The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy, Book 1 by Claire Youmans

Author:Claire Youmans
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: japan, japanese history, tween fiction, fantasyadventure, japanese folklore
Publisher: Claire Youmans

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kanagawa, Ando Hiroshige, 1833-6

Shota loved sailing! While he wasn’t large enough or strong enough to wield the huge tiller or one of the oars, his curiosity made him observant and soon he grasped the interplay between wind, water and ship. His agility, small size and light weight stood him in good stead as he scrambled up the mast to help with the lines and sails. The wind was brisk and the boat rolled in the troughs, steadied on the peaks, and slid gleefully down the face of each gigantic wave as the helmsman drove the tiller and rudder in rhythm to keep the boat on course. Despite the motion, Shota scampered all the way to the lookout on the top of the mast, flung out his arms and shouted with sheer joy! This was as good as flying!

When night fell, Shota saw the entire bowl of the heavens, more stars than he could imagine stretching from horizon to horizon, reflecting on the water. Dolphins joined them for a while. Shota could hear them gossiping as they played in the waves caused by the ship’s passage. Shota was surprised when they left, and even more surprised to see land, and a harbor entrance marked by lanterns, close at hand.

“The tide’s turned,” the captain, whose name was Tanaka Taro, told him. “It took us out of the harbor on Kyushu and now it will take us into the harbor here. Watch out! The boat’s going to rock!”

The helmsman turned the small ship abruptly, between waves, and then the ship was tossed as it slid — Captain Taro called it “walking” — sideways over the next wave, but suddenly the sea was nearly flat as the ship slid behind the breakwater. It was over! Shota was curiously disappointed.

“You like it, don’t you, Shota?” The captain grinned as he personally steered the ship to a pier. Crew members gathered in the sails, and just at the perfect second, the captain swung the bow into the wind and the boat came to a stop beside the pier. A frown crossed his broad face as he looked down at Shota. The crew was busy tying up; the captain had a minute of rest.

“Do you really have a sister?” he asked.

Shota nodded, and words came tumbling out. He felt very much a child at the mercy of adults. “Her name is Azuki. I must find her. I promised our mother — I looked at the charts, and I know the way.” He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt, but he really thought he’d found the place she sought.

The captain considered. He’d seen Shota studying the charts of the northwest coast of Honshu, all the way up past the big harbor at Niigata to the very tip of the island, a very great distance for such a small child. He’d seen Hideko, his wife and navigator, answering the child’s questions, but was letting the boy continue his quest the only solution? He could offer this child an alternative.

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