Kiritori was finally washed up on land. He coughed and wheezed, the water still clinging to his body as he tried to regain his breath. He spit up water that was still trapped in his lungs. He felt the burning in his throat from when he had inhaled in the river. He cringed as the frosty air nipped at his body. He wrapped his arms around his soaked body, trying to breathe warm air on his frozen skin.
"H-hello? Anyone out there?" Kiritori called out, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Please! I need help!"
"And why should anyone help you?" The young male darted his hazel eyes this way and that, trying to find the owner of the voice. "You've hurt so many others. So why should anyone waste their time on you?"
"I... I..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say. It was true. He had hurt others. He had stolen many things from nearly everyone in the village he lived near. "I just want to go home!"
"Why? So you can steal more?" Kiritori finally found the one who was speaking, and tried to shrink down more when he realized who it was. "Young man, you've committed so many crimes! Yet, you haven't been caught by anyone, until now!"
"I'm sorry," he whimpered as he locked eyes with Zeus, trembling with fear. "I promise, I'll never do it again! Honest!"
"You speak lies, Kiritori," spoke the God, shaking his head. "You should be thankful you still have your life! It wasn't easy keeping these waters under control! Do you know how hard it is when dealing with a stubborn God?"
"N-no, sir," he responded with the same shaky voice. "But I imagine it's none too easy."
"No! It's not!" Zeus sighed, once more shaking his head. "Such a pain you are. And to think I was going to relax today. Such disappointment."
The God turned to walk away and return home, though Kiritori stopped him.
"Wait! Zeus! Aren't you going to send me home?" he called out, watching as Zeus stopped dead in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at the young thief.
"Send you home?" he echoed, before chuckling quietly. "Young one, you're getting home on your own! You got your into this mess, and you'll get yourself out!"
"Well... couldn't you at least make my bandanas come back to me?" he asked, his voice lowering a few notches. Without another word, Zeus walked off, disappearing in the thick forest. Kiritori sighed, though he looked at the water, seeing his chocolate colored bandanas wash ashore. He smiled, slowly reaching out and taking them. He wrapped the first one around his neck, and the other around the bottom part of his face. Smiling slightly, he stood up, following the river back from where he came.
"Thank you, Zeus and Poseidon," he spoke as he looked down at the now calm water, seeing his soaked bag floating close to the bank. His hidden smile grew as he bent down, picking it up and gently shaking the excess water off. He then cradled the bag and made his way back into town.
Night quickly fell upon Abila, covering the small town in darkness that was only lit with the moonlight. Choko yawned, stretching her arms as she made her way into her bedroom that was brightened with a single candle. She changed into her nightclothes, blew the candle out, and got into her bed, snuggled under the covers. As she fell into a blissful sleep, her window slowly opened, and Kiritori quietly made his way inside. He smiled as he saw the girl in an already deep slumber. He made his way over to her jewelery box, opened the wooden lid, and opened his sack. He reached inside, pulled out a few different colored gems, and placed them gently in the jewelery box. He then closed the lid, smiling over at Choko, who was mumbling something inaudible in her sleep.
"Sweet dreams, Choko," he whispered to her, making his way back for her window. "And hope you have a pleasant day tomorrow."
He dropped down onto the ground, looking into his now empty bag. He smiled to himself as once more he made his way towards him. And this time, when he went to cross the river, the water stayed its calmed speed. He safely made his way across, and made it home in one piece. He unlocked his home, placed his bag on the table, and laid on the couch, feeling himself fall into a blissful sleep of his own.