the WATERKEEPER’S
wake
Chapter Two:
Kai Stands His Ground
Kai and his family, and
the members of their village, stood on the dock overlooking the Great River and
watched helplessly as a thick, oily sludge, carried by the current,
dirtied the water that was their livelihood. No one spoke; they all
simply stared in confusion and disbelief. They had never seen anything
like it. The river grew cloudy and dark, and along the banks a sticky,
black tar began collecting in the reeds. It was no wonder the men’s
fishing nets had come back empty that morning – NOTHING
could live in such poisoned water.
Noni, Kai’s grandmother, put her arms around him, her face pale and serious. “This is not natural. Something’s not right,” she said.
The silence broken, everyone began speaking at once: “What will we do?” “How will we eat?” “What will we drink?” “What IS this?!”
Kai looked to his father who stepped forward and raised his hand.
“Let’s not panic. I’m sure there is an explanation for…whatever is happening to the Great River.” He stopped suddenly and turned his head towards the sound of hoof beats charging through the forest. A man on horseback appeared, jumped off his mount and strode towards the dock where everyone was gathered. Kai recognized him instantly. It was his father’s cousin Thom, from the village of Apsu, a three-day ride up river from Kai’s village.
“Cousin Thom!” Kai exclaimed as he broke free of Noni’s embrace and ran to throw his arms around the tall, blond man.
“Happy Birthday little man, I wish your manhood ceremony were the only reason for my visit – but I bring grave news from up river,” said Cousin Thom, his blue eyes meeting Kai’s father’s. “Is there somewhere we can talk cousin?”
“We can speak here, openly, Thom. If you have news of what it is that’s poisoning the Great River, we all want to hear it,” said Kai’s father.
Everyone gathered around Cousin Thom as he began to speak. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything definite to share with you. The people of Apsu woke up three days ago to the same nightmare you see in the waters of the Great River here today. No fish, no drinking water, no explanation. I was sent down river to see if I might be able to get ahead of this black tide and at least bring some fish back with me – but it’s moving too fast. If I wasn’t back in two days, the people of Apsu were going to pack up and move inland to the Great Lake in the hopes that they might find food and water there.”
Kai’s father thought for a moment. “We’ll do the same then. We will collect ourselves and join the people of Apsu on the shores of the Great Lake. We can’t afford to stay here if there is no fish to be had. Our food stores will only last so long. The Great Lake is fed by an underground spring so chances are good that whatever poisons the Great River will not have tainted her waters. Let us go.”
Kai’s father made a move in the direction of the village when Noni spoke up, stopping him. “What about the river? Someone needs to get word to the Waterkeeper.”
Kai’s ears perked up. He had heard stories of the Waterkeeper but he thought they were only legends, make believe. “I didn’t think the Waterkeeper was real Noni,” Kai blurted. “I thought those were just bedtime stories.”
All eyes were on Noni now. “No Kai, the Waterkeeper is real enough. Water is so precious and vital to our lives that long ago the Old Ones, in their wisdom, invited clever, concerned people to step forward and become the Waterkeeper for their river, bay, lake or shoreline’s safety. And so the Waterkeepers were born. Our waters have been safe and clean ever since… well, until today. I fear that something has happened to our Waterkeeper for the Great River to be in such sorry a state.”
“You may be right Noni,” Kai’s father interrupted, “but our greatest concern is having access to clean water to drink and to fish in. Someone else will have to worry about the Waterkeeper for now. We must pack our belongings and leave right away. There’s no time to lose.”
Everyone nodded in agreement
and moved towards the village. Kai stood
his ground. “I’m not going,” he
announced to everyone’s
surprise, “I’m going to find
the Waterkeeper!”
