DAY SEVEN: Forever Alone
It's a peaceful day in a small Fire Nation village when half a dozen children gather around an old woman in front of a small shack. "Stories!" one particularly eager child requests. The woman laughs warmly.
"Which one would you like to hear today?" she queries.
"How the Avatar saved the world!" squeals one.
"The story of Fire Lord Zuko!" shouts another.
"Princess Azula's infiltration of Ba Sing Se!" another child suggests.
"Toph and the badgermoles!"
"How Fire Lady Mai took out eight thousand buff Earthbenders by shanking them! It's like, boom, AAH! Dead."
"Wait, I changed my mind. I pick the one about pirates!"
Among these boisterous children stands a smaller one - a girl, about seven years old, who bites her thumb and clings to her brother. She raises a timid hand, and whimpers amid the enthusiastic cries.
"And what would you like, my dear?" asks the old woman, stooping down to the little girl's level.
"I'd like to hear," the girl cautiously mumbles, "something we haven't. Like, um, a story about regular people."
A few other youngsters chime in with "yeah" and "let's do this."
"Alright, a regular story it is then," says the old woman. With a sigh, she begins her tale.
oOo
"Once upon a time, three brothers – Dock, Xu, and Bushi – were born in the small fishing town of Jang Hui. They were from a village much like ours where twins and triplets rarely survived past the first year. No, Zhu, don't eat that bug. As I was saying, back in those times twins were remarkable, and triplets were extraordinary among the peasantry. People said the Painted Lady had blessed their family with three pairs of able hands to support the family.
"Nobody in their village really knew how to react to them so everyone treated Dock, Xu, and Bushi as a set. For the first seven years, they really were one set – the three of them were inseparable, not to mention indistinguishable: they laughed together, cried together, and scraped their knees together (except for Xu, who thought it was a waste of blood and tears). They sold fish together, rowed their dinghy together, and even cleaned their hovel together. By their ninth year, however, they began to separate. The eldest, Xu, was devoted to gaining profit, continually calculating the price of various fish. He spent hours a day scratching figures in the riverbank. Occasionally he helped the shopkeeper in the town, and it was, for him, a pleasant task. The youngest triplet, Bushi, a shy boy who loved nature above all else, converted to vegetarianism and harshly reprimanded his elder brother for taking pleasure in torturing lesser creatures. Being a timid, cautious child, he cared for the river and all its inhabitants with all his nine-year-old heart.
"The middle brother cared for neither nature nor business. He was, by all means, a simple fellow with no real purpose in life but to better the conditions in his village with his own two hands.
"By their seventeenth year, both Xu and Bushi decided to leave Jang Hui to make their fortunes. At least, Xu did; Bushi went to become an environmental activist. That means he talked to people and told them how beautiful nature was. The eldest and the youngest brother both left their tiny village and set out in the world, leaving their middle triplet behind.
"Three years later, Dock received word that his elder brother Xu had gone bankrupt and committed suicide in his despair. The only thing he still had were the clothes on his back and his special cap, which was sent back to his family.
"A month afterwards, Bushi was executed after trying to protest against abuse of Komodo Rhinos. He had apparently freed several of the royal mounts, which amounted to a capital crime. His only possessions consisted of a stick and a straw hat, and those were not even sent home.
"The news hit Dock hard; he plunged into the depths of despair soon afterwards. He barely ate, rarely spoke, and would only come out of his hut to get a little food for himself. It was then that he started talking to unknown beings, asking them for advice. The villagers knew he was less than sane, but for his sake, nobody said anything.
"In the years that followed, Dock, always the unnoticed, boring brother, began to take over the responsibities that would have fallen to his two siblings had they stayed in the village. He used their names in hopes of creating the image of three happy brothers joyfully working their days away. After all, what else could he do?
"Everyone knew Dock was practically insane by the time he was twenty-eight. He honestly believed his brothers were alive and well, and no one cared to tell him otherwise. He never understood anyways.
"Dock lived like that for another fifty years. His grave is marked with all three names."
oOo
The woman watches as the children run off to play. She smiles and closes her weary blue eyes.
"Rest in peace, Dock. Now you can finally join them."
See You Later: Moar of teh Memes Pl0x
Our time together has been very special. You took the time to follow us through this marvelous journey. (If you didn't, then get a life and read.) We sincerely hope you remember this time with us. Farewell, traveler. Raise your thumb to the stars, remember to clean behind your ears, and don't forget your towel. We will sincerely miss you.
See you later, Interwebz. Until next year or something, if Fyre decides to host InspiredByFyre! Week again. So let this be a call for moar IBF so we humble travelers can rejoice. That being said, arr, and avast ye, mateys! Next we set sail across th' Seven Seas in search of booty. Don't forget yer eyepatch n' yer peg leg; ye'll be needin' 'em! N' remember, Internat'nal Talk Like a Pirate Day be on th' 19th day o' th' 9th month. September 19th.
(We be leavin' behind ye filthy landlubbers.)
