Into the Sea

4

"Hao Min, old friend. Twenty nine years and already senile," said Gao Ran as he lounged in the doorway.

Ren Hao Min was still only twenty eight, but did not see the need to point that  out.

The knock had come of course from the rat faced coin collector. The only one you can depend on in this world is the debt hunter. Gao Ran stood on the fisherman's doorstep, flanked by his two large goons. And a third man, who the fisherman did not recognize.

"Friend, did you forget we met just a few days ago, and I reminded you of your debt?"

The fisherman did his best to keep his face neutral. He did not know why Gao Ran insisted on calling him friend. They were near the same age, and had attended the small one room schoolhouse over in the village at the same time, but the connection did not go beyond that.

"How could I forget, Gao Ran," the fisherman spoke, smiling. Though he had in truth forgotten, in the excitement over finding the girl.

"Well, it is due today," Gao Ran said, reaching for the door. "Let us come in and... remind you once more."

Behind Gao Ran, one of the large men cracked his knuckles. The fisherman knew very well what they meant by remind.

"There is no need. I have the money. Wait here," the fisherman quickly closed the door and bolted it.

He ran across the single room of his cottage, glancing briefly at the girl in his bed. Still asleep.

Then he went to the stove, sinking his hand into the left firepit. The one he never used, but was still filled with ash. He felt around, and pulled out a leather pouch, clinking with coins.

Carefully, he dumped the coins out, rinsed them in the water bucket, and then returned to the door and opened it.

"Here," he held out the coins, letting them fall into the rat faced man's hand.

Gao Ran counted them, then shook his head. "Buh buh buh, that's not enough."

The fisherman frowned. "That is the usual payment."

Gao Ran grinned wickedly. "But you made me and my associates walk all the way out here in this awful weather." Gao Ran gestured to the rain dripping from the eaves. "That will cost you extra. Double."

The fisherman frowned, but did not argue. All it would take was one of the stronger men to force the door open and they would see the girl there, in his bed. He wanted them to leave as soon as possible.

"Just a moment." He locked the door again, and fetched the money.

Gao Ran took the coins, counting them greedily, since it was his own money, not his master's. He handed out one of the small brown coins to each of the men accompanying him.

"I will remember to come to town to pay next month," the fisherman said, going to close the door.

"Just a second," Gao Ran shoved his foot into the doorway. His narrow rodent eyes narrowed further. "Why are you so eager to keep us out?"

The fisherman's heart raced. "I did not think you would want to come in. I have been rather sick, of late, and the air is stale. It might spread."

Gao Ran continued to look suspicious. "You don't look very sick."

"It is a skin ailment, a rash, all along my legs, and my buttocks. It goes green, and then brown, and then orange, and oozes pus after a few—"

Gao Ran hastily backed away from the door, looking fearfully at his hand that had grabbed the door and touched the money. "Come to town to pay next month, or it will be triple."

"Of course," said the fisherman, promptly shutting the door.

He could not resist creeping to the window, and lifting up a corner of the tanned hide that covered it to watch as Gao Ran promptly ran to the sea to wash his sullied hand.

The fisherman turned around, chuckling, and then froze. In his bed, the girl was stirring.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The fisherman panicked.

He rushed to the window and checked once more. He could see the debt collectors' hooded shapes fading away across the misty beach.

Phew. They are gone.

He was relieved only for a moment. Then he looked wildly around, wondering where he should be and what he should be doing when the girl woke up.

I do not want her to think I am some deviant, who took advantage of her while she slept.

He stoked the fire, and grabbed his pan, thinking to pretend to be cooking. But then he changed his mind, and grabbed his nets from the corner to mend.

Wait. I do not want her to see me mending nets like an old woman.

He threw the nets back to their corner. Finally the fisherman settled on a stool beside the bed, folding his hands before him in what he hoped was a harmless pose.

Just as he settled, the girl's eyes fluttered open.

The fisherman started. He had thought the girl beautiful before. But now, he realized there was something else to her beauty, something that was only added when the girl's large dark eyes were open and clear.

A wild wisdom. A breath of tragedy. A lust for life that could not be subdued. That and more came from her dark eyes.

The fisherman very much wanted to ask her story.

Instead, he cleared his throat and said casually.

"Well, you're the strangest thing I've ever fished from the sea."

The girl's eyes focused, seeing him for the first time. His spine tingled as they traced over him, from his short dark hair, bleached lighter by sea and sun, to his large hands, also worn by sea and sun and net. Her dark eyes traced over the fabric of his shirt, stretched over his chest, and then down to his thighs, encased in their tight hide leggings.

Her eyes were hungry. But was it for food or...?

"If you're hungry, I can make something for you to eat?" The fisherman asked, mouth twitching with amusement.

The wandering eyes snapped back to his face. "What do you have?" Her voice was rough, as though not used in a long time, but the fisherman delighted in hearing it finally.

He put a hand to his chin, and frowned as if thinking. "Hmmm...fish?" he said. "And... fish?" The girl's eyes narrowed. "Oh, and... fish."

The girl's eyes left him, and traced over the ceiling, hung with dried fish. "Well, fish it is then."

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter:1107
Total:5470