New Beginnings (The Arcana)

Curiosity

The sunlight rose high above the trees on the outskirts of Nevivon, lighting the clearing with balmy summer hues. The light glistened on the water, drowning in the crashing waves onshore.

I kicked off my shoes and threw my satchel astray in the sand, caught up in the excitement of finally being near the sea. Running along the edges of the beach, I could already feel my heart swelling up with excitement. The warm, welcoming feeling in my chest mingled with the coldness of the sea on my sun kissed legs, sending up sprays of water as I sprinted towards Nevivon's port.

Oh, how I loved the harbor. Dozens upon dozens of boats had docked, going to and from transporting different cargo deliveries. My heart pounded with fond memories of adventures here, and now that I thought about it, I remembered the last time I visited. Back then, Pa had been showing me around. My favorite part of the day was going down and watching the thousands of ships board and take off from Nevivon's shores, and the best part of it all was that Pa sailed them. He would always go out to sea with the crew, and every time he'd bring home generously huge baskets of fish to feed Mama and I for the rest of the week. The first time that we didn't come home with fish was the last time we saw my Pa.

Ever since that day, Mama stopped going down to see the boats with me. She told me that we'd be better off leaving sour memories behind. But I couldn't deal with that. I was so determined that I'd see Pa again.

I shook my head, pushing the thought far from my mind. When I finally reached the docks, I slowed into a small jog and vaulted myself up and over the tall platform. I grunted from the force of the haul, dusting my sandy hands and finally looking at the scene from a sailor's point of view.

I continued to walk, ducking past other passerbys traveling to and from the ships, some shouldering large parcels and others handling only small envelopes and pouches. I grinned at familiar strangers and exchanged "hellos" with knowing faces, people that knew me and people who knew about my small adventures near and on the ships.

Eventually, I had made my way onto a vessel famously named Queen Anne's Revenge. The owner was a friend of Mama's, and from what I knew, he had an obsession with older pirate ships, so this full-scale replica wasn't so out of the ordinary. Sat comfortably cradled in the ship's shrouds, I kicked my feet over the mahogany edge of the gunwale and gazed out at the glittering blue waves along the setting horizon.

* * *

There was complete and utter silence when I sat at the dining table.

I had dusted off and hung my satchel on the edge of my chair. Mama lifted her hand, a wooden ladle gripped between her delicate fingers. She turned to look at me with a stern face, and I could almost feel the tension that radiated through the space between us. She poured a generous amount of her famous beef stew recipe in a bowl and slid it across the tablecloth. She sighed, taking a seat across the table from me. "Did you have fun down at the pier?" Mama spoke, her naturally thick Iranian accent shining through.

"I-"

Wait a second... I paused, looking at Mama with bewildered eyes. Her penetrating gaze made my blood run cold.

"I, uh..." I wrung my hands nervously, "How did you find out?"

Almost as if responding to my suspicions, Mama's chinchilla familiar, a small vessel linked to her magical aura, stuck his nose up from under the table and gave a soft, raspy squeak. Mama glanced down at the fluffy ball of betrayal and gave him a pat, "I let Papaya out of the house one day, and he was curious to see where you were going. When he saw you, he told me straight away. Every once and awhile he'll be down playing in the sand and he'll see you run by."

She's never ceased to be honest with me.

"I've told you over and over again to leave the docks in the past," She continued, "and over and over again you've disobeyed me. To make sure that this doesn't happen again, Papaya will accompany you wherever you go." Mama's face softened as she rubbed at her temples, her long chocolate hair falling in waterfalls around her shoulders, "I know I seem really nosy, Ian. But one day, you will be disappointed when you realise that Pa isn't coming home. I'm just trying to prevent that day from happening."

My shoulders tensed, fists balling up as I listened in denial. So, I stood from the table, wiped the corners of my mouth with my sleeve, and walked away from the scene. "I know, mom." I spoke finally, disappearing through the door to my room. I stepped towards my bed and fell tiredly onto the mint linen sheets, groaning into their warmth.

After that day, I might never have gotten to go down to the sea again. I had to take my last chance while I had it.

* * *

I still hadn't eaten anything since dinner. An hour after I had left, the telltale click of the oil lamp in Mama's room went off, and I was the only one awake. I looked out into the hall, and only a step or so later followed my gaze out into the dining room. As quietly as possible, I retrieved my satchel and was out the door before I could even think a second more about it.

The way to the docks was nearly the same under the cover of darkness. Thick fir trees lined the edges, and the only difference was in the multitudinous amounts of newly bioluminescent flowers that lit the path. They seemed to flash and burst with color as I walked past, stretching towards the light of my aura. I giggled as the path opened up into a clearing by the shore, and waved back at the flowers in delight. The water still crashed and rolled far onto the beach, journeying further thanks to the early tide. I stepped carefully around the depths until I arrived at the familiar shipping port.

I hopped up onto the dock, already searching for a boat to explore. Just off the western canal, I noticed a newbie in the harbor. The vessel was built differently than most of the visitors that arrived at the pier. Naturally, this rarity piqued my curiosity, and I was already scurrying down towards the ship. My eyes flicked over the inky black hull, spotting a smooth 'Nautilus Devorak' painted onto the curved surface. I tilted my head in thought, "Devorak, huh?"

The ship rocked under the force of the ocean's current, which made it difficult to board. I clung onto a post next to the gangplank opening, stretching a leg across the empty space between the pier and the boat. After trying over and over again, and almost falling between the space and into the waters below, I successfully made my way amidship.

The rush I felt from finally finding my way back to the docks was almost euphoric, and feeling like I was getting away with something that no one else knew about made the experience all the more exciting to me.

I slunk in the shadows of the ship's intricate rigging, all at once taking in the ship's beauty, running a hand along her elegantly crafted build as I proceeded to observe her prow and bowsprit. I peeked over the railing at the edge of the ship, catching sight of yet another smoothly painted name on her bow. Only this time, it had 'Dasari' written in small letters beneath the familiar 'Nautilus Devorak' that I had spotted earlier.

I shrugged and stepped away. The extra name was usually uncommon among ships, but to each their own. I turned tail and looked up at the ship's mainmast, then to the crow's nest. Clawed high into the sky above my head, the mainmast was a very important piece; a long pole planted in the center of the ship to keep hold of sails and shrouds, and also to help with the rigging system.

I knew it in almost an instant: that's where I wanted to be. Attached to the base of the crow's nest was a long, thin rope ladder that stretched from the main deck to the edge of the nest's barrel. Totally and completely unbothered by the unstable-looking scene, I gripped the rope, pulled it taut, and began to scale the beam.

The way up was long and tedious, leaving me with thicker calluses and splintered skin. When I finally made it into the nest, the sore, burning red on my hands seemed to melt into nothingness as I stared down at the world around me. I knew that for a fact that the view was worth it. Scenery from the oceanside cliff near home had always been the most beautiful place in my eyes, but being able to gaze down upon the nightly glittering lights of Nevivon, watching them dance upon the waves... the sight was something otherworldly.