Where the Willow Tree Grows

Chapter 1

"Sienna, could you go get some fish? You can bring Sayo with you," my older sister told me as she stood near the sink. She didn't even look up from the pan as she washed it.

Our kitchen was small, but it was nice. There was a map above the sink, from our great-grandmother. The tables were made of polished driftwood. Our dishes were all-porcelain, which was very popular.

"Okay, fine, Dusk." I rolled my eyes. She got distracted when she was working around the house, but she couldn't even look at me? Whatever. She was four years older than me, so I guess she knew best, but still.

Rude.

But I wasn't one to judge. She was always kind and bubbly when she wasn't distracted. I preferred being by myself. No, I'm not some mysterious, secretive introvert, but I would rather be with my drawings than in the middle of the village. I'm not great at talking with people. That doesn't mean I'm terrible at it, I just don't like it.

I stood up from the chair I was sitting in, put down the pencil I was drawing with and walked out the front door after grabbing a net for catching the fish. Dusk still didn't look up as I walked out.

Her real name wasn't Dusk, it was Dakota. She insisted that everyone called her Dusk, though. She never said why, only that she wanted to choose her own name.

As soon as I stepped outside, my ears were welcomed to a variety of sounds; people chatting, younger children running around, dogs barking...

The village was small but lively. I hurried over to my friend Sayo's house. She was outside with her younger sister, Yuri. They were kicking a ball back and forth. "Sayo!" I got her attention. Sayo bent down and told Yuri something and Yuri went inside with the ball.

"Komandosi, Yuri!" Sayo called to her sister, "Sorry! I'll be back soon, we can play ball later!

Sayo walked over, "Leo?" she asked with a sigh. Leo was my cat. He was a calico, covered in different colors like orange, white, brown, and more. He was an indoor cat, too, so it was bad that he had been getting out recently. I had to ask Sayo to help every time he got out. She could run like the wind, while I was slower than a snail. It was hard work, but she helped anyway, being the helpful person she is.

"No", I explained, "Dusk said we gotta get some fish."

Sayo muttered her agreement and we walked off to the shore.

. . .

Not many people went to the shore. Not since the older people from the town started telling stories. They told about how there were monsters living in the ocean, and they ate all the other islands. That's why we're the only land in the world. That's what the younger kids believe. People my age and older just don't have a lot of reason to go there. We get fish, but that's it. No one uses the boats by the boardwalk because there's nowhere to go.

I felt the soft sand under my sandals and heard seagulls. It had been a while since I'd been here. I'd forgotten how pretty it was.

The sand was perfect tan color, the ocean was a clear blue that you could see through. I ran over to the waves with the net in my hand, Sayo behind me.

I tossed one end of the net to her as I held on to the other. We walked backward until the net was stretched out. It was a long rectangle, about twelve feet long and two feet tall. We walked out to the ocean so that the water was up past our knees. Then we dipped the net into the water and started walking slowly back to shore.

Suddenly, a fish jumped out of the ocean, spraying Sayo's face with water. She just stood there for a second, then started giggling. She did it quietly, though, as to not scare any more fish away.