The sound of the heating furnace, the whistling boiling water from the teapot, and the smell of the delicious breakfast his mother prepared for him greeted him good morning the moment he opened his eyes.
Ah, what a great way to start the day, well not for him, for it is another battle of wits and cleverness. Another tiring day on the noisy port, trading, selling good things to the pirates and merchants from across the island.
How many pirates have cursed him and merchants have he fooled? He thought, his head under his pillow.
"Cean, my kid, you have to wake up or you will miss the big-time pirates and merchants on the port. You know, they will not wait for you." His mother's gentle voice– like the calming crashing waves nearby– enveloped his ears. Her voice is like a lullaby he would never get tired of hearing.
He groaned and crooked under his thin blanket and gripped on it tightly as if it would stop time and let him rest and not work for the day. The thought of his bloody work is already exhausting, what more if he started working?
"Oh, drat it, how I wish I could rest for a day!" He groaned and pulled himself out of the bed with his brows frowning.
"But you did rest yesterday, sweetie." His mother reasoned out and left his bed to go to the kitchen and finish preparing breakfast.
"Yes, a day full of house chores, what a great day to rest!" He whispered under his breath being careful not to let her mother hear those words. He does not have the heart to say it out loud for it is too early for a beating.
Cean stretched for a few minutes to prepare himself for a tiring day and then tucked his bed neatly– like how his mother taught him. After that, he went to the kitchen and gave her mother a peck on her cheeks as she poured the hot chocolate into his cup. The autumn is about to end and the cold breeze is rising.
His mother patted her sweet child's cheeks. It was as if Cean became a kid once again. "Go take your seat. I am almost done here." His mother said and motioned him to sit on his usual seat and started serving himself.
They are living a very simple life. A small happy family with just the two of them, no extra. Since his father left them, Cean was forced to strive on his own and leave his youth at an early age.
Cean grew sweet and gentle at the same time filled with wits and cleverness which he had been using to fool everyone on the port, his dratted client on the top list.
"I have prepared your bath and the things you have to carry on your work at the port. I will have to go first for I have to run some errand for Mrs. Ainsley who is very much eager to give me work for us to pay for the bloody rent." His hands stopped in mid-air and his eyes darted on his mother who ignored her stares– a stare of disapproval.
"An errand? Haven't I told you to stop working for that corrupt council? My salary is enough for us to continue living on this dratted island." He said with a voice condemned.
He has been trying to stop his mother from working because he thinks that his mother is in need of rest. He can make good money in a day, what are his wits and cleverness for? Moreover, he's already turning on his legal age– 21–at the end of the month. With that, he could broaden his way of living. He could finally work from the municipality, where he could, at last, flee from the ocean– he hated the most –and of course more money to receive, more people to fool.
"Oh bloody hell, Cean. When are you going to find someone to marry? You are not a kid anymore! You have to find someone to love. I am not getting younger, sooner or later I will have to leave you. I wanted to see my beautiful granddaughter." Here she goes again telling him to find someone to marry, even though that is the least on his long list of things to do.
"I told you, mother, I could not find a girl like you. It's your fault for being so beautifully unique. There's no other Celia Agua on this dratted island!" He kidded, only to receive a wallop on the back of his head. He laughed.
"You dratted kid, of course, there is nobody like me! Girls shine on their own, I am telling you, my child, you will be left alone in this small house if you for some girl with my traits." His mother said, furiously. "I am not bloody kidding, Cean." She added and started eating her breakfast.
He sighed and started eating too but after a few swallows, his mother talked again that made him stop. "In addition to that, you know I can't help but to feel restless whenever I am not working. My body is searching for it. Another thing, I have nothing to do here! I have already cleaned the whole house, your closet and mine are already full from the knitted clothes I made. Last time you suggested me to stay here for just a day. I couldn't even close your closet anymore!" She said hysterically, her mouth full, spitting some rice out of her mouth. "I have nowhere to plant, I have read the books on the shelf for I don't know how many times." Celia took a deep breath and released it full of wretchedness. "You see, I have nothing left to do here. Let me work for a little while longer, Cean." She pleaded with puppy eyes and a pouting mouth.
He sighed in defeat. Now, what more can he say against that? "Good god, mother, you are so–" He grumbled in protest but still defeated. "Fine."
---
Cean could hear the noises from the murmuring townspeople as he walked past them. When can they stop gossiping about other people's lives and start focusing on their own? He thought as he observed the town ladies gossiping about the poor thief who steals an apple a day from their store.
"Ah! Cean my dear, ahoy!" Mrs. Ainsley greeted him, which made his eyebrows frown. "Mrs. Ainsley, ahoy!" He greeted her back with a fake smile.
"I thought mother will be working for you today but–" He looked at her from head to toe.
Mrs. Ainsley is wearing a mix of red and brown pirate wench dress and a very fancy pirate hat, far from the tavern dress she usually wears. He couldn't help but raise his brows. "Off to somewhere Mrs. Ainsley?" He asked, suspicious.
The woman's mouth hangs open to talk but she shut it off eventually. "Mrs. Ainsley?" He called her.
"Oh my, young pirate... my apologies but–" She was thankfully cut off when the young Michael called Cean.
"Sir Cean! I am sorry to interrupt you two from talking but I have to drag you right at this very moment on the port for Sir Hugh would be furious if I did not." The young man bowed himself in front of the lady who was very delightful, he came running to take Cean away from her.
Cean was about to protest but the young man had pulled him already and dragged him on the port where Sir Hugh– his boss– immediately scolded him for being tardy.
"Bloody hell Cean! The merchants and the pirates wouldn't wait for you to arrive every time!" That was the same sentence her mother told him earlier. He stood in front of Sir Hugh and scratched the back of his head, not saying a word. "Let's take it, easy Sir, this young Sir is good at taking customers in, I am quite sure you will still gain more money than before." Captain Declan– Cean's so-called best buddy– rested his arms on Cean's shoulder and winked at his boss.
"Aye, you are lucky, Cean." Sir Hugh scoffed and left them shaking his head as if he was trying to hold his thin thread of patience for he still needed the young Cean.
They both stood quiet until Cean talked nonchalantly "That bloody old man, it was not like he pays me that much." Captain Declan laughed. "You had it rough, mate. But you can't just quit, can you?" Cean took a deep breath and started pulling the rope from the water. "I have been telling you, am I not? Just sail with us. You are not to this life, you are to the body of water and search for bloody treasures!" The Captain said sprightly
"I have told you, I don't have interest in treasures. I won't sail again, I will stay in this port until the day I die." He then left the pirate and talked to the merchant who was trying to find some high-class wine in exchange for a large amount of gold.
"Pay for those bread Declan!" The Captain laughed and tossed a coin to Cean. "I can never steal from you, can't I?" He then left, shaking his head.
Did he mean it? No, staying on the Island is the last thing he wanted but he couldn't just leave. No matter how much he loved to be part of the crew, he couldn't. If only he would not need to think of that day.
He once sailed across the ocean with his pirate crew, they called themselves The Ocean until the disastrous storm came and erased their names on the ocean's history, and only he survived none of his crew survived with him.
Since then, whenever he sets foot on the salty water, it seems like he's drowning. Drowning with the bitter memory of his crewmates.
Cean would always spend his break time strolling on the shore thinking what it would be like to see the other side of the world again. He thought of the beauty of the ocean and then how it turned into a nightmare. He couldn't help but hate himself for not being able to save them. Because he is weak.
"Cean..."
A sweet voice echoed on his head. He turned around but no one was there.
"Cean..."
He tried to find where the voice was coming from. He turned and the water splashed right through his face. He drowned.
"Save yourself, Captain!" He was struggling and his hands were slipping.
"No!" He is the only one, he needs to save him or else he can never forget everything.
"It was fun sailing with you, Captain Cean, you were like our best buddy." His crew smiled as he let go of Cean's hands.
"Cean..."
He abruptly opened his eyes to see complete darkness. It's cold and he is shivering, soaking wet. He tried to run and searched for light but there was none.
"Cean..."
That voice again. He tried to shout but no words came out of his mouth.
"Wish upon me,
And I will gladly grant it.
In return for a small favor."
He unconsciously stopped running and looked up as if the person talking to him was there. He just remembered, since that day, no one had asked what he wished for, he thought.
A tear of longing escaped his eyes. I've got nothing to lose, anyway.
"The only thing I want is to reunite with my mates I failed to protect as their Captain."