A short break, Hiloaki who was made up and played with.
The next morning, we packed our luggage and prepared to leave the village. As we walked outside, everyone in the village called out to us, asking if we were leaving already. It’s possible that no outsider has ever been as liked by the Hummingbird Harpies as we have.
I went into the forest, wanting to see Ryoku one last time. There, several Hummingbird Harpies were gathered. Ryoku was drawing something on a hanging blackboard. I could hear the sound of movement, but it was strangely quiet.
Ryoku stopped his hand when he noticed me.
“Yo, what are you doing?”
He happily led me to the blackboard. There were drawings of animals on it.
“Hello, we’re deciding on words right now.”
“Cowardly Ear? So you’re staying with Ryoku.”
It seems she’s acting with Ryoku as I asked. She just said she was deciding on words. Does that mean everyone here can’t hear?
“Sign language? So that’s what you call it where you’re from, Hiloaki? You said you taught me the voice of the forest, and it seems true.”
He’s not the only one in the same situation. He finally has a companion. I’m so glad, now I can communicate with others too.
“It looks like you’ll be okay now. I’ll leave this forest to you.”
Ryoku put down the chalk he was holding and came over to me. He held out a wing, and I intertwined my thumb with his and squeezed it tightly. His emerald eyes seemed to be urging me to go and come back.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
When I returned to the village, everyone was waiting for me.
“Did you thank them for us?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. Let’s go now.”
The messenger spirit, who had been watching us, appeared before us. The bird-like spirit flew ahead as if to guide us.
After following it for a while, the forest opened up, and we could see the sea. The Chieftain, who had been waiting for us, was there.
“You’ve all come. I’ve been waiting for you. The ship is ready.”
Where she pointed, sheer cliffs spread out below. Moreover, the waves were rough. Despite the clear sky, the undulating tide foamed white and disappeared. I had expected a sandy beach, but I doubted even a ship could dock here.
“Where is that ship?”
“It’ll be here soon. Look.”
Then, something emerged from the rough waves, parting the sea. It had an old deck, a broken mast, and only half of its hull. It was like a decaying ghost ship.
“Please come down from there. Be careful where you step.”
When she said “there,” I couldn’t believe she meant this narrow path. There were diagonal steps on a part of the cliff. It looked like I could slip off with even a slight gust of wind. Is this for the Hummingbird Harpies?
“Is this the only way?”
“Yes, well. It would be a different story if you could fly. Basically, she docks here.”
“She,” you don’t mean… is this also a spirit? Then, water gushed out from a hole in the ship. Could this possibly be a whale? It’s called a ship, but isn’t it a whale with a ship attached?
The Chieftain looked at us with a “please go ahead” expression.
“Um, then I’ll go first, and everyone else follow.”
The width of each step was barely enough for half a foot. Were we supposed to go along this? If I fell, I would truly die. What about Philiana and Lauren? Nina looked like she’d have trouble too.
“The bigger ones have a pulley.”
I almost tripped. If there was one, you should have told me earlier. The Chieftain asked us to wait a moment and brought the pulley device. It was a crane of considerable size, pulled by two horses.
“We use this to transport luggage. There’s heavy stuff too.”
“If possible, we’d like to use that too.”
We were lowered down one by one. As we descended, I noticed something I hadn’t seen from above: there was indeed a landing. Wooden posts were erected in a hollow within the cliff. However, they were quite old, and it was uncertain if everyone could fit.
And then, before us, was a large whale with a ship on its back. A wooden plank extended from it and reached the landing.
A shadow, illuminated by the backlighting, appeared on the ship.
“Today’s customers are a rare bunch indeed. First, a giant tree, and now outsiders.”
A figure with a pipe in his mouth walked across the plank with large strides, swaying his shoulders.
“Welcome to the Stormy Ghost Ship. I am Kash, the captain. Hurry and get on.”
We boarded the ship attached to the whale as the captain told us. It creaked and swayed with the waves and the whale’s movements.
“Is everyone on board? Alright, cast off! Ah, don’t step on that hole there. You’ll be blown away.”
So, the holes in the floor were the whale’s nostrils. The captain, dressed in clothes befitting his image, puffed on his pipe. He looks small, but his demeanor is incredibly arrogant. That’s a rude thing to say.
Once everyone was on board, Kash immediately pulled up the wooden plank. Then, the whale slowly began to turn.
“Those who have passed through the Gate of the Dead, I shall guide you to God’s Island!”
