The Blue Orchid Years

Chapter 39: Do All Clouds Have Silver Linings?

When I returned to the boys' room after spending the afternoon splashing in the ocean with Hamza and watching Tony teased Nardhia about her repeatedly falling off the surfing board, I noticed Moira had left a sticky note on the door. It said I'm taking Rain and Vannie to see that cave with the tidal pool. We'll be back in a few hours. Love you, have a great day! Oh, and please don't go ham on the watermelons, some of us haven't gotten our share yet but are looking forward to eating them. P.S.: I borrowed a book from Akira and have been meaning to return it but I kept forgetting until this morning. If you are free, could you return it to her on my behalf?

Chuckling to myself about Moira's comment on the watermelons, I began to input the passcode to unlock the door but then a thought crossed my mind. She hadn't mentioned anywhere on the note where she kept Akira's book in! I took out my phone from my shirt's pocket and called her.

"Hey honey, did you have fun at the beach?" she greeted me enthusiastically. "You missed out on something cool! Rain found a wild Kulambas nest in the tidal pool, it even has some eggs!"

"A nest full of Kulambas eggs?" my eyes went wide. "That's wonderful! I thought Kulambas couldn't survive in the wilderness but they can, eh? Also, I thought they give birth to their young like seahorses. Perhaps this is a different sub-species? Tell me you managed to snap a picture."

"I did!" she exclaimed. "I guess you haven't checked your messages yet or maybe the picture wasn't sent? My stupid messaging App has been acting up lately, which is why I left you a sticky note instead of texting you. You got my note about Akira's book, right, Nardho?"

"I'll take a look at your phone when you're back." I assured her. "Don't worry about the picture, you can show me later or better yet you can show Risma and Gibran so that we can hear what they think of Rain's discovery. As for Akira's book, you actually forgot to mention where it is."

"Oh!" Moira sounded surprised for a second and then she giggled. "I put it inside of a locker by my bed. Nardhia can tell you the lock key combination. The book itself should be easy to spot. It has a lavender cover with the title Anthology of Black Elm Legends: Volume One embossed in white cursive letters and a drawing of three fairies. The author's name is Chiharu Kinoya."

"Gotcha, I should be able to find it." I said and then frowned as the implication of her last sentence dawned on me. "Hey Moira, is the author related to Lee? How many daughters does he have, anyway?"

"I don't think this Chiharu person is his daughter," Moira replied. "There's a photo of her on the author profile's page and she looks sixty or a little bit older. Maybe that's his wife. Ask Akira."

"I will." I responded. "Now, I should get going and see if she's in her seaweed research facility this evening. I'm curious, though, what prompted you to read a book on local legends?"

"I wanted to know if there are myths related to the Kulambas just like there are several related to the Gaburs." Moira explained. "Remember how Ayumi's people used to think the Gaburs were the pets of goddesses? I figured the natives of Black Elm must have similar stories. Turned out they do! Truly fascinating stuff, but I won't spoil anything. You should read those yourself."

"I wonder if the Kinoya family is only half-Japanese just like the Sakamoto family is." I mused out loud. "Perhaps this Chiharu you spoke of was a member of the native tribe of this planet and wished to preserve her culture. Ah, well, I shall find out soon when I speak with Akira."

***

As expected, when I walked into the damp and chlorine-smelling seaweed-breeding indoor pool Akira was busy hunching over a microscope, analyzing samples of many different types of seaweeds and periodically stopping to type away at her handheld micro-computer. She was so engrossed in her work and didn't hear my footsteps that she jumped when I tapped her shoulder.