Sky of Paper: An Asian Steam-Driven Fantasy Tale

by Matthew Seaver

  A few more days passed. Kidou began complaining about our constant confinement to the house. We were not even allowed to take part in the morning chants with the other villagers in the square. Kidou protested, declaring that we were committing a great dishonor, missing out on something as important as our daily oaths to the Emperor. Still, Miss Nishio's instructions were absolute. The three of us were to remain in the house even if it meant, as Kidou so eloquently put it, disrespecting our traditions.

  Chores, chores and still more chores. That was all we ever did. We cleaned the kitchen, we did our own laundry, we swept the floors and at times, even prepared meals for Mr. Takaya when he came back in the evening.

  Curiously enough, Han seemed the most content when he was doing these things. Having quite a large family, he had gotten used to taking care of the cooking and cleaning around his home. Sometimes, he even sang old folk songs he had learned in school while he worked. Aside from grumbling about not being able to take part in the morning ceremonies with the villagers, Kidou hardly said a thing. Instead, he walked about with an upset look on his face, as if menial chores were somehow below him. Mr. Takaya preached constantly about how we were guests in Miss Nishio's house and it was our responsibility to take care of it. After all, it was the least we could do for staying in her home.

  Though I agreed with him, I started to wonder if some of the things we were doing had become pointless and unnecessary. On more than one occasion, we cleaned things that were already clean. We swept floors that had not even a speck of dust on them. Sometimes, we even made tea when Mr. Takaya's pot was nowhere near empty. It was obvious that Mr. Takaya was doing nothing more than keeping us busy, and though I complained sometimes, I understood that there was nothing left for us to do here, but wait for the day when Miss Nishio was ready to summon us.

  One night, I found Kidou outside looking up at the sky with obvious bewilderment. He sat on the front porch, covered in a thick robe, the snow falling softly around him. I sat next to him, also in my robe, following his gaze to the dark, gray skies above. Han could be heard from inside, singing to himself as he cooked dinner.

  "Han says you come out here to meditate," I said with a certain hint of curiosity.

  Kidou gave a silent nod, his eyes still transfixed to the heavens.

  "What do you see?"

  As if awakening from a trance, he blinked a few times, then slowly turned his head in my direction. "I see snow."

  He was stating the obvious with such a serious look on his face, I couldn‘t help, but think of him as completely absurd. I burst out laughing. He frowned, and though I thought it wasn't possible, he made his expression still more serious, as if I‘d somehow missed his point. This only served to fuel my laughter.

  "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I said starting to cough, " but you looked so awkward just now."

  He waited until I’d calmed, and then he said, "you and Han are too much alike. The both of you never know when to take things seriously. You two should try meditating sometime. I‘m sure it‘ll help mature those childish minds of yours."

  "Meditating is for old people," I said, still suppressing a small giggle that threatened to grow at any moment. "Han and I know exactly when we should take things seriously. I think it's you who should learn to have fun once in a while."

  Kidou grunted and brought his attention back up at the sky.

  "How long have you known Mr. Takaya?" He said changing the subject.

  "I think over a year. He's not at all like the other adults. Sometimes I even think of him as a friend."

  "Does he work for the Imperial Temple?"

  “You mean that place you keep talking about? Where we‘re supposed to be going?”

  “Yes.”

  "No. I don't think so. He's just a business man."

  "Then he’s not to know anything more about who we are." He was so aggressive in his tone, that he cut me off before I could reply. "I know Miss Nishio assigned him to watch over us, but because he’s not one of us or a member of the Imperial Temple, he’s forbidden to know about our secrets."

  "What secrets could you possibly be talking about?"

  "My father was once a chienkuu ko. When he realized what I was destined to become, he thought it important that I should know what to expect. According to him, we are the mighty instruments of the Emperor, the keepers of what makes our country unique. When we leave this place and begin our training, you’ll see what I mean."

  When Mr. Takaya discovered who I was, I recalled how excited and nervous I was when he praised me. Yet those feelings hardly matched what I felt at that moment when Kidou, with a calm, stone-faced expression hinted at what we truly were. For the first time since meeting him, I couldn‘t help but respect him.

  "Ever since I saw the lights in the sky, I thought I could predict the weather." Kidou's expression softened until it looked almost kind. He slowly turned his gaze and scanned the air above him. "Did you know, that’s one of the things we can do? I’d been meditating ever since, to see if I could better my skills. My father says that it’s important to meditate if we wish to become experts in foreseeing the emotions of the weather."

  I was envious. He saw his future with so much more clarity than I ever could while I remained lost and confused. I wanted him to tell me everything he knew, but wondered if he would give me the answers so willingly.

  It was then, that I saw Mr. Takaya emerging from the darkness. He strolled through the snow-covered road, hugging himself against the cold. When he arrived, he pulled a letter from his pocket and held it out in earnest.

  "The courier came directly to my work today ," he said. "It's time to go."

  Chapter 3

  We learned that the letter was not a letter at all, but rather, a message sent from an airship, which was already docked in the village. We were to go there immediately. Han quickly finished cooking, then we ate while we packed our things. There was an air of reserved excitement amongst us, including Mr. Takaya, who kept reminding us how honored we should be, that we had been selected by the Emperor himself to serve his will.

  Kidou spoke to Mr. Takaya with an unintended hint of disrespect and asked if he had all of our papers in order, ready to present to the officials at the airship. Mr. Takaya reassured him and advised not to worry about such adult matters.

  We left the house to find that the clouds themselves had fallen to the earth. The snow had started falling in thick sheets and the wind growled relentlessly into our ears. We held on tight to our overcoats, trekking slowly down the heavily frosted road. As we trudged along, I felt the cold begin to penetrate my boots. I could barely keep my eyes open against the stinging wind and I tried my best to follow the blurred image of Mr. Takaya's back as he lead us to the docks.

  When we arrived, we stopped at a small building where the same doctor, the one with the chrysanthemum pin on his jacket, waited for us. Inside, he and his other two assistants ordered Han, Kidou and I to take off our clothes. Our eyes grew wide and we looked at each other confused. The doctor was much more stern than before and emitted a stark air of impatience, as if to tell us that he wasn't going to ask us again. The three of us turned away from each other as we meekly stripped off our clothes. The doctor inspected me personally, while the other two assistants checked Kidou and Han. He studied my eyes carefully, then inspected every inch of my skin as well as my mouth and ears. I shivered and my teeth clattered uncontrollably as I hugged my arms around my bare chest. Finally, he ordered us to put our clothes back on.

  A few minutes later a woman come in through the back door, followed by two men dressed in military uniforms with rifles strapped to their shoulders. She looked somewhat old, yet she wore a simple, but elegant plain gold kimono with silvery white trimmings. Her hair was done up in a single bun, adorned with a crimson piece of ribbon. The elaborate way she dressed and the slim, almost wrinkleless appearance of her face did much to hide her age. When she spoke, I quickly recognized her shrilly voice. It was Miss Nishio. She whispered a cry
ptic question to the doctor.

  "Yes, they're healthy," the doctor answered.

  She then waved him off. The doctor and his assistants bowed and left the room through the same door she came.

  "Mr. Takaya, would you please hand me all the papers I asked you to bring."

  Mr. Takaya, who had seemed to be entranced by her formal-looking appearance, gave a start.

  He quickly regained his composure, clearing his throat as he handed her the papers. "Here they are Miss Nishio. I think you may be impressed by what Terr has been doing while you've been gone."

  He gave a proud smile, one that quickly faded as Miss Nishio returned a uninspired expression, as if implying that he hardly knew what he was talking about. She first studied the paper, which revealed the circle patterns I had drawn. She looked at me for a moment, then back down at the paper again. I fidgeted slightly, unnerved by the judging glances of a woman whom, up until several weeks ago, I thought was just a simple fortune teller. She had changed in a way that I could never have imagined. The way she was dressed, the soldiers that loomed behind her, I felt as though I were in the presence of someone who considered herself royalty. She then approached me and held my chin in her palm, lifting my head. She ordered me to look at her, and I did just that.

  "I'm surprised that your eyes only turned purple. If you did so well with these circle patterns, your eyes would have probably changed to another color by now."

  I remained silent, my eyes shying slightly away. She pulled from the collection of papers Mr. Takaya had handed her, the picture she had drawn when she first told me my fortune. She folded it and placed it in my hand. "I told you once before child, to keep this with you. I’m reminding you again, because it’s very important. Put this in your pocket and carry it wherever you go."

  She proceeded to inspect Han and Kidou in the same manner she did to me. "The both of you are very lucky. It took you two almost a year for your eyes to change color. Had they not changed by the time I had returned, I would have left the two of you behind."

  Though Han was indifferent to her words, Kidou was obviously offended.

  "Follow me, it’s time to leave."

  We filed behind Miss Nishio as she went to the door, but stopped abruptly as one of the soldiers halted Mr. Takaya, who seemed intent on getting my attention. Miss Nishio sighed and pulled him off to the side.

  "I‘m sorry," I heard her mutter, "but for now, we can only bring certain people with us."

  "I understand, " Mr. Takaya said. "I just want a chance to say goodbye to Terr first before he goes."

  She gave a slight nod and allowed him to take me to a corner of the room where he pulled out a folded piece of thick, rice paper and placed it in my hand. "Your sister made this a long time ago. She said this was what the clouds looked like on your tenth birthday. She wanted to make sure I gave it to you before you left, as it will give you a lifetime of luck. She was originally going to mount it next to your mother‘s shrine, to bless you when you turned fifteen. But you probably won‘t be coming back for a while, so it‘s best you take it with you."

  My insides turned to water as I held the folded paper in my hand. I felt as though he had given me a handful of gold, and I was at a loss as to how I should spend it. As I opened the paper, I instantly recognized my sister's sweeping brush strokes and the way she shaped the long, slim clouds that filled the edges and the thick fat ones in the center.

  "I’ll watch over your sister for you," he continued. "And after that storm passes, she’ll probably want to come back. When she does, I’ll help rebuild her house. There’ll be a better home waiting for you when you get back."

  I blinked back a few tears. There was no doubt in my mind that my sister would be taken care of.

  To this day, I wonder how different my life would have been if Mr. Takaya really was my older brother or if he had entered my life sooner. I never got a chance to properly know him. I never learned about his family or what his dreams and aspirations were. Like many others that would come after him, he entered my life like the fleeting light of the day and disappeared just as quickly with the coming of the moon.

  Kidou, Han, Miss Nishio and I as well as the two soldiers, filed out of the building and onto a massive, concrete clearing. One of the soldiers shuffled beside Miss Nishio, shielding her from the wind and snow with an umbrella, although she didn’t look at all distressed or bothered by the weather. She simply looked onward with a determined resolve that was both prideful and elegant.

  In the distance was the airship's faint silhouette, barely noticeable against the lights that shimmered amidst the backdrop of the village houses. Though we only went a short distance, trekking through the unbearable weather seemed much harder this time compared to our trip from Miss Nishio’s house. When we arrived, I suppose I should have been awe-struck by the airship‘s massive size. But instead, something left me in wonder.

  The air had stopped moving. Only a moment before, the harsh winds and snowfall were stinging my cheeks and tugging at my clothes, but as we approached, it had suddenly stopped. The wind, the snowfall, all of it had ceased. We had crossed into an eerie realm of calm, disturbed only by the sounds of our feet crunching into the snowy earth. It was as if the airship, and all that were near it, were inside a giant, glass bubble, and the winds and snow simply blew and fell around it. The soldier put the umbrella away and Miss Nishio casually brushed the icy flakes off the sleeves of her over-kimono. Han and Kidou were just as dumbfounded as I was, and went back to the strange, invisible barrier we had crossed, where on the other side, the violence of the horrid weather continued.

  "My father said that chienkuu ko can also redirect the flow of the snow and rain," Kidou murmured.

  "You three, there’s no time to stand and gawk," Miss Nishio said motioning us to her.

  As we approached the ship, I thought about how similar it looked to the ones that sailed the ocean. Made of metal and bits of wood, it had a curved bow with a round bottom and towers that soared high above its tallest deck. Sticking out from its front and back ends, were four legs with large, protruding feet, which held the ship steady against the ground. The entire vessel seemed slightly smaller than the others I had seen crisscross the sky many times before. Still, I felt much like I an insect does, standing next to a mighty tortoise as I followed Miss Nishio up the boarding ramp.

  "Bow you silly children," Miss Nishio said suddenly, pressing down on my head as we neared the top of the ramp.

  Han grunted as he too was pushed to the ground by one of the soldiers. Kidou, however, wasted no time as he fell to his knees in a very practiced manner.

  "The doctor tells me they are healthy," announced a raspy voice. I tried to look up, but Miss Nishio's forceful hand kept my head still.

  "They are quite healthy Master Lu," Miss Nishio replied optimistically.

  "It’s strange, that from such a village as this, that you find three gifted children. Especially when I am told how terrible a state this place is. So much stench. I can smell it, even through the cold air." The smugness in his voice gave me a start. I wanted to look up at his face, to see if he was as ugly as his words. "I don‘t much care for this place, but I suppose that all the regions of our country must be treated equally when it comes to finding children with potential."

  I felt an old, dry hand grasp my hair and yank my head upwards. As my vision came into focus, I saw an unsavory man with a balding, shriveled head. He was wearing a dark blue robe, crisscrossed with serpent-like silver dragon patterns. His wide eyes narrowed as he studied me with a discerning glare that seemed to pierce me like needles. I noticed that his eyes were not the common dark brown color, but were just as unique as mine was, except his was a bright green.

  "Turn your eyes away, no one has given you permission to look at him," I heard Miss Nishio hiss. I looked down and gave a slight whimper, feeling his fingers tug and pull at my hair as he turned my head from side to side.

  "His eyes are barely changed, and he looks as dirt
y as he is unruly. Are you sure we should take this one?" I felt his hand let go of my hair and I tried to look back up at him and return the disrespectful glare he gave me, but Miss Nishio probably suspected I would do something rude, so she clasped my neck and pushed me back down, making sure that I remained bowed.

  She stepped between us and handed him a set of papers. "He has deep potential. As you can see from these records, which were drawn up by an associate of mine, he has learned the motions of my home, how things flow from room to room. All of these things he did more quickly than any other student I’ve come across. My judgment has never been wrong Master Lu, and if the day comes that I am, well, then I shall gladly cease to serve the Imperial Temple."

  Master Lu grunted. "A few months ago, you told us that you only found two children worth saving from this village. That was your judgment. Then just before we left the capital, you tell us suddenly, that there’s another child. This had better not be a scheme of yours to increase your finder's fee."