The Soul And The Fish
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“We must leave the coast and return to the open sea,” said Mevrou. “If we stay here, they will kill us all.”
Kasimir nodded slowly in agreement. He glanced down at the deck of his ship as it lay still on the sand. It was an old design and had seen better days. There were no masts and he doubted that there would be any sails for a long time to come, if ever again.
His ship was dead; he knew that now. They should have abandoned her months before. The crew had not wanted to abandon their beloved ship, but then she could sail and fight like no other ship. She had been built for war—for the most savage and brutal wars in human history—and yet Kasimir’s men had failed to win a single battle against the invaders. Why?
The answer came to him quickly in a flash of anger: pride. Their captain had been the first to die in their first attempt at a naval engagement. Now, with no one left to lead them except the captain who had lost his life, the crew refused to surrender the ship. Pride had killed this fine vessel along with many lives of men and women.
And it did not stop there. Even after their defeat, they had tried to fight back, to attack the invaders’ fleet in hopes of winning one last victory. That plan was foiled when the invaders used some kind of new weapon that Kasimir could not figure out.
The ships seemed to become engulfed in fire from the inside out; flames roared and shot into the sky. The sailors within died quickly as well; their bodies burst in every direction as the fire raged through the ship and spread until it too exploded like the rest of their fleet.
No one could escape. Kasimir watched in horror as it happened right before his eyes. His own ship had gone up in flames as well. He’d been lucky to escape alive, though barely so. Only a few minutes later, he found himself lying facedown on the beach with half the skin on his body burned off.
Now he was aboard a different ship that had somehow managed to survive the onslaught. They needed to leave, he realized; they couldn’t stay. But how could they move forward without a ship to carry them? They needed help. And where could they get help? They were surrounded by hostile forces that had no interest in giving aid.
“I agree,” said Kasimir, nodding in thought. “But it is not safe for us here. I cannot guarantee our safety while we are surrounded by these people.”
Mevrou nodded her agreement. She glanced across the bay to where the enemy was camped. Hundreds of tents lined the shoreline. Many more could be seen beyond that. The invaders had taken over this village, as they had so many others.
They’d done away with the elders and leaders; anyone that resisted or questioned what they demanded was either killed outright or forced to flee. These people had been completely defeated.
“We need to find another way,” said Mevrou.
Kasimir agreed again. He turned and looked toward the north, back at the land he had left behind only hours ago. They hadn’t made it very far on their journey to this place. It wasn’t long before they would run out of supplies. He had hoped to make it even further before they ran into any problems, but fate had been cruel since he’d arrived.
First, he’d lost his ship; then his shipmate died and he’d been injured in the process. Then they’d come upon these invaders, followed by an unexpected storm that had almost capsized the ship and sunk them beneath the water. Now he was stranded with nothing except for his wits and determination to see him through.
He looked across the bay once again, thinking about the land that awaited them just a little ways ahead. This part of the world was known for its beautiful beaches and lush forests filled with game birds. The mountains to the east offered the promise of rich fishing grounds where they could catch fish, mussels, clams, and shrimp, which were plentiful on the northern shores.
A river ran inland, which also offered hope that it might offer a source of water for them to drink and bathe in, something they desperately needed.
The problem with their location was that they were surrounded by enemies, and no matter how hard he searched the horizon, he never saw an end to them. They were surrounded by enemies, and the enemy was not only strong, but they appeared to have numbers on their side as well.
He had no doubt that if they tried to go anywhere near those mountains, they would soon find themselves facing spears and arrows pointed in their direction. If they were caught trying to reach those woods, they would likely be captured as prisoners of war.
They couldn’t stay here. They simply didn’t have the means to defend themselves from their attackers. All Kasimir could do was hope that they could find help somewhere else. He glanced across the bay to where the enemy’s encampment lay, knowing that if they stayed here, they would all surely die.
He turned back and sighed as he considered his options. There was one thing he knew that he could do: pray.
***
“What are you doing?” asked the young girl named Naya as she walked toward them. Her dark brown eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked down at Kasimir’s face.
“Oh, um… I’m praying,” he replied.
Naya cocked her head to the side as she looked at him curiously. “You’re praying to God?”
Kasimir smiled as he nodded, feeling proud of himself. He knew he should probably keep his mouth shut, but he wanted to share what was going on in his life, especially now, when he felt his prayers were being answered.
“Yes, to God,” he replied. “I am saying that I ask Him to help me.”
“I think you’ve got some help already!” Naya said enthusiastically. She reached up and patted Kasimir on the shoulder.
She turned to Mevrou who was standing beside him. “That man is my brother, Kasimir! And that woman is his wife, Mevrou.”
The two women looked at each other, then at him. They both smiled.
“And this must be your daughter?”
Mevrou nodded, looking down at the girl whose name Kasimir did not know. “My son has given her the name Naya.”
“Well, I am so happy to meet you, Naya,” said Kasimir.
“Me too!” said Naya happily as she grinned at him. She turned and looked back at her mother. “Why don’t you say hello to Father?”
Naya motioned with her head toward Mevrou.
Mevrou turned toward Kasimir and gave him a big smile. She was tall, nearly as tall as Kasimir, though Kasimir was still growing. Her hair was long and brown, and she wore the same color on her face as Kasimir’s—dark brown eyes.
But unlike Kasimir’s dark tan skin, Mevrou’s was light brown. She looked very healthy, like most of the villagers. As far as Kasimir could tell, the people of the village were quite strong. Most of them were stocky with broad shoulders and muscular arms.
As she spoke, Mevrou moved over next to Kasimir, and the three of them took a seat together.
“So how long have you been praying?” asked Mevrou after they had exchanged pleasantries.
“Not long enough,” answered Kasimir honestly.
He watched the young girl closely, noticing that while she had her father’s dark brown eyes and hair, she did not look much like him at all. Instead, she looked more like his wife, with her pale blue eyes, blond hair, and fair complexion. Still, he was glad that she had his brown hair and dark brown eyes. He didn’t want her to feel left out.
“But I am learning,” he continued. “I have just begun to pray.”
“And how does it make you feel when you pray?” asked Naya.
“I feel closer to God,” replied Kasimir. “It makes me feel like He is right there next to me, helping me through whatever difficulties I may be having.”
Naya nodded thoughtfully before looking at him again. She seemed thoughtful for a moment. Then she smiled at him as she looked at his face. “You have such pretty eyes,” she said.
“Thank you,” said Kasimir as he blushed at her compliment.
Mevrou smiled as she watched them interact. The last time she’d seen him in person had been four years ago. Back then she was much younger—a mere thirteen years old. She had met Mevrou when she was ten or eleven as she had walked past Mevrou and her friends playing with sticks and rocks near the edge of the village.
Mevrou hadn’t seen the girl, but Mevrou’s friend had, and so Mevrou had stopped to talk to them.
She learned that the children’s parents were not around, so she invited them to spend a night with her and her own family. When the parents returned that night, they were furious. It wasn’t the first time she had invited people to stay in her home uninvited, and they weren’t pleased about it at all.
The parents tried to force the girl away from their house—which would have meant separating her from her new siblings.
But one of Mevrou’s older brothers stepped between the parents and Mevrou, threatening to kill the men if they harmed their sister. At that point, they backed off, realizing they wouldn’t get anywhere with him. So instead they forced Mevrou to leave the village—and Kasimir along with her.
They sent them on their way with nothing but the clothes on their backs. That was four years ago.
Mevrou looked out across the water again, her expression troubled. Then she turned to Naya and looked into her eyes.
“Did your husband ever tell you what happened to him?” she asked in an even voice.
Naya nodded. “He told us everything,” she answered quietly. “He said he went to sea to find a better life for his family.”
“Do you believe that?” Mevrou pressed.
“Of course I do,” responded Naya, looking at Mevrou sternly. “We all believed that story. Everyone in our village did.”
“How can you know?” challenged Mevrou. “How can you know it’s true? How can you believe anything anyone tells you?”
“Because that’s what my parents taught me,” answered Naya as she looked straight ahead. “If you don’t believe someone who tells you something, then ask yourself this: ‘What are the odds that two different people would tell you exactly the same lie?’ “
“Oh,” replied Mevrou. “I never thought about it like that.”
“Well now that you have,” asked Naya, “do you still want to keep believing what your husband told you?”
The young girl hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose I must,” she whispered sadly.
Mevrou looked at her for a moment longer, then turned back to watch the horizon. A few minutes later, Kasimir joined them and sat down beside Naya as Mevrou stood up again.
They said their farewells and began walking toward the village. Mevrou paused for a moment, then turned back to Naya one last time before continuing on to the village gates.
“Don’t worry,” she called to Naya, smiling broadly. “It won’t be long until we meet again!”
A loud cheer erupted from inside the small room as everyone realized Kasimir was finally here. The room quickly cleared except for a couple of young girls who hurried over to Kasimir’s side.
“You’re just in time! We’ve already started our games,” announced one of the older girls. “You should join us and try to win some prizes for us!”
Kasimir laughed at their eagerness before turning to Mevrou. “Would you mind if I play with you girls?” he asked with a grin.
The girls giggled, excited at the prospect of playing with such a handsome man. They quickly agreed and ran outside to gather in front of the large tree trunk. As Kasimir followed them, he noticed the other boys standing around near the door of the hut.
He glanced at them curiously for a moment, then saw one of them wave him over. The boy approached with a look of excitement on his face as he motioned for Kasimir to follow him. Kasimir shrugged and smiled at the other boys in the room, then followed the boy outside.
Kasimir walked alongside the boy toward a pile of discarded clothing by the side of the road. The boy reached down and grabbed a shirt from the ground, holding it up to show Kasimir. As the boy pointed, he realized why he was there: This boy was one of the ones who had been chasing him earlier that day.
“I’m sorry about today,” apologized the boy. “My brother told me to help you, and I got angry when he didn’t answer right away. If I knew you were just being careful—”
“No worries,” Kasimir interrupted gently. “It’s fine. I wasn’t upset or anything.”
The boy looked relieved, but then suddenly froze in place as another boy rushed past him, yelling loudly as he ran by.
“Kasimir! Over here!” cried the boy as he jumped into a group of his friends, who immediately surrounded him with excited voices.
As Kasimir watched this exchange from across the road, he frowned. Something about all of this felt…off.
Just then, one of the young girls came running from a nearby hut. “Wait for me!” she yelled, as she ran into the crowd of boys. “Come on! You’re not going to let him win every game, are you?”
The other boys laughed heartily at the idea and continued laughing as the girl joined her friend. Kasimir watched this all unfold with a slight frown on his face.
Just then, one of the older boys stepped out from behind the pile of clothes where Kasimir and the boy were standing, waving his arms wildly.
“Over here!” he called to the younger boy. “There are more clothes here if you’d like to play!”
The boy smiled at this, then waved to Kasimir with a nod. “Thank you for helping me, Mr. Kasimir,” he said as he walked toward the new pile of clothes.
Kasimir turned his attention back to the older boys, who were now playing a game of chase. Kasimir watched them play for a moment, then turned and looked up at the sky. He wondered if maybe he should head back home, but he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was missing something important—something he should be seeing.
Then, as his eyes wandered over the village, Kasimir finally realized what he was supposed to do next. He looked back at the pile of discarded clothing, then made his way over to it.
He picked up a pair of pants and held them up to himself as he considered which color would look best against his skin. He looked down at the pile of clothing in front of him, then decided on blue. He put the pants back and tried to think of other items he could use, but soon gave up.
There was nothing else in this pile that he needed. He took the pants back, then stood for a minute as he stared off at the horizon. It seemed strange to him that he hadn’t seen anyone in the village while he was there; he’d thought he might have been able to help someone.
But perhaps no one had asked him to come in the first place. After all, he was only here because his father told him to be, and even then, he wasn’t sure how much help he could be without knowing any of the people’s names. Kasimir sighed to himself.
He was getting nowhere fast; it was probably time to go. With that final thought, he turned and headed back toward the hut where Mevrou waited for him.
As he walked along, he heard laughter and shouting coming from the direction of the river. Turning toward it, Kasimir saw two men in the water playing a game. One of the men had a stick he used as a paddle, and he moved it around as the other man tossed rocks into the water.
The game was obviously one they played often; each rock hit the water with a loud thud, followed by cheers from the spectators onshore. Kasimir found himself fascinated by the game, watching intently as the rocks flew through the air. As he watched, Kasimir noticed the man paddling had a tattoo on his arm that reminded him of something he’d seen once before.
Then suddenly the man with the paddle turned around as the other man threw a large stone into the water. Before Kasimir could see what happened next, one of the rocks hit Kasimir square in the eye.
The End