High in the sky, a flock of ducks was flying between the clouds, hidden from view.
Suddenly, a wooden bolt struck two of them, killing them on the strike.
The two birds began to fall, but instead of plummeting straight down, they traced an ark in the sky, dangling and then coming to a stop one above the other, just below a small island floating amind the white clouds.
At the island border, two figures were looking at the dangling ducks, one of them holding the end of the line that kept them from falling.
“That sure was a lucky shot.”
"It’s all ability I tell you.
Merit of the weapon too, I suppose.
Nice quality.
Still prefer mine though."
"I bet you do.
Kinda hard to fish without a line, though.
Can’t attach one to a bullet, right?"
“Fish?”
“Yeah, fish. Why?”
“Fishing birds?”
"Yeah.
They move in the sea of clouds as fishes do in the sea below.
We catch them and then reel the line linked to the arrow.
It fits, doesn’t it?"
“If you say so.”
“Enough talking and bring them up.
Wouldn’t want something to snatch them.”
“Snatch them? Up here?
You’re joking right?”
“Want to find out?
We could go for a bigger price.”
“… nope, I’m fine like this, thank you.”
“Pity. Well, hurry up and let’s go back then.”
After retrieving the birds, the two of us made our way across the island, finally reaching a small sailboat that gently floated in the sky, surrounded by snow-white clouds.
While my friend hopped on the boat with leisure, I boarded the ship with great caution, choosing carefully my footing.
“Hurry up, I’d like to go back before the sun disappears.”
“Shut up.
Not everyone knows how to fly, you know.
Making a swim in the clouds is last on my
things-to-do list.”
After successfully boarding the ship, I gripped tightly the mast, ignoring the suppressed laughter coming from behind me.
Finally, the boat set sail, leaving behind a trail of clouds.
Later that day, on a much bigger sky island, we were eating the cooked ducks, with drinks made from sky lemons, watching as the sun disappeared under the sea of clouds.
As I was basking in the taste of the sky lemons, my friend talked first.
“So, didn’t I say that it would be worth the effort?”
"Tasty, very tasty.
But it’ll be a while before my feet leave the solid ground again."
“But tomorrow there will be a great flock incoming from south.”
“Oh, what a pity that I’ll miss it.”
“What a chicken.”
"Yes yes…
Anyway, jokes aside, tomorrow I’ll be leaving, so you’ll have to do without me."
“Already?
You could stay a little longer you know.”
“Sorry, but a merchant I had plans with will depart for Ravenna from Palo town in a few days, so I’ll have to hurry if I want to arrive in time.”
“I could escort you to make you save you time, you know.”
“How?”
“Easy, we go exactly above Palo town with my skyship, then you jump.”
“I’m leaving right now.”
"Ahahahah!
Ok ok, then I’ll see you off tomorrow at the Stepstones.
Now let’s go out.
There is a neighbour of mine that makes the best apple pie of the sky.
I can’t let you leave without tasting it."
“Ok, but slow down and let me take my cloak.
It’s damn cold at night here.”
…
Far below, in a distant base of the Grand Navy, a man was busy reading through reports of his subordinates under the light of a lamp, when someone burst into his office.
“I’M BACK!!”
Even without raising his eyes, the man knew exactly who the loud visitor was, continuing to inspect the documents.
"Yes George, welcome back.
I would appreciate it if you informed me of your return a little bit more quietly though."
"My bad, my bad.
But still, always working until this late, are you trying to be promoted again?"
"Someone has to take care of the paperwork, since someone else prefers the field to the desk.
And for your information, I finished mine already, these ones are yours."
" … ahah, cough, well, friends support each other, don’t they? ahah … ah … "
" … "
" …
Anyway, I brought back some nice news."
“Yes, I already heard of the mission success.
Good job.”
"Not about that.
I mean, that’s good too, but I was talking about something else.
Guess who I met in the Bronze sea."
The man thought for a while to whom his old friend could be referring to with such enthusiasm, without slowing down his pen.
“Khalid, that youngster.”
Hearing the name, the man’s pen suddenly stopped.
"What a nice surprise finding him in Ravenna.
You should have seen his face when I sat at his table in that tavern.
He sure has grown up, he gave off a different feeling too.
More reserved, a little bit darker than usual.
Well, he is still young after all.
Maybe he was dumped by a pretty lady he fell for.
Ahahahah!
But his aim was still on spot.
As expected of someone you trained.
Ah, don’t worry, he didn’t get a scratch during the mission.
I safely escorted him back to Ravenna.
He said that he was going to pay a visit to a friend in the sky islands, far to the north.
Strange, I always thought that he hated high places.
Anyway, he is safe and sound and still improving, as any youngster should.
Isn’t that nice?!"
“…”
“…”
Putting the pen down, the man looked straight into his friend’s eyes.
“You went through my papers, didn’t you George?”
Sensing that the tone was wrong, the man’s friend froze.
"That’s, well, maybe, but hear me out.
He really helped out you know, like, really.
Moreover the mission was a great success, right?
As per the manual, right?"
"Is that so … as per the manual, you say.
Let’s see if I got everything right, then.
You went on a mission without even waiting for official dispatch orders, without a proper unit and lastly, you recruited a civilian’s help for a Navy mission?"
"Ahahah, well…
but look what time it is already!
Gotta hurry if I want to eat something.
I’ll see you later then."
Saying that, the old soldier hurried out of the office, carefully closing the door on his way out.
Sighing, his friend rose from the desk, approached the office’s large window and stood there in silence, looking at the distant sky.
After a while he went back to the desk, extinguished the fire of the lamp and closed the office, going toward the mess hall, hoping for a late dinner and looking forward to hear more stories from an old friend.
