ix. The Crying Sailor

Sky Blade and the five logistic ships finally docked in a city after sailed nonstop for six months and two weeks. They loaded up tons of foods, thousands gallons of fresh water and any other necessities. The city was stranger to Sunggyu. He didn't know about the city well. The men wore different clothes, spoke in different languages, and of course the weather also different.

It was getting hotter as they got further in the south. Sunggyu sighed, wiping the sweats on his cheeks. Two sacks of wheat were on his shoulders. Sungyeol who stood behind him nagged, urging him to walk faster. Hasten. The road in the port was hot. Burning Sungyeol's feet that bare from any footwear.

Sunggyu was more than willing to lend the lad his shoes. But Sungyeol shook his head. Turning down his offer. He didn't want Sunggyu cried because his feet suffering from the heat in the middle of the busy port that full with merchants and traders. It might attract unwanted attention, and the senior sailors might chewed them out as well.

It was the fifth time Sunggyu walked back and forth from the harbor to Sky Blade bringing the wheat sacks together with the other low-rank sailors when suddenly his steps halted because of an interesting sight. A little kid clumsily played strings in the edge of that port.

Sat by himself, bare from any shirts.

Sunggyu reminisced about his violin. He took down the sacks carelessly. Sungyeol yelled at him, ordering him to get back to his task bringing the sacks to the hold. But Sunggyu didn't listen to him, in slow steps he approached the kid.

His instrument was plain, just a rough plank. Six strings attached tightly on it. The kid strummed it haphazardly. Not really pleasant to ear, but for Sunggyu it was so interesting to look at the way the kid played it, strumming. Not swiping it with a bow.

The boy stopped for a second. Disturbed by Sunggyu's presence. He took a quick glance at Sunggyu. Sunggyu gulped down. Stared back emptily. The boy huffed before continued strumming his instrument, letting Sunggyu watched him. Sadly his plays increasingly didn't sound like a song. Yipping squeaky.

Sungyeol shouted at Sunggyu again from afar. Sunggyu didn't hear him, too busy observing the fingers of the kid in front of him. Sungyeol yapped at him for the umpteenth times. He didn't want the Crying Sailor to sulk and shed tears just because of two sacks of wheat. So while snorting indignantly, Sungyeol took over the sacks and carried it to Sky Blade.

The shirtless kid finally came to the end of his song --if it could be called as song, stopped playing his musical instrument. Abruptly. Then he jumped to his feet, ran away from Sunggyu, not sparing any glance to Sunggyu who was watching him since earlier. Sunggyu stared blankly at his little figure. Nodding. Suddenly committed to himself. Tonight he would play the same instrument.

With much better songs.

--

"What are you doing?" Sungyeol asked curiously to the Crying Sailor.

The one who were asked turning his face. Smiling.

Sungyeol was speechless, stunned. Was that really a smile? If yes, then it was the first smile he saw from Sunggyu since the lad joined the armada six months ago.

Sunggyu was in a good mood all day. His hand skillfully fixing strings on a plank. It wasn't hard to find a plank and some string in Sky Blade's cabin. And that night he could immediately make the same musical instrument he had just saw that afternoon.

"I'm making a plucked stringed board," answered Sungyu excitedly. Explaining.

Outside their cabin, the night sky decorated with half-moon. Stars twinkled creating thousands constellation. The forty-ships armada had just pull down their sails and carried on their journey from the last port city in the very end of northern continents. Started sailing into the untouched southern oceans. The scenery outside was really beautiful, the more they sailed toward the south, the prettier the stars grouping and forming thousands patterns.

But for Sungyeol, rather than the stars he was more amazed watching the sudden change in the Crying Soldier's behavior.

"A plucked stringed board?" Sungyeol who wasn't very often to see people playing any musical instrument in his lifetime asked confusedly.

Sunggyu gave a small nod, his hand continued with his work. Pulling the last string, fastened it tight in the edge of his plank. "Done!" he sighed happily.

Somehow since the afternoon he couldn't hold down his desire to play something like he used to play his violin back then when he was still in his city. As a low-rank soldier, he was quite busy, doing new things he never thought he would. Actually Sunggyu was weary doing his works, moreover with his still hurting emotion. But suddenly he got lighthearted after watching the boy in the port.

Sunggyu put the plank in his lap, trying to pluck at one of the strings. His hand was still awkward. The sound was not much different with the one that produced by the shirtless boy. Sunggyu smiled. He used to play with bow. Never strumming his strings.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter