Viola (비올라)

Chapter 3 - Overboard

Hannah's POV

There was a reason why she wasn't sporty. Sure she could keep up on some of the adventures Shelly used to drag her into, but she was always a little worried about hurting herself. Playing an instrument with a broken wrist was a one-time experience she never wanted again, and now that she basically typed for a living it wasn't worth the risk. Hannah cursed as she tried to get water out of her eyes.

When she had gotten to the cabin she had browsed through the pile of tourist advertisements the company who maintained this place left for her. For a place that had been empty for years she was thankful that it didn't smell musty. What a waste of space to just be empty all this time.

One of the brochures was a list of upgraded amenities to their package. Canoeing was at the top. Hannah hadn't been in a canoe since....well actually she couldn't quite remember but she knew she'd been canoeing at some point. Maybe during a school trip? The brochure stated any of the listed items could be delivered upon request. On a whim before going to bed to get some hopefully real sleep, she texted the number for a canoe. The weather app was predicting tomorrow would be clear, with some cloud cover in the afternoon. Perfect weather.

At first it had been fun to just lounge around on the river. Mostly letting the boat float as Hannah bird watched and people watched the few boaters that passed her. There weren't a lot of people on this part of the river as the cabin was a little further down from the popular parts of the town. She had let her mind wander, thinking back to better times spent at the cabin. So she didn't notice when she started to nod off until she jolted and the canoe flipped over.

The water was a shock, but she didn't swallow too much. She bobbed her head in the water next to the flipped boat. Stupid. Her head was aching with what she could tell was the beginning of a sunburn. She had plastered her face with sunscreen as a precaution but her hat must have been off for a while. How long has she been asleep? Thankfully she'd opted for a hat with a string so she hadn't lost it when she fell.

Sigh. She should really flip the boat back over. The canoe was an older style, wood instead of light plastic, it shouldn't be too heavy for her to lift on her own.

But she felt so tired. The last few weeks had been hell, between the COVID scare with her niece, the extra work while her boss was out sick, a Facebook post from an ex, the constant catastrophic news cycle, company merger, practicing her limited Korean, her shoulders. Man. Even with a good night's sleep she hadn't lost the knot from last week's plane trip.

She continued to float there, long enough to hear the whirr of an approaching motor boat and a concerned voice moving in her direction. From her right a speedboat swung into her line of vision, moving around her in a way to avoid creating too many waves.

"Juh gi, Kwanchanayo? [Hey, are you ok]''There were three men on the speedboat looking genuinely concerned. They were mostly unremarkable, but something about the one steering screamed ex-military. As she looked in the direction they came from she noticed a small group a ways up stream. Another speedboat and a few canoes. She must have looked dazed. The man repeated in a more worried tone.

"Are you ok?" In accented but recognizable English.

"Yes! Ne, miahaneyo. [yes sorry]" Hannah blurted. She felt even stupider. The hotness on her cheeks was now not just the sun burn. The man who called out looked relieved. He signaled something that must have been an ok to the rest of the group and pulled up his shades. He reached out a hand to Hannah.

"But, opsoyo. Mask opsoyo. [but I don't have a mask]" Hannah found herself protesting. The man frowned and rummaged in a bag next to him. He was now stretching out a medical mask. Hannah took it. It immediately got damp as she pulled it over her still wet face. The hand stayed out and Hannah let him pull her onboard. He was just as strong as he looked. Definitely confirmed her suspicion that they weren't here just to enjoy scenery, probably bodyguards. Hannah thanked the men again as one of them proceeded to quickly flip over her canoe.