The Curse Of The Waves
A young boy leaned over the bow of the galleon, gazing down to the watery depths below. He supposed they must be nearing the coast of Matsuura.
The boy looked up at the straining rigging, a gale had picked up and was trying its best to capsize the ship. Sea spray whipped passed the boy's pale face. He'd seen sea storms like this before, heard stories about them from sailors. Maybe this ship would survive unlike allot of ships that got caught up in storms such as these.
Strangely the boy was not frightened by his surroundings, nor the impending doom of the ship on which's deck he stood.
The galleon rocked violently again sending some of the crew sprawling across the deck. The boy supposed he should move to a safer part of the ship, he did not really want to die and if he wasn't careful he'd be sent over the side of the ship with the next gust. Calmly he began walking toward the cabins and the rear of the galleon.
There was a horrible grinding noise, then a snap…another followed. The boy spun round just in time to see one of the grate masts come crashing down, splintering the deck beneath it. He tried to shake off the feeling that there was no way out of this, no way to survive this. He began running; the crates in the hold would float if emptied.
The galleon buckled again sending the boy tumbling backward. Stumbling to his feet he continued running. The ship started tilting sharply to the left. Crewmembers slid passed him desperately reaching out for some thing to hold on to that would stop them falling in to the black abyss. Ropes snap and wood brakes around him, the chaos bubbles up from the sea below.
The boy is thrown into the railings on the side of the ship. A sailor is still hanging on for dear life below him. The boy reaches out his had to try and save the man but a tongue of water dragged him under the waves.
Another blast of wind jolts the galleon sending the boy plummeting over the rail.
The water rushed up to meet me with its cold embrace, stealing the air from my lungs. The sound faded and all that was left was the water ringing in my ears. All I could see was the inky blackness around me and the looming shadow of the galleon above me. Bubbles escape my lips but no words came out. All I can do is let gravity pull me into the crushing black below.
Years later somewhere on the coast of Matsuura.
Water gently lapped the golden sand, dampening the hem of a silk kimono. A tall man stood at the waters edge gazing towards the horizon. Some fish and other small sea creatures gathered around his bare feet. When he spoke to them his voice sounded as crystal clear as the waters before him. His hair was mainly short and icy blue with two longer sections bound with white ribbon. The kimono he wore was a mirage of blues and greens with a pattern of koi swimming across it. And if you asked he would tell you his name was 'Isonade'.