Chapter 6: Cold Encounters

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It took us 4 days to get to the South Pole, and even though that was considered fast, it felt like a million years had passed before we finally docked at the harbor.

Normally, it takes 12 days to get from the lower tip of the Earth Kingdom all the way to the South Pole, but Katara had been navigating these waters for 20+ years.

During the 4 day period, we mostly played games of Paisho, Name that Avatar, and 'I-can-catch-more-catfish-than-you!' Each night, we dined on the fish that we caught. Although I was having a blast, I felt like the time couldn't pass faster. When we saw the welcoming statues, I just about jumped off the boat.

"Land ho!" Bolin called. We all scrambled to where he was standing, and, sure enough, you could see the city.

Mako squinted. "I don't remember those statues being there," he recalled. Katara rolled her eyes.

"That's because you haven't been here to see them, Dad," she said. She began tying rope to a metal anchor, then starting turning a huge wheel to get it down into the water. "Here." She handed Bolin the other end of the rope that wasn't in the sand. "Don't let that fall in."

She then hurried back into her cabin and came back out with a seal-penguin skin bag. "You ready?" she asked me. I nodded, ready to get off.

"We'll stay and watch the boat," Mako said, looking out into the sea. Katara nodded, but didn't say anything. Pushing down the ladder, we climbed down onto the ice.

Before we reached the bottom, Katara called below me, "Let me put on some ice straps on you. It's slick down there!" I held out one foot at a time so I didn't fall. Once she was done, I hoped off the ladder and onto the ice. I heard a crunch of the points making contact with ice.

Katara lead me down the harbor where other ships were docked. We then walked onto the main road, and I gasped. Some of the buildings were made of ice while others of raw materials. There were people and spirits everywhere. Merchants were calling out deals on fish, hooks, materials, sushi wraps, necklaces, etc. And there wasn't a Sato Mobile in sight.

"Where are all the cars?" I asked Katara.

"Gone. It's too hard to ship oil down here to make them keep moving so people don't use them all together." Before I could ask any further questions, a man who looked be around Katara's age (about 45) literally ran into her.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Katara exclaimed. When the man looked up, I heard Katara mumble under her breath, "Oh, it's you."

"Katara!" the man exclaimed, engulfing her into a hug. Katara stood stuff as a board, her face puckered like she'd swallowed something sour.

"Hello Hai," Katara grumbled. Hai finally let go and look at Katara with a hunger behind his eyes. He wanted her. I stepped away from him.

"So how have you been?" he asked. "You never visit anymore." Before Katara could answer, he looked behind her and saw me.

"Well, well, well," Hai murmured, "who do we have here?" Katara wrapped her arm around my shoulders, her hand squeezing my triceps. She squeezed a little hard, kind of in a mothering way.

"This is Mana," replied Katara. Ironic, really. Mana means truth and here we are, lying about my name. "She's coming from the arctic outskirts, where it's too cold to do much of anything, like learning to waterbend."

Hai shook his head. "I still can't believe there are people still living out there. And uneducated, no less!" How could this man think everyone could have an education? It's not like those people out in the arctic could travel in those conditions just to learn!

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