2.
The day before the boat pulled into the port for us to leave for Omashu, I received some of the most useful wisdom of my life. However, many times in my life I made the mistake of not listening to it.
"See those mountains?" Shil Hevat pointed and I nodded. We were sitting on the deck and Arin was practicing her waterbending. It was a typical boring day. "That means we're very close to Omashu. We're going to be seeing even more boats on the water." I nodded again, and wiped some sweat off my forehead. This was the hottest weather I had ever experienced, and the sun beat down hard on our faces. According to Shil Hevat, this was regarded as cold weather in the Fire Nation. I did not want to experience what they considered to be warm. The mountains themselves were a beautiful sight…but one that I had been staring at for several days straight and had tired of. I moved my gaze to Arin on the other side of the deck giggling as she created streams of water that seemed to dance around her head.
I sighed attracting Shil Hevat's curious attention.
"Is something the matter?"
"No," I lied.
"It's pretty impressive isn't it?"
"The mountains?" I knew he knew I was lying, but I tried to deny it.
"No, Arin's waterbending."
"Yeah." I turned to look at him. He seemed so sincere, so honestly concerned that I found myself confessing. "I've always wished that I was a waterbender like her."
"Really?" I nodded vigorously. "Well, I've always wished that I was a turtle-duck."
I burst out laughing. "That's silly." I had never seen turtle-ducks in real life, but I had seen pictures. They were cute fuzzy little things.
He raised his eyebrows. "Is it? When I'm at home we have a nice little pond full of them. My daughter and I always go and feed them." I stopped giggling when I noticed how serious he still was.
"But, a turtle-duck? That doesn't make any sense."
"Why not?" he countered, crossing his arms. "Makes sense to me." I hesitated a moment before responding.
"I guess, it is because it's…" I faltered realizing I had fallen into a trap.
"It's what?"
"It's impossible." I mumbled. I felt embarrassed, so I stared fixedly at a passing yacht. The two people on it appeared to be from the Earth Kingdom as far as I can tell, and they were sitting on a deck similarly to the way Shil Hevat and I sat.
"You don't need to be embarrassed." He said softly. "Many people wish to be things that they'll never be. However, I think that you're smart enough to know, that you should be happy with who you are." I did not respond. "And for the record," he continued, "I don't really wish I was a turtle-duck." That made me smile.
The ride to Omashu was hot and bumpy. The solid ground felt strangely unfamiliar under my feet after two weeks on the boat. I felt overheated and faint in the tiny carriage we were riding in. I did not know how the driver and Shil Hevat were both wearing coats. Arin fell asleep against my shoulder and her sweaty hair felt all sticky.
We reached the city by midday. I was astounded as I walked down the narrow pathway into the city. It looked like a long way down. The Earth Kingdom soldiers bade us through the giant wall surrounding the city. The city was like nothing I had ever seen.
Omashu made our South Pole city seem like a mere village. People swarmed around us heading off in different locations, and I had never felt so inconsequential. I made sure to stay close to Shil Hevat for there were so many people, I felt that if I blinked I would lose him. Arin seemed concerned as well because she clung tightly to my hand.
"See those chutes?" he asked, pointing as we walked. "They're like your letters but on a different scale; more things being sent, but across a smaller distance."
"Wow." I commented.
"Where are we going?" asked Arin.
"To the inn where we're staying. I've got some friends there that I want to introduce you to." He began walking at a brisker pace, weaving in an out of the crowd. "Stay close." He led us to a small building across the city. Inside was dimly lit by flickering green lanterns, and the room was filled with several round tables. A few old men sat around one of the tables drinking tea and laughing with an old woman who seemed to be the waitress. She looked up as we entered and rushed over to us surprisingly quickly for a woman of her age. She threw her arms around Shil Hevat in a huge hug.
"Oh, it's been such a long time since you've visited!" she squealed. He smiled.
"Careful, you'll make Myung jealous."
She laughed in response. "Who are these two here?"
"The reason that I've come to visit again. This is Arin, and this is Rika. They're the reason I'm here. I'm chaperoning them up to the North Pole from their home in the South Pole, and we've made a short detour here to show them some of the Earth Kingdom." She nodded when he finished his explanation.
"Well, I'm Vena, and my husband Myung and I run this inn and tea shop. It's a pleasure meeting you two. I don't believe I've ever met anyone from the South Pole, so to make your acquaintance is an honor." She bowed. "We did have some wateverbenders from the north visit once…"
"I'm a waterbender!" exclaimed Arin. Vena smiled.
"I'm an earthbender."
"An earthbender? When she was your age, she was probably one of the best in the world." Said Shil Hevat.
"Oh, you weren't even born yet." She chuckled. "So how long are you going to be in town?"
"Only one night, I'm afraid. We've got a tight schedule." He answered. "We need to get to the North Pole by the end of winter, and we're stopping at my place for a week, and then taking another side trip to the Western Air Temple. You have two rooms for us available?"
"Of course!" she answered. "You three look exhausted. Have a cup of tea," she indicated an open table and we all sat down, "on the house." She waved down a young waiter who had been lurking in a corner of the restaurant and he dashed off to get us tea. I was not a much of a tea drinker, but Arin was. She looked excited; I felt bored. I did not want to sit in a tea shop when there was an entire city that could be explored!
"So, any suggestions as to what we should do during our one night here?" asked Shil Hevat when the waiter returned.
"Hmm…" Vena sipped her tea for a moment thinking. I pretended to drink mine. "Well, tonight is the first night of the Winter Lantern Festival. That's quite a sight to see. I used to take my son to see it every single year."
"How is he?" questioned Shil Hevat. "Still living out near the Great Divide? Last time I saw him, we hiked the whole thing. Took us nearly two weeks!"
"No, he's finally settled down. He and his wife live in a little village outside of Ba Sing Se." Vena smiled. "I've got two grandkids now."
"Wow. It's been awhile since I've seen him!" laughed Shil Hevat.
"How are Theia and the kids?" asked Vena.
"They're fine. It's been awhile since I've seen them."
"So you must be thrilled to be visiting home."
"Yes. Though, she's probably going to be angry with me. I was supposed to be back home for my six months off two weeks ago. But duty calls." He gesticulated towards Arin and me lazily. I smiled and Arin blushed. The waiter returned again with some small dumplings. Shil Hevat thanked him and took one. I followed suit. It was one of the most delicious things I had ever tasted. The adults continued talking, but I did not listen.
We were introduced to Vena's elderly husband Myung. He had a large smile despite the fact he was missing many teeth. He showed us to our two rooms when Shil Hevat had finished talking to Vena.
"You two get settled in here; I'll be right next store." Said Shil Hevat. "I know we didn't pack much, but get cleaned up for dinner." He set our one little bag down on the table and shut the door quietly.
"Ugh, I hate Omashu." Whined Arin as soon as he was away. "That old lady was ghastly, and her husband had no teeth!" She took her brush out of her bag and began brushing her beautiful long hair.
"Maybe this festival thing will be better." I said optimistically, but honestly, I agreed with her. Shil Hevat had made Omashu sound like such a wonderful place, but from what I had seen, it seemed overcrowded and dirty.
My wishful thinking paid off. The Winter Lantern Festival was spectacular. Once the sun went down, the weather finally became cold enough that I needed my coat. Small snow flakes seemed to meander down from the sky covering the ground with a soft powder that seemed different from the snow I was used to. Shil Hevat took us both up to the top of the city in a large lifting device powered by strong looking earthbenders. The view at the top of the city was breathtaking. The entire city was dotted with brightly colored lanterns that made the stars themselves seem dull. Each mail chute was lined with tiny little candles creating a crisscrossing design that twirled around each other like two dancing turtle-snakes.
The next day, Shil Hevat took us all around the market place of Omashu. This part of the city was different than where we had visited the day before. It was just as crowded, however, instead of the narrow alleyways we had walked through, it was a series of large open plazas filled from end to end with different stalls. The sounds of the crowd and salespeople practically echoed off the surrounding mountains and the effect was deafening. We browsed through the shops and Shil Hevat bought himself a Pai Sho board.
"For the dull days on the boat," he explained, "I'll teach you how to play." We ate lunch in a small café in the middle of the plaza. I loved watching the people walking by while I ate. The Earth Kingdom people were so diverse. Men and women of all different ages walked by carrying boxes and bags. Some seemed to be so rushed, while others meandered around as if they had no purpose whatsoever. Sprinkled throughout were the occasional Fire Nation type people, and even a few Air Nomads. I did not see any other people that seemed like they were from the Poles. All the mail chutes adjoined in the plaza, and every few minutes the pedestrian traffic would have to be stopped to allow the large earthen boxes to swoosh through.
Shil Hevat waved down someone that he appeared to recognize and the two began chatting like old friends. I wondered how long we would be sitting there and there were so many interesting looking stores.
"Excuse me," I cut in, "I don't mean to interrupt, but can Arin and I look around at some of the shops while you two talk? We won't go far." He glanced around checking the scene and then he nodded. I tugged Arin's hand and we dove into the crowd. We approached a booth and observed its wares.
"Look, Rika!" she pointed at some small painted wooden figurines. "It's like an entire miniature family." I looked at where she was pointing.
"This one would be you," I giggled picking one up. She laughed and walked around to the other side of the stand where the crowd was a bit thinner. I ventured over to the other side of the cart obscuring Arin from my view. I looked at some dresses thinking nostalgically of my long outgrown Earth Kingdom dress back home, and a bell tolled somewhere in the background.
Suddenly, the swooshing of the earth chutes seemed to be coming nearer and the bell registered in my head. It was the indication that the pathways around the chutes must be cleared to allow for deliveries to pass through. There was a chute that was right next to the kiosk I was visiting, but I was safely out of the way. I looked around the side of the stand. There she stood, right in the middle of a chute, too engrossed in the miniature figurines to notice the danger she was in.
"Arin!" I screamed. She realized it a moment before it was too late, but she did not move. I wanted to help her, but my legs felt glued to the ground in fear. Out of nowhere, someone pushed her out of the way. I regained my senses and dashed over to where Arin and her rescuer lay on the ground as the stone cart zoomed by.
"Is she alright?" asked the rescuer; a young man who looked about Kaito's age, with hair in a neat top know, and dark green eyes. I knelt down on the ground next to them. Arin had not moved.
"Thanks for saving her." I whispered. My voice felt hoarse. Arin gasped for breath and what I had been dreading for so long was finally happening again. I grabbed her shoulders and tried to sit her up. "Arin, come on, breathe."
"What's wrong with her?" the rescuer looked concerned.
"It's a breathing problem, she's had it ever since we were little." I wiped off her sweating brow with my sleeve to try and cool her off. "It happens when she gets nervous or panicked."
"Oh." He looked confused. "Is there anything else I can do to help."
"Umm…" I looked at Arin whose face seemed to be turning a bluish grey. "There's a café over there," I pointed and he nodded, "there should be a large man from the Fire Nation there, bring him here." He grunted in understanding and dashed off. A small crowd was beginning to form around us. I pressed on Arin's chest hoping that would help.
"Back off!" shouted a voice. Shil Hevat tore through the crowd and fell to the ground by us. "Is this the breathing thing that your aunt mentioned?"
I nodded gravely. "But she hasn't done it in awhile." He put his ear to her chest listening for her heartbeat. "What do we do now?"
"We wait." I brushed some of the hair off her face, and her eyes were wide with terror. "Then she just normally comes around, though it's probably worse than usual because she hasn't had an episode since we were a lot younger." Arin looked pale, and her face had a greenish tinge. "Please, Arin, calm down and breathe." I clutched her clammy hand in mine. Miraculously, Arin sat up dazed and took a giant breath. I sighed with relief.
"What happened?" Arin whispered. "There was the dolls, and the cart, and…" she broke of sobbing and buried her face my shoulder. I let her cry there as the crowd thinned. Finally, she stood up and wiped her nose on her sleeve, then she, Shil Hevat, and I left the city of Omashu.