Child of Zutah – Chapter 1
(Please note that this is an early look at the story, and may be subject to change)
Brilliant aqua coloured fish surged around Wes. Scintillating light refracted from their bodies that rivalled the sun’s rays. The boy twisted and wove himself through the water with practiced ease. Muffled sounds of the ocean calmed him with its quiet sonata. This place made him want to grow gills. He strung a net between his hands, awaiting the perfect moment to make his catch. To bide his time, he swirled towards the coral below, slowly landing amongst the colourful branches. That big blue one would make a nice house, if I were a fish.
Not far from him, a tiny green jellyfish bobbed between strands of seaweed. It slowed just long enough for the boy to steal a touch of its gooey top. He smiled, then searched for his prey. His time was running out. It was now or in precisely two minutes, when he regained his breath.
Finally, a long fish with whiskers lazily swam by. Sorry, little friend. Someone asked me to take you away. He swung his net in a quick loop, ensnaring the fish with little struggle. Once it was wrapped up and the net slung over his shoulder, he rushed to the surface. He broke into the relief of air and the sound of light wind. Multicoloured gulls squawked obnoxiously above, making him wish he was back beneath the water.
Resisting all urges to dive again, he made for a five-meter cliff hanging above him. He found a perfect handhold, and threw himself upwards with ease. One hand still clasping the net with the struggling fish, he hoisted himself bit-by-bit until he finally reached the very top of the cliff. Before him lay an open field, beyond the field, a thick jungle. This was his island home, Nàtand.
He wrapped his catch up the way his older sister had taught him, then dressed himself with a pile of clothes tossed aside on the cliff. As he pulled a t-shirt and swung his legs over the five-foot drop to the ocean’s surface. Watching it made his eyes feel as glazed as a mound of jelly. The harsh smell of salt water brought him some comfort, and lured him to lean closer. The late afternoon sun’s light bounced from wave to wave, the reflection vanishing and reappearing with each surge of water.
‘Wes, you caught it.’ A girl somewhere close to Wes’ age approached, munching on something that crunched like a nut. The teenager had a bag full of those nuts, freshly harvested. She reached down to the fish that struggled in the net and gently finished it off, which made Wes’ spine prickle. ‘We should go home,’ she said.
‘Lily.’
‘Yes?’
‘Five more minutes, please?’
‘Alright.’ Lily seemed hardly taken aback, and instead chose to quietly sit by Wes’ side. She pushed his boots and socks a little closer to him, but he hardly regarded them with more than a glance. ‘You really like this spot.’
‘Yup.’
A ten second silence lingered between them, only the cries from the ocean and winds in the sky interrupting it. Wes hardly felt like talking right now. Couldn’t he just stare into the great sea in peace? It was the only place Wes hadn’t explored. He’d been on this tiny island for far too long. A sudden flash in his mind of blood and steel gave him a fright, and that was the end of his brooding.
‘Do you have a reason you like it?’ Lily asked, fiddling with another nut.
‘Not one that I understand,’ Wes said, feeling as if he needed to give better context. Another short and windy silence blew by before he spoke again. ‘I just feel like the ocean is callin’ me–somethin’ about it is, anyway.’ Wes’ eyes became unfocused–unblinking. It’s so enigmatic, he thought.
‘Well,’ Lily started, ‘when you get a clearer idea of things, we’ll work it out together.’
Wes attempted to agree to her offer, but he wasn’t sure if it all stayed in his head or if it just sounded like a mutter. Suddenly, she was looking at him like a mother would her child. Wes kept her in the corner of his eye. He didn’t fully understand why, but she always seemed to pay so much attention to him–more than his own family. Speaking of family…
‘Oi, oi, team!’ A tone of voice like a screeching seagull called from the overgrown tree line behind them. There, a scraggly looking boy flailed about, lugging several bags and backpacks on his shoulders, arms, back and even neck. ‘Let’s go! We got what we need and we ‘aven’t got the grub to last a night.’
‘Alright, nut ‘ead,’ Wes growled and stood. He stretched and took in one last glance of the orange sea before trudging to the hyperactive figure. Do all little brothers have no patience?
‘Wes, your shoes.’ Lily dropped the boots into Wes’ arms as she strolled past him.
‘Ah well, shoes are overrated.’ Wes stopped to slide into them and tie them up, contradictory to his statement.
‘They’re pretty important when you step on a patch of thorns.’ Lily yanked some of the bags from the other boy’s shoulders. She collected the fish, slung a backpack over her own shoulders and tossed a satchel to Wes’ feet. He stared at it for a good few seconds before reaching for it. Just don’t step on the thorns, obviously.
‘Reece,’ Lily addressed the energetic boy. ‘I don’t think it’s wise to make the full walk home this late.’
‘Well, we’re not stayin’ ‘ere.’ Reece already stood amongst the first trees of the forest ahead. Honestly, if he wasn’t wearing a set of bright orange trousers, Wes decided he would’ve fit right in with the trees with his oversized brown shirt and green backpack.
‘I don’t see the problem with stayin’, Reece.’ Wes tossed his bag over his shoulder and followed.
Reece performed a pirouette. ‘Stayin’ ‘ere? Look, you can get attacked by a swarm of oversized lobsters again–I’d rather deal with the creatures we’re used to.’ He leapt over a fallen log, and ripped a toot as he landed.
‘Personally, gettin’ attacked by anythin’ isn’t good in my books.’ Wes trudged a few meters behind the others, purposely keeping his distance. He and Reece had a silent stare down for a few seconds. Wes cocked his head to the side, prompting Reece to do the same. They both puffed their chests out. Silent insults were exchanged through complex brow movements and rhythmic blinking.
‘Alright.’ Lily broke up the bickering with a wave of the hand. ‘Let’s just head to a point we can stop for the night and think about dinner.’
‘Awww yessss.’ Reece pumped a fist. ‘I’m keen fer meat.’
‘We don’t have meat,’ Lily said.
‘Then I’ll kill something.’ Reece brandished the smallest of daggers.
‘Don’t kill things,’ Wes retorted. He forced his expression into a disgusted snarl. There could be nothing worse than murdering innocent wildlife.
‘Maybe I will.’ Reece cocked his head to the side, awaiting retaliation.
A solid silence rang out, broken by a shallow sigh from Lily. ‘To have siblings like you Kails.’ A smile found its way to the corners of her mouth.
‘You’re one of my siblings too, basically.’ Wes placed a hand on her shoulder.
‘Ooh, get friend zoned!’ Reece cheered.
Wes ignored Reece.
‘Te get back on track.’ Wes massaged his temple. ‘I’ll eat whatever we can find on the way.’
‘Like meat!’ Reece suddenly dove between a pair of nearby trees, apparently lunging for a small cat-like creature. It scampered away before the knife wielding teenager could get at it.
‘I have nothin’ t’ say about that.’ Wes clenched the strap of his bag and powered forward. If any member of his family could hold the title of the weird one, Reece held it effortlessly. He’d been impossible to understand from the day Wes could, well, understand things.
Above him, the last of the birdsong faded, and the final red rays of the sun with it. The dark tops of the trees blended with the sky, and only the tiny motes of starlight outlined their leaves. The salty breeze from the ocean lessened over time. The sounds of the waves themselves waned into the ambience of night crickets and groaning trees.
After some two or three hours of travel, the group came to a small opening in the trees. There, a little wooden hut rested–an outpost made by the same person that they had been journeying for in the first place.
The two boys invited themselves inside, whilst Lily found her way to a patch of burned grass encircled in stones. Wes kept an eye on her whilst she set her bag down and drew out a few different utensils from it. The next few minutes involved her ushering the two boys to collect fallen wood and sticks in the area. They were tasked with organising the fire pit.
Lily pulled two small wooden bars from her bag–one smooth and red, the other black with a coarse surface. Striking them together once caused a shower of sparks to fall onto the collected wood and kindling–just enough light to start the first flame.
Within minutes, Lily had an impressive fire blazing. She filled a stone pot with water and some assortment of vegetables. She placed a small bowl on her lap and threw in a blue, round and plump fruit. With a few swift motions, she mashed the fruit into a purée and tossed some grains inside. With that, she added this new ingredient to the boiling mixture. The aroma burst into the air like gale force wind. The mouths of the Kail brothers became like waterfalls.
‘Can you guys go keep watch?’ Lily asked, partway through covering the pot with a lid.
‘Of course.’ Wes stood and moved into the trees. He took note of Reece taking up a post in the opposite direction, then spent a short while simply watching for any creatures. Wes listened to the crackling of the fire mingling with the sound of small and curious creatures zipping through the undergrowth.
To his relief, no ugly heads reared from the depths during his watch, but regularly found himself imagining the sounds of Lily being snatched away. Instead, the call to say the food was ready met his ears. He turned in time to see Lily lift the pot and carry it into the small house, leaving the fire to crackle away.
‘Food, food, food,’ a rasping voice chanted. Reece bounded inside like a feverish ape. Wes shortly followed, making certain that no unwanted creature approached before he closed the front door. He slid a wooden plank across the door to bar it off.
The simplistic interior of the cottage was not made for comfortable living. Rather, it was designed for a large group of people to stay. Five beds were wedged together at the back of the room, and a low-lying table lay close to the front door. Lily placed the pot on the table and the three sat down. She made sure they each had a small bowl and a spoon. They served themselves, then took the time to discuss matters from home and relax.
Wes and Reece slept first, leaving Lily to watch over the household through the slatted windows.
Some peaceful hours of rest went by, before a hand pressed against Wes’ shoulder.
‘Huh?’ He rubbed his eyes and barely made out Lily’s face in the darkness.
‘Your turn.’ She clambered onto a bed and laid down.
Wes silently sat up, and headed to watch through the window. He heard nothing for an hour or so, aside from occasional scampering noises. The flame of an oil lamp cast wavering shadows across the beds. Its light drew his eyes to the small table across the room, and then the slatted window above it. He suddenly felt very grateful for this building. The nights on this island showed beauty, but hid all sorts of secret dangers. At least no ghost mulas hunted in this area.
It was like something out there listened to his thoughts. A loud snort grumbled in the distance, as a sound like stone scraping against stone closed in. The cabin didn’t feel so safe any more.