After grabbing a hold of enough blue cotton to fill up my bag, I make the trip between the plateau and the beach several times, ensuring that I’ll have enough fibers for my plan. After the final run, I sit down, exhausted: “Phew! Let’s get to work, now, this won’t build itself!”
Labouring until sundown with my trusty tools, I notice that I don’t possess the means or expertise to weave the cotton into the large drape I intended to produce. Thinking about the previous day’s encounter, I walk back to Gloomy Woods, preparing myself to shout:
Barnabe: “Hey, Elia, I ne-”
Elia: “No need to shout, dummy, I’m right here. You need help, don’t you?”
Barnabe: “How did you know I was here? Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got this cotton, but no way to sow it. Can you assist me?”
Elia: “I can, but in exchange, you’ll have to take me with you on your big thing!”
Barnabe: “What? No! I can’t do that, I didn’t plan for the burst to be enough for two! Although, with the Melgian Dust mix, this shouldn’t…No, I really can’t.”
Elia now looks at me with sad eyes. Oddly, it’s at that moment only that I realize just how attractive she is. Her wild nature, with bare feet and a frail, but dominant stature, unlock a protective instinct, making me crack.:
Barnabe: “Oh alright, you can come!”
Leaping forward, she hugs me, insisting that I will not regret bringing her along.
Barnabe: “If you want to come, we’d better get this ‘chute woven, then!”
Elia: “Don’t worry, I’m on it! Girls!” *Another blow of her whistle, and a troop of girls as lightly dressed as her descends from the woods like angels, with needles and thread. Without me realizing, one of them steals my plan, showing it to everyone.”
Barnabe: “How do they know what to do?”
Elia: “Oh don’t worry, your guide helped them. Look, they’re done!”
And sure enough, they were. Even more splendid under the light of dawn than the rays of the moon, the woven blue cotton almost sparkled, giving an air of grandeur to the construction.
Walking to the beach, I start noticing my own presence and Elia’s trying to think of something to say that will break the silence:
Barnabe: “So, do you come here often?” I awkwardly say. Right after, thinking: “Congratulations, Barnabe, you win the trophy for Creepy Mountain’s biggest loser. Do you come here often, really? She’s a native of an island that can be explored in a day, moron.”
Elia: “Actually, the beach is forbidden. Our tribe says that we belong on land, and that the ocean is a bringer of bad news. I did bring you, though.”
Barnabe: “O-oh, really? I wasn’t aware you considered the seas evil.”
Elia: “I’m messing with you, idiot. Haha, of course, I’ve been on the beach before. The sunrise is very romantic.”
Barnabe: “Yes, it is. Beaches evoke painful memories to me, sometimes, but it’s impossible not to appreciate the beauty of a sun rising on the coast. It’s like a connection between real life and the world in which our imagination wanders: we get nothing but a glimpse, and we can’t do anything but look at it, the horizon stretching forever.”
Elia appears to be crying, silently looking at the water. As I look at her, I wonder if I said something wrong: Barnabe: “Did I say something wrong?”
Elia: “No, don’t worry. It’s simply that you remind me of my older brother. He used to say things like that too. I think it’s nice to find someone he would’ve gotten along with.”
Blushing, I decide it’s time to go.
Barnabe: “Everything is in place now, we should test the machine. Let’s walk to it.”
Reaching the construction, Elia is speechless: “What is THAT?”
Barnab: “Oh, I call it a Skytube. It’s a huge vertical cannon that uses a shielded bottom to propel us towards the sky. From there, we use the large cloth that you’ve woven according to my plans to soar across the sky, slowly losing altitude. According to my calculations, we should land at Vanilla Isle! I call the large cloth an ‘Altiwing’.”
Elia: “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Already inside the tube, Elia is signaling me to join her. Making the preparations, I instal the hemp rope drenched in oil, verify that the powder is packed in the bottom of the chamber, check the wooden supports and ignite the wick with stones. The sparks fly and the countdown starts! Quickly, I slip in the tube.
Elia: “Before we go, in case this doesn’t work…”
Elia leans in for a kiss, shy, but determined. Surprised, I sink in, enjoying the moment. As we separate, it suddenly feels like the world shatters for a second, as the cannon fires:
BRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!
High above the clouds in seconds, I quickly deploy our Altiwing, holding Elia close. Excited, I can’t suppress a single “Yaaaaahoooooooooo!” as we both glide across the sky. As we see the world from above, islands, seas and clouds seem to bow before us, so small that it becomes hard to tell which shape some of them are. Keeping our cap towards the North-West, I hold the ropes tight. “Let’s try to land on one of those clouds!” I shout, trying to communicate despite the strong winds. With a small nod, Elia agrees. As we approach the fluffy white shroud, it proves to be surprisingly firm, holding out weight quite well. Walking on the smooth surface, we start our exploration. Not too far away, but yet not close enough to distinguish what’s really going on, shapes seem to move, going in and out of the cloud. Curious, we look at each other, silently agreeing on an investigation. As we draw closer, I hear a small slithering sound from below. On our guard, we wait.
Sploosh!
A thin, long serpent lazily arcs over the cloud, stopping its course to look at us. Curious, I take out piece of food from my backpack, trying to lure it. In a frenzy, the serpent quickly dashes for a bite, not letting me time to withdraw my hand, drawing a little bit of blood: “Ouch! Why you!”
With defiant eyes, the snake goes for another bite. This time, I’m prepared. Throwing the meat from one hand to the other, I side step, dodging the white slither in its attack. Angry, the animal wraps itself around my chest, smelling more food where the first bit came from. Surprised by the reptile’s quick wits, I can only let out a “No, our food!” before admitting defeat. Taking off my backpack as fast as I can, I find the sated beast in a nonchalant coil. “You better fetch a high price when I sell you, glutton!” *Frustrated, I close the pack, hoping to send the serpent into a panic, but instead seeing it sleep as I reopen it a few minutes later. Sighing, I say: “Well, I guess I’ll have to keep you…”
Elia, laughing: “Teeheehee! Can I name it? Pleeeaase!”
Barnabe: “Fine. But don’t attach yourself too much!”
Elia: “Neat! I’ll call him… Richard! Richard, the silk white Cloud Serpent!
Having almost reach the edge of the cloud, I look down, trying to find Vanilla Isle. Seeing it next to the Red Line, I take a second to appreciate the sheer dimension of the latter. I secure the ropes, tying Elia to me once again.
Barnabe: “Ready?”
Elia: “Ready!”
Without hesitation, I jump, deploying the Altiwing a second later, feeling the high winds on my face once again. With ludicrous speed, we approach the isle. After what seems like an eternity, our feet finally touch the ground. Still shaken from the ride, I claim: “Whew! That was one hell of a ride!”
Smiling, Elia agrees: “It.. was… awesome! Can we do it again? Can we??”
Barnabe: “One day, perhaps. Right now, there is an item I promised a friend to recover. It must be in his house on Bearn Earth Valley, but before… I need to show you something!”
As we approach a crowded place, the owner, Barnbolio, recognizes me.:
*Barnbolio: “Ah, Barnabe! My wonderful marine engineer friend! And you have quite a lovely friend!” he says, now looking at Elia. “May I interest you in our newest flavour of ice cream, Lychee-Seaweed?”
With a synchronized grumble, Elia and I’s stomach respond for us:
Elia and Barnabe: “I’ll take one, please!” “Hey, I said it first!”