One
The sky overhead was gloomy, as tiny rain droplets thumped on the metal roof of the cab, eventually racing down the clear glass windows. I sat anxiously in the back seat of the cab, avoiding a conversation with the chauffeur. I glimpsed at the seat to my right, which held my numerous luggage compartments, containing personal items. The driver glanced at me through the thin mirror that hung upon the front window of the car, still aware of the road ahead. He adjusted the blue cap that rested on his head, which was a portion of his uniform. He seemed to be a kappa, with hair as green as grass. He wore a neat, heavy blue jacket, which happened to be unbuttoned, exposing a grey sweater vest underneath. He instantly cleared his throat, beginning to speak.
"This is some lousy weather, huh? April is always like this," He mumbled, without turning his head towards me. I looked out the window once more to observe the depressing weather, finding a large, grassy plain, dancing in the light wind. A dense fog began to creep into the plain, blocking the tall mountains in the distance.
"I like the rain. My parents used to make me cocoa on days like these," I eventually said. "It also makes the day seem more peaceful to me." I heard the driver sigh, turning the radio on, with the volume almost all the way down so that we could continue our conversation.
"I don't. It's harder to drive in, and the windshield wipers distract me," he complained, pointing to the windshield wipers at the other side of the front window. They moved back and forth at a steady pace, removing the tiny rain droplets that prevented him to see, only to return a few moments later.
"So," he spoke up, "is this the first time you've lived alone?" I looked up at his face through the front mirror, noticing a look of curiosity.
"Yes," I said. "It is. I'm a bit nervous. I'm going to also miss my parents." I looked down at my feet, wondering what my parents were doing at that very moment. My father was probably working in the gardens of my house, as well as mowing the long grass in my backyard. He was always known for his green thumb; however, my mother was the music-oriented member of the family. She usually listened to Bach, one of her favorite composers of all time. She was the one who taught me how to play the violin; however, I initially preferred the piano.
"Don't worry," he reassured me, "you'll be fine. You have enough money to support yourself, right?" I said nothing for about ten seconds, knowing that I had a very small amount of money with me. I took out my wallet from one of the pockets in my light jacket and sighed. I quickly opened the leather compartment and peeked in with a look of dissatisfaction, finding only five hundred bells.
"No, actually, I don't," I said, looking down at my feet once more, too embarrassed to say more. I heard him chuckle softly.
"Don't worry, I'm sure there is something you can do for money," he replied. "I think there is some open jobs at…" his voice trailed off suddenly. Realizing that he had forgotten the name of the town I was moving to, I spoke up.
"I'm moving to Lanai," I answered. He nodded his head slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the road before him. Lanai, I wonder if I will like it there. I shuddered, wondering if I would ever make friends with the villagers there.
"Oh, yes, Lanai," he responded. "Say, what made you decide to move to Lanai, anyways?" I pondered in my head for quite some time before responding.
"The beach," I finally said. "I like to walk along the shore and collect seashells." He nodded, acknowledging my answer. "I wonder how long it will take for Lanai to feel like home." He glanced at me once more through the front mirror before returning to the road ahead. We almost instantly entered a long, dark tunnel at the face of a rocky mountain, where the car's engine echoed in the enclosed space. The rain temporarily stopped thumping upon the roof of the car, however, the windshield wipers at the head of the cab remained in motion, removing imaginative raindrops. At the roof of the tunnel hung numerous yellow lights, which casted a dim light upon the black asphalt of the road. Once we had exited the tunnel, the rain returned, and harder than before. I instantly noticed that we were in the middle of a vast mountain range. To my left sat a large gorge which was rich with trees, formed by numerous immeasurable mountains. "My name is Amanda, by the way." Kapp'n nodded once more to show that he heard me.
"That is a fine name for a young lady. Mine is Kapp'n, nice to meet you," he said. I continued to look out the window to my left, studying the tall mountains. "We're almost there. Lanai should be down in the gorge up ahead," he announced. I held my breath, fixing my eyes on the large gorge out the clear window. This is it, I thought, I'm off to start my new life on my own. Suddenly, down in the gorge, a village appeared with numerous houses next to an ocean, with waves that soared into the sky before crashing into the sandy beach. A blue river filled with fresh water ran through the village, exiting into the ocean. I looked at the wonderland in awe, forgetting about the gloomy weather. The rain gradually came to a halt as we veered down the deep gorge. "Let me take you to town hall. I think the mayor will be there," Kapp'n stated. I nodded slowly in response. Once we had arrived into the bottom of the gorge at the boundary of the village, we drove through a forest of trees that held ripe cherries, with brown trunks. I then noticed that ovals were embedded in the wet bark of the trees. From time to time we passed a house that belonged to one of the villagers, petite but cozy. We turned to the right, following a road which was parallel to the long river. This town is beautiful, I thought, despite the rain. It might not be so hard for this to feel like home, after all. I sat up anxiously as we stopped upon stone pavement in front of a wooden, classy building that soared into the sky. It had a basic appearance, however, but it caught my eye instantly. A tall, green door stood at the front of the building, which held a small, gold knocker that glimmered under the heavy rain. Two, large windows were placed at either side of the door, however, thick red curtains where placed among them to prevent anything to be seen through. At the top of the building hung a large clock that stated that the time was precisely twelve 'o clock. Kapp'n instantly unstrapped his seatbelt and ran out the car, only to open the door for me.
"Thank you," I graciously said as I unstrapped my seatbelt. I reached for the luggage that rested upon the seat next to me, and hauled each suitcase out the car, one by one. Once I had placed them on the stone pavement, Kapp'n quickly closed the door and picked up a few of my suitcases, and began to drag them to the entrance of town hall. "No, I got it," I stated.
"No, its fine," he reassured me. I picked up the rest of my luggage and caught up to him quickly, desperately dodging the rain. Kapp'n temporarily set my luggage upon the cold ground to free his hands. He slowly opened the green door, which creaked and groaned loudly, revealing a cozy wooden room. Kapp'n picked up my luggage from the ground once more before stepping into the room and placing it against the rim of the door. I slowly stepped into the room, setting the luggage down that I carried at the other side of the door. As Kapp'n closed the squeaky door behind me, I studied the petite room. To my right sat a rectangular, green recycling bin, which looked as if it was used almost every day from the wear marks. In front of me lay two windows, where a lovely, white bird sat. She sat under the window that had a picture of an envelope.