Wind. A familiar friend on the island, one that Aelfric had known since he was a child. It was really the only friend he had, apart from the old man. The flowers swayed in the breeze, as if in a slow dance. It was summer, and everything on the island was warm and new. At one point, Aelfric thought he heard a bird singing, but no birds lived on the island. It was probably just the wind, playing tricks on his mind, as it often did. He told the old man in the past about how he could hear faint voices in the wind, beckoning him to step off the island. The old man comforted him, saying that such voices belonged to the spirits of the wind and sky, and how they often lured sailors and voyagers to their deaths. Such voices were never to be obeyed, he would say. The stories that the old man had shared with Aelfric throughout his life were so ancient and old, and yet he knew that there was truth to them. They were not ramblings of a decaying mind, or rumors passed down through word of mouth. They were vivid and clear, as real as the sky above and the ground below.
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Aelfric leaned his sword against a tall stone covered in ancient runes, and sat down on the grass. He stared out into the vast ocean, which gleamed and sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. Now and again he spotted a fish leap, only to dive back into the water. Such small things would seem unimportant to most people, but to Aelfric, they were truly captivating. He took a deep breath. He smelled the salt of the sea, the fragrance of the flowers next to him, and... smoke. SMOKE. "FIRE!" He spun around back to see the small wooden cabin, and to his dismay, noticed the fire on the rooftop. Dropping his bag and leaving his things behind, he ran as fast as he could towards the cabin. Out of breath, he peeked his head in to see if the old man was inside, but he couldn't see anything because of the thick smoke. Coughing, he tried to find out where the old man was. He heard chuckling behind him.
"My dear boy, it seems one of my spells has gone wrong." It was the old man. Aelfric uttered a sigh of relief. "But, t-the cabin, it's on fi-" "Yes, yes, on fire indeed. My physical eyes might be failing but my spiritual ones are not, thank the gods." Before Aelfric could say another word, he heard a loud splash. He turned in its direction, only to see a huge orb of seawater being pulled like a marble from the ocean. He could see the fish inside of it, and a few crabs. The orb floated gently and carefully over towards the burning cabin, and then dropped suddenly, sending water everywhere. Everything was soaked, including Aelfric's clothes. "See Aelfric, I told you your tunic needed washing," the old man laughed.
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From above, the island looked like a small emerald in the middle of a vast blue sea. By night, it was illuminated by the pale moonlight. As far as Aelfric knew, there was no other land outside of the island. He didn't know what existed beyond his own shores. His only knowledge of the outside world came from the old man. Ancient stories that told of dragons, spirits, and gods. Aelfric's favorite was one that spoke of the creation of the earth. He had been told these stories his entire life, but yet he knew nothing of his own past, or of his family. He didn't know who his father or mother were, or if he had any siblings. His only family was the old man, and he didn't even know if they were related by blood.
He stepped outside the cabin, and walked towards the old rune stone. His sword still leaned against it. He took the sword in his hand and unsheathed it. It shone in the moonlight, and he could make out small symbols etched into the metal blade and the hilt. He didn't know where it came from or who had crafted it, but he was given it as a gift by the old man on his 16th birthday. He had spent almost a whole year training to wield it. He stared at it for a while and then put it back in its sheath, leaning it against the stone once more. He sighed, and laid himself down on his back, staring up at the sky. Each of the stars shone brightly, and some flickered and danced like flame.
As he lay on the grass looking up at the sky, Aelfric felt alone. He was alone on a small island in the middle of a vast open sea, which itself was situated under a vast and open sky. Aelfric sighed to himself once more. He thought of all the possible things that could lie beyond the shores of his island. Was the outside world hospitable? Was it cruel? What kind of people lived there? All these questions raced through his mind, and he felt that he would never find answers to them. The old man seemed to know so much, and yet there was so much more that he refused to tell Aelfric. 122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVI0WD8BSv
He closed his eyes and tried to shut those thoughts out of his mind. When he opened them, he saw the moon directly above him. It was circular, perfect, and indescribably bright. But its light was cool, and it did not burn like the light of the sun. It illuminated the grass and the flowers and everything else on the island. As Aelfric gazed up at it, he didn't feel quite so lonely. He felt comforted. He felt at peace for the first time in years.
His thoughts shifted to that of the ocean. It couldn't be that hard to cross, could it? He had heard tales of mariners and voyagers in years gone by who had ventured across the world in a matter of weeks. Surely, a voyage like that would be easy.
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