The Art of Treading Water

Prologue

THE depths of the countryside bear many secrets. 

The land, complete with lush, rolling hills and a bright endless sky so vast it could either swallow you whole or occupy your mind forever with dreams of finding its end. Nature had a way of being like that, besotted with forbidden beauty and dangers disguised beyond what the eye can see. One moment, a field green with life and teeming with grasses swaying casually against the breeze, the next, it could be burning with hot, lusting flames reaching with scorching fingers, destroying everything in its path. Nature was unpredictable, something Youra learned quite early in life.

It was a particularly tempting Friday afternoon when Youra begged her grandfather to let her go into the valley to pick wildflowers. Her older brother Korain was finally coming home from a month-long martial arts camp, and she wanted to welcome him home with something pretty. 

Luckily it didn't take much pouting for her grandfather to give in to her pleas with a defeated huff. To her credit, Youra did know the expanse of the countryside surprisingly well for a young girl her age, much thanks to her spiraling imagination that often made her embark on wild adventures far outside of the lands she was familiar with.

The girl had no fear of getting lost, which was what worried her grandfather the most. Usually, he was able to send her brother to tail her when he saw her suddenly leaving the land of their farmhouse but seeing as the girl was getting older and had been doing quite well with her brother gone within the past month, he decided to let her go just this once. Admittedly, her reasoning was adorable, and the older man found himself struggling to hide his smile when she skipped out of the cottage, a small handheld basket in-tow.

The journey to the valley where the creek ran was a decent one, her melodic singing the only thing to keep her company. She passed a few homes placed sporadically amongst the fields and blushed pink when she saw a boy a little older than herself pause in his work to wave at her. Youra wasn't from the countryside like many of the other residents in the area. Her, Korain and her grandfather only spent their summers away from the hectic city of Seoul, where grandfather could escape his business and the children could visit the land where their parents lay. 

As temporary residents, the children admittedly didn't know many others who lived within the area, the two of them preferring to simply play amongst one another. As Youra passed by the boy who waved, she smiled to herself in brimming excitement, maybe he could play the prince in her games with Korain. Her brother admittedly was very bad at make-believe and was only really good at playing the jester and ruining the mood of the game with his horrible jokes.

Once she reached the creek, the sight was enough to snatch her breath away, complete with the twinkling of sunlight as it reflected off the softly gurgling water that carved into the hillside. Little butterflies fluttered about, visiting flower after flower, almost like it was fondly visiting old friends in passing. Youra giggled at the sight, her heart full at the ability to experience such beauty. Nothing could make her happier at that moment. Continuing her little lullaby softly under her breath, she wielded her basket in one arm and bent to pick a pretty white flower she was sure her brother would like.

An hour soon passed as swiftly as the breeze tossed the vibrant leaves above head. Youra's basket of wildflowers lay all but forgotten on the grassy shore of the creek, along with her shoes, which she tossed haphazardly there after accidentally dunking one in the accumulated water while trying to catch a small black salamander that was jumping in tiny bounds from rock to rock. The valley stood still, seemingly set on a mid-afternoon nap. Even Youra was suspiciously quiet as she crouched over the bubbling water of the creek, lifting stones so slowly, it almost seemed like her life depended on it.