Arcana - 2

Chapter 2: Sea Weaving

10 Years Passed—

Hiroshi shifted his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and raised his hand to block the glaring sunlight. He smiled as he watched Arcana crouched down, digging near a ribbon of ocean water for sand crabs. It had been a calm summer full of precious, little moments. Hiroshi walked toward his daughter as he reflected on how grateful he was for the many blessings in his life, including his Gravity and Little Star. As the sun danced nearer to the horizon and the end of long summer days approached, so did Arcana's 14th birthday. Each year on October 25th the Hoko family celebrated her birth on the day she was discovered.

Arcana knew she was adopted. Within the dozen, small Maniki islands, the difference in her appearance would have been an impossible secret to keep. Arcana did not mind that she had been lost or abandoned by her birth parents, not when she had such loving, elderly adoptive parents of her own. After all, she didn't have any memories of her birth parents, a fleeting image perhaps, but how reliable were a toddler’s memories anyway?

Hiroshi crouched down beside his daughter in the sand and began to pour wet sand trees near her. "Any luck today, Little Star?"

Arcana beamed at her father and began helping him create a miniature sand forest. "I captured and released at least two dozen."

"Oh?"

"Mhm." She replied and began decorating some of the trees with tiny shells. "I just like finding them, but it's more fun to set them free." She looked up at the giant limestone guardians surrounding them. "When can we visit Main Maniki again?"

Hiroshi chuckled. "We only just returned five days ago! Your mother will miss us too much if we leave again so soon."

"You mean you will miss Mother too much if we leave so soon." She smiled knowingly at him, a trait she had acquired from her Mother.

Arcana saw her Mother walk out of the cottage and begin to collect some dried fish from afar. It was easy to spot her long, white hair ruffled by the oceans salty breeze. It was very unlike her Father's hair, his matched the color of the deepest shades of the limestone guardians.

When Arcana was little she would ask her Mother why her Father's hair was grey when all the other father's had deep black hair. Daichi would tell Arcana that Hiroshi used to be a guardian, but the other stones released him so he could take care of both of them instead. Arcana had looked at the karsts and smiled with the naivety of a childs heart.

"Come on, let's go help Mother." She held her hand out to her father and helped him up.

"You keep me young, Little Star." It was true too. All the years of rowing out to Main Maniki and running after a little one had kept Hiroshi and Daichi in good shape for their age. Some things were still challenging and more sore, but they appeared younger than the other elders on the Maniki islands.

Later that evening over dinner, Daichi proposed, "Tomorrow, I thought I could teach you to weave the sea." She said while showing a few woven strands of seaweed dangling from her wrists. Daichi loved making homemade jewelry from the land and trading it for goods at Main Maniki. She ventured there rarely so Hiroshi primarily made the trades allowing her to remain peacefully at home. "It is not so different than sewing with one’s hands."

"I'd like that." Replied Arcana contentedly. "Then maybe Father and I could visit Main Maniki this week?" She said looking bashfully up at her parents under her long eyelashes.

"Oh-ho-ho! Aren't you a clever one!" Her father laughed good-humoredly. Daichi passed her husband a knowing look.

"Hmm, let me guess... you already asked your father and he said no?" Said Daichi. Hiroshi hid another laugh by dabbing his mouth with his napkin.

Arcana looked at her Mother hopefully. Her voice was stern but the corner of her mouth made it evident that she was secretly amused by her daughter.

Daichi clasped her petite hands together and looked thoughtfully out the small kitchen window. Finally she replied, "Why don't you take her in a few days? You can stop by Mrs. Fuko's home to have Arcana fitted for a new dress. I'll bake my specialty loaf for you and you can drop it off while you are there."

"Alright, I suppose she does need other stars in her life." Hiroshi patted his wife's hand lovingly, silently sharing the fond memory from so long ago.

Arcana popped out of her seat, "Thank you, thank you!" She cleared their dishes and pecked their cheeks with a quick kiss.

"Go on and get ready for bed. Your father and I can clean up tonight.” Arcana could not believe her luck and gratefully dashed off before her mother could change her mind.

Once the door was closed and the sound of water was heard splashing in the sink, Daichi stood up and began cleaning, Hiroshi followed.

"I told you this would happen eventually." She reminded her husband.

Hiroshi grabbed a dry towel from the wooden drawer. "What do you mean? She is just a child." He replied paternally.

"Only four years younger than the day I asked you to go swimming with me."

"Four years is a big difference and she's not yet 14." He said seriously.

"Still, Mrs. Fuko writes me letters about Arcana and Keisuke. I can tell from her writing that Arcana's attention has changed from that of a playful childhood friend to a young ladies first interest."

"How so?" Hiroshi asked defensively.

"Mrs. Fuko wrote that Arcana was sitting delicately by the sand with Keisuki and flattening out her summer dress." She paused and gave her husband a telling smirk. "When have you ever seen our daughter demurely sit by the sea when there are sand crabs to be found and released?"

Hiroshi thought back to hours before on the beach with his daughter, pausing as he dried the dish in his hand. "And Keisuke?" he asked.

"Apparently he seemed frustrated and plopped a handful of sand crabs into her lap." Daichi laughed but upon seeing her husbands gruff looking expression she added, "Oh-oh, don't hold it against him. He is still a boy at heart. One day when they are grown, he will realize they are no longer children digging for sand crabs by the shore. We will see what Mr. Fuko says then." She placed the final clean dish back in the cupboard.

Hiroshi hung the dish towel to dry. "You are so sure he will feel the same?"

"Our families love one another and he was the first child to play with our Little Star when all the other children held back. If that's not a match made in heaven..." but she trailed off. She could not say, "then I don't know what is" when she had been so lucky with Hiroshi.

He brushed his bride's face with his fingers. "And you are just as radiant as the day you found me." He kissed her forehead, "let's go to bed. There will be plenty of time to discuss Arcana's future tomorrow. For now, let us rest."

The next day, Daichi and Arcana strolled the beach in search of the perfect strands of seaweed thread.

“One should always choose her items with intent.” Daichi said, inspecting a peice and then gently letting it fall back to the sand.

“How so?” Inquired Arcana.

“Consider your bracelet for example. Do you want it to be deep green and reflect the mysteries of the deep? Or do you want the strands transformed by the sun which glow with life?”

“Well…” Arcana took a moment to reflect, knowing this was another one of her mothers lessons, “can’t I choose both?”

“Sometimes, but you cannot do so with everything in life. Arcana, you see the best in all things and you want life to reflect that. Yet things are not so easily interwoven in all areas. Occasionally, you will have to make choices that will lead you along a determined path. One path may appear unclear like the dark green strand, while the other path appears full of life. It may seem like a simple choice… the path filled with life seems to bless you with joy but it may not be best for the Maniki.”

“You mean like adopting me when it could have affected the lives of all Maniki?”

“Precisely. Your father and I loved you the moment we met you. However, there was a possibility that your birth family might come for you and we still do not know what kind of people they would be. What if they were not friends to the Maniki?”

Arcana had heard this story before, but today her mothers words sounded different, heavier. “I’m grateful that Omi-Datu Chimon gave you his blessing for me to stay.”

Arcana looked at her mother’s handful of uniform, deep green seaweed. “But for now I can choose both and when the day comes to choose one or the other, I hope I’ll be like you and Father.” With that Arcana picked a few strands of deep green to add to her bundle of sun kissed seaweed.

Daichi stroked the top of Arcana’s head. “I have no doubt you will, my Star.”

After gathering the strands, Daichi and Arcana laid the seaweed out onto white cloths. Sitting upon two small wooden stools behind the shade of their cottage, Daichi’s second lesson began. Soon mother and daughter were twisting and turning strands of seaweed in tandem, measuring each other’s wrists, and sharing plans for her upcoming birthday. Occasionally, Hiroshi came to quietly admire their work. He brought them fresh sugar cane to chew and offered up his own wrist for measurements too. It was another summer day memory for the keeping.