Broken Glass - Taekook

5

When I sit down again, there's a brief pause, then the house is thrown into a frenzy, as everyone prepares for the journey ahead. 

Hyejin and Seunghyun throw their misgivings to the side, instead devoting their time to helping us figure out what it is we need. Whilst my new companions start sorting out their belongings, packing clothes and tools alike into sturdy bags, Hyejin has a short discussion with her husband, and then heads out of the house for a while, taking a small item covered by cloth with her. When she returns, maybe an hour later, she's carrying heavy, durable material, and there's the beginnings of tears in her eyes. As if she's given something up in order to procure the material. 

Seunghyun, after some consideration, dedicates his time to helping me get my strength back. He supports my first few steps, making sure that I have my balance, and then encourages me to try moving on my own. When I stumble, after crossing the room twice, he's there to catch me and tell me to rest. This happens three times, and then he tells me to rest up, and leaves the house, speaking quietly to Taehyung before he goes. 

Everywhere I turn, someone is doing something: Hyejin, her eyes and arms glowing a faint green, is making the material she collected into something resembling a bag or pack. Seokjin and Yoongi go out hunting, returning a few hours later with their catches. Seokjin skins and guts each one, passing it to Yoongi, who covers it with salt and hangs it up to dry. Namjoon and Taehyung flick through yellowing scrolls, scanning the information contained within. Some are returned to their place within a tall chest. Others are rolled up, and placed into Namjoon's pack. With each one, they talk amongst themselves, pointing out the pros and cons of bringing it. 

The front door hangs open, the bright light of day flooding into the house, acting as perfect ventilation for the smoky fire, for the strong pungent smell of leather being treated. At midday, an old man appears, , dressed simply, his face wrinkled with age and his body sunken. Two young men, who've come with him, carry cloth bags, which they pass over to Taehyung and Namjoon.

As the bags are emptied, my eyes widen with surprise. Hyejin even pauses in her work to check out the contents.  One bag is filled with spare clothes, of varying sizes, spare shoes, belts, thin cloaks. Another holds dried meat, bread, vegetables. There's a container brimming with bright red berries. Yet another contains tools, some slightly rusty but still useful. 

Whilst the materials are checked and packed, the old man walks over to me. I thank him quietly for the supplies, and he merely states that the entire village of Hazelpoint is behind me, and reveals that this is the offering of the whole village. 

He apologises to me for the lack of good quality materials, claiming that they are poor, and don't have many supplies to spare. The people have to keep living, after all. Then he pushes a worn knife into my hand. The wooden sheath is relatively plain, but the hilt is covered with intricate carvings, fascinating images etched into age-old oak.

At the centre of the iconic 'T' shape, a circle is carved in. Four vine-like lines curve down to the bottom of the shape, decorated with occasional leaves, caging in the figures of creatures I don't recognise. In one section, a small humanoid figure, crowned, with wings shaped like those of a dragonfly, sits on an elaborate seat, staring directly out at me. Another section holds the image of a young woman, in front of a tree, leaves drawn into her long hair, twirling lines circling her limbs. As I turn the blade, I spot other pictures, but before I can inspect them, the old man tells me that the knife belonged to his father, and leaves before I can thank him. 

Seunghyun returns a few hours after he left, his bag full, and he hands the entire thing to Taehyung. Fascinated, I watch as he opens it and pours out a large amount plants in front of himself, organising the pile so that  he can see each one. He sorts them methodically, removing a leaf or a root and placing it carefully on a different square of coloured fabric, until he has several neat piles.