The Moon Dancer

Chapter 24

It had been a few days since the ship first set sail, and the Balbadd coast was finally coming into view. The men that sailed on the ship were happy to see their homeland again, and to no longer have to be on so close to the man who cut out their comrade's tongue. 

The poor man named Gazeem hardly left the dark depths of the ship. The other men no longer expected him to do any work, at least, not for the remainder of the trip. Most of the time he simply laid in his hammock, swinging gently with the sway of the sea and moving what was left of his tongue to a rhythm only he could hear.

If there was anything good that came out of his mutilation, it was the new sense of invisibility he had. His crewmates turned their eyes away from him and none ever approached him on the few times he emerged from the depths of the ship. Perhaps it was guilt that made them avert their eyes, or maybe even fear that they would share the same fate. Whatever the reason, Gazeem did not mind too much. He was never much of a people person, usually preferring to watch from the sidelines.

It was the night after his mutilation that he first began to watch the girl they had taken from the palace.

She looked to be around his age, maybe a year or two younger. She reminded him of a young girl he used to know, a girl that was swallowed up into the darker parts of the slums. Maybe that was the reason he had approached the Moon Dancer in the first place. It was obvious she was being deceived and Gazeem had wanted to help her.

Gazeem thought she was a peculiar girl.  A cloth always covered her eyes, only once had he managed to catch a glimpse of her without it. 

It was a bright day, and she had gone below deck to get away from the heat and sunshine. Gazeem didn't realize he was eating so close to her hammock until he saw her sit in it. 

A nervous sweat broke out over his forehead. His tongue wound was still fresh, and he feared what would be done to him if he was found to be alone with the girl. 

Gazeem tried to slowly exit the room, but then the Moon Dancer began to untie her blindfold. His curiosity got the better of him, and Gazeem found himself sitting back down on the barrel where he had been eating lunch.

The girl took off the blindfold with a sigh and opened her eyes. Immediately the dark room was illuminated with a soft pink glow. The girl looked right at him, her glowing pink eyes wide with surprise. She opened her mouth to scream, but Gazeem quickly shook his hands to stop her.

"Uh, guhh-" Gazeem cried out, forgetting he could no longer talk. The girl looked at him with horror as she stared directly into his open mouth. Shame burned Gazeem's face as he quickly turned away and slapped a hand over his mouth. A low moan of despair escaped from his lips as he scuttled away.

"Wait, please don't go! I'm sorry." The girl called out, stretching her hand toward him. Gazeem stopped at slowly looked back at her.

"I didn't mean to be rude, please forgive me."

Before Gazeem could do anything, the door to the outside burst open and sunlight illuminated the dark ship hull. The girl screamed and slammed her hands over her eyes. Gazeem took that opportunity to dive behind a group of barrels to hide.

"Ruhya! Are you okay? I'm so sorry I should have let you know I was opening the door." Came a youthful sounding voice, Gazeem almost didn't recognize it.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine." She replied as she turned her back to the opening. She opened her eyes and saw Gazeem's face mostly hidden in the remaining darkness.

"Were you talking to someone?"

"Yeah, uh-"

Gazeem frantically shook his head and held his finger over his mouth. The girl's eyes widened and she quickly corrected herself.