Burn the Ship (Pirates of New Earth Book 3) by Branson Sarah

Author:Branson, Sarah
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sooner Started Press
Published: 2022-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Mama, the children, and I walk slowly up to the Shima residence. It is very traditional, with its curved and tiled roof and the outer, glassed-in walls that enclose the engawa now that the cold has arrived. In the summer, the walls are gone, and the inner walls are slid open to allow for fresh air and light. The meticulously curated plantings in the front of the house are covered with snow, and I see some of the plants I placed there years earlier thriving, though currently dormant. It is apparent by the trampled snow on the path that many visitors have come, and likely there will be quite a few people inside to provide support for the family.

The children are both eager to see their papa and their grandparents and anxious about what to expect of Shigeo’s condition. We pause at the genkan to remove our snow-covered shoes and slide our feet into the slippers that are at the ready. The children have a special cubby with their own while Mama simply uses the generic guest ones. From my sling bag, I pull out some black slip-ons that are traditional enough to be marginally acceptable but are not the style provided by the hostess: a small but significant insult. We step inside and I hold my head up high as I scan the room for the man I had called husband for so many years.

I see him standing over in a corner with a teacup in one hand as he chats with a village elder. Yumiko is settled in the farthest corner next to a raised futon where Shigeo lies. He is pale, thin, and drawn, his dark hair sprayed with far more white than I ever recalled. His eyes are partway closed, and his mouth hangs gently open. Hayami Miyamoto, her belly softly burgeoning, sits on the bedside, one hand holding each of Takai’s parents’ hands. First things first. I lean down to the children and remind them of how to greet their Ojiisan.

We walk to the far corner. Yumiko looks up, and her drawn, sad face turns shocked and angry as she sees me. I do not drop my gaze from hers until she looks away, focusing on the children. I hear Hayami give a small gasp, and I look over to her. She regains her composure as the children greet her. She gives the boys gentle hugs that are returned warmly. I feel an icy knife twist in my heart at their expressions of affection. Grey, however, hangs back and bows to her formally, which causes an expression of dismay to cross Hayami’s delicate features. This creates a small, warm flame in me. I am not particularly proud of either of my felt—but unnamed—emotions, but I’ll sort that out later.

Each child, in turn, sits near Shigeo, greeting him, saying their name, and touching his hands. He stirs and his eyes flutter, and I see a small smile creep onto his face. He is pleased. He always loved his grandchildren if not their mother.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.