Chapter 1:
Fishing for Clues
Threading the Stars
Water…
The sound of water rushes in the girl’s ears. Before opening her eyes, she tries to orient herself to the environment. Grains of sand under her palms stick between her fingers. Again, waves crash near her, soaking her sock just at her heel.Pale shadows envelop her surroundings; the purpleish sky still has not given way to the sun, leaving the area cool. Her body aches when she sits up on the white and blue sand. A fog in the girl’s brain makes the information come to her slowly.
But the only things she can identify are things like the beach and the trees that tower behind her. Who she is and how she ended up here remain a mystery. That, and where her left shoe could possibly be.
She tests the sturdiness of her legs and finds them fit enough to start walking, and after brushing off the sand still on her knit coat and shorts, she begins to look around for some sort of clue.
There’s no sign of a shipwreck that may have left her stranded. All she finds is more sand. In the distance, it’s as though clouds obscure anything that might exist beyond the island. The sun peeks over the horizon; glaring light and heat overtake everything. The girl’s left sock also provides little protection from the burning sand, so she is forced to duck under the tree canopies for comfort.
Along the way, tall wooden structures start to pop up out of the water near the beach, but far enough that one would need a boat or a lengthy swim to reach them.
Something nearby slithers away underneath the leaves, but the possibility of encountering a venomous animal is still preferable to being under the oppressive rays of the sun.
Not sure how long she’s been walking, something inside her shifts when she sees the shape of a humanoid figure about 20 feet away.
Readjusting her glasses to make sure the light isn’t mystifying her, squints at the fish like features on his body. The man has fins where his ears should be, and his pale skin morphs into blue as it reaches his extremities. He is partially dressed, with only a wrap around his bottom half.
Observing him from a far, she watches him direct a group of others like into a nearby cave as he holds a three-pronged spearlike implement in his hand. Two of them are carrying something between them that looks like an unconscious person, while another keeps hold of a satchel.
Something falls from a top the satchel before they melt through the curtain of leaves in front of the cave, and when there’s no sign of anyone else, the girl steps out from under the trees. She shields her face from the sun by lifting her long knit coat over her head and hops gingerly on the heated sand towards the fallen object.
When she gets closer she sees that it’s a shoe—one that matches the one she still has on her right foot. But how did it end up all the way over here and with someone else entirely?
Dusting off the bottom of her sock, she slips on the shoe and tests it on the ground. It’s a perfect fit.
She looks to cave opening and dodges the steady stream of water falling over the rock above. Tiptoeing towards the a curtain of leaves, she moves the it aside just enough for one eye to peek through.
There are fifty, maybe more people with similar fish-like features milling about the cave. Many of them wear dresses or white wraps that look like skirts made of cloth around their bottom halves. Some have headbands or bandannas, while others wear what look like nets around their shoulders.
The girl can’t hear their voices because of the waterfall, but she can see how the cave dwellers marvel at the person the entourage who had just entered brought in. The crowd is too thick for her to get a good look at them before they’re taken further into the cave.
The one with the trident says something to the man carrying the bag, and she has just enough time to duck behind a tree before he exits the cave.
Deciding it’s the safer option, she tracks him across the beach all the way to a tall structure perched upon a rock with stairs carved into it. He has to cross through a submerged piece of land to get to it, so she stays behind.
While she’s debating whether or not to remove her shoes and socks when it’s her turn to cross, he comes out not long after, and with empty hands. As soon as he’s out of sight, the girl keeps eye out for any others as she climbs up the stone steps, holding her shoes in one hand and holding the other against the wet steps.
The door has no lock and opens without issue. Inching her way inside, the first thing she notices is the spiral staircase that wraps around the perimeter of the walls, winding up through the ceiling of the mile-length tower. The interior is modestly furnished with just a chair and a desk, but the space is messy with papers strewn about on the floor.
Padding around as quietly as she can, the girl searches high and low searching for where the bag might be, only to find it hanging on a hook about a foot above her. She reaches up to pluck it off the wall and carries it over to the desk, wanting to confirm its contents before leaving.
Unhooking it, she detaches the flap and reveals a trove items stored within. She inspect each of them in the dimming light from the window. Somehow, she’s able to recognize each item without difficulty.
A round tool with notches and a spinning dial—compass. A small rectangular box with a silver antenna and rolling wheel embedded in the side—portable radio. Along with a small plastic pack of soft tissues, the bag is full to the brim with things like this.
The most she can surmise is that these items, just like the shoe, belonged to her at one point after all. Fishing around, her finger slides across a millimeter-thin object stuck in between something.
With some effort, she plucks out a card. The front reads “Central Station Library” and has a design of a tree on it. Flipping it over reveals a line with someone’s signature written on it. Well, it’s more like a more like a childish scrawl, with a name comprised of only two letters.
“Tj…?”
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