Couriers of the Sunny Isles - Part 2

The start of this year has been a lot busier than I intended it to be. Between a longer commute to work, focusing on shows and work/life balance, and spending time with my partner and the dog, finding time to write has been tricky.

I thought then that rather than looking ahead, we could all take a moment to catch our breath and look back on one of my first projects. In an earlier post I shared the brief intro to a story entitled COURIERS OF THE SUNNY ISLES.

The story of Leo as he aims to become a Courier for the Sunny Isles continues as he meets his friend on Meadowlark and takes a moment to reflect on his past…

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PART 1: That First Step Is Always The Toughest

    In the early hours of the morning a few days ago, in a small cozy cottage, Leo awoke to a muffin hitting him in the head. He had rolled off his bed in the middle of the night, and was sprawled out on the floor under a corner of his blanket. The muffin smacked him in the face, snapping him awake. Leo jolted up and looked around the room. He saw his mother standing in the doorway. 

“There’s your breakfast. Get moving,” she said when Leo noticed her.

“Why did you do that?” Leo asked, rubbing his eyes and waking up.

“Slept on the floor did you?” ignoring Leo’s question. “You must be nervous about today.”

“Am not!”

“Sure. If you say so,” she chuckled. “Either way, the muffin is your breakfast. As for why, you were supposed to be up and moving 10 minutes ago.” 

“What?” Leo shouted! He leapt up from his floor and ran toward the door, but his mother refused to yield.

“Slow down, maybe you should put some pants on before going out.” Leo looked down and noticed he was only in his boxers. He ran for cover.

“Get out!” He screamed as he tried to push his mom out of the door. His mother, pretending to move in slow motion, wouldn’t leave his doorway and kept laughing at the situation. Leo pushed with both hands and finally got her into the hallway before slamming the door.

“And a good morning to you too,” she shouted from behind the wooden door. “I love you, sweetie!”

“Please let me get ready.” Leo quickly tossed on a pair of pants and a tunic shirt while eating his muffin. He was so hungry that he nearly swallowed the muffin whole. Finally dressed, he made his way out of the house, passing his mother in the kitchen and his father at the table. 

He left his house on Meadowlark Island and headed off toward the nearby town. Groggy and blurry eyed, he had been up all night preparing for today. But, Leo was so excited that it didn’t bother him at all. His mother and father came to the door to wish him luck as he took off down the dusty dirt road. 

    “Good luck, son!” Leo’s mother shouted. Her hair was pulled back in a bun to stay out of her face, and her apron had flour and jam stains from the bakery. “Don’t be out too late, or I’ll toss you out the window!” Leo knew she was joking, but having watched his mother throw huge bags of flour around the kitchen he was sure she could actually do it.

    “Today is your day, Leo. I know you’ll do well!” Leo’s father’s voice echoed from beside his mother. His father, tall and thin, pushed his glasses back up on his face to watch his son run off. He chuckled to himself, and walked back inside.

    Leo made his way toward the Post Office on the far side of town. Today was the day he was going to become a Courier. It was his dream. Leo lived on Meadowlark, a quaint little island that sat in the middle of an archipelago: a huge group of islands spread out across the ocean. These islands, known as the Sunny Isles, were a special place. All manner of beings lived there. Humans, talking animals, wizards, dwarves, spirits, and some creatures so bizarre you would never be able to describe them to your friends. The Isles were full of magical sights and wonder, but they weren’t without their perils. Monsters lurked in the depths of the sea. Strange islands and creatures that would give most nightmares. And legends of the dragons of old whispered around campfires kept many people on their toes, especially when traveling. A vast sea dotted with pockets of life and death and legends. But of all the unique things in the isles, Leo obsessed over the Couriers the most. 

    To be a Courier is a tremendous honor. The fabled delivery boys and girls of the islands, rode on the backs of giant birds known as Threshes to deliver letters and news from island to island. Their job brought them honor and fame; plus it was the best way to see all the Sunny Isles had to offer. Sure, you could take a boat out to see and travel, but only a well trained Courier and their thresh could travel from the island of Ribor, home of the giant hopping toads, to the upside-down waterfalls of Argain in a single day. Leo desperately wanted to be one ever since he first came to the island of Meadowlark several years ago. Leo often day dreamed about flying high in the clouds on the back of his own thresh. It kept him busy on the long lonely days when his parents worked, and there was only him and the open sky to stare at.

He thought of all of this as he made his way down the dirt road, picking up his pace to a nice jog. He hopped over rocks and ran his fingers through the tall grass on the side of the road as he passed it. He almost missed the small house nestled in a grove between two huge trees. Almost. The trees covered the grove in a blanket of shade, and a tiny puff of smoke came from the chimney of the cottage. Leo ran up to the door and knocked. The wood was hard and strong, and echoed as he tapped it. The door swung open and a tall boy was standing in the doorway. He stood almost a foot taller than Leo, but was thin and had a narrow face. His wavy blonde hair swooped back on his head, and his green eyes looked down on Leo.

“Hey, Maxwell,” Leo said, looking at his one and only friend.

“Hey! Are you ready for today?”

“I think so!”

“Good!” Maxwell ran back inside and grabbed his jacket and bag. Leo could hear him talking to his parents inside. “I’m heading out for the day! Leo’s going to take the exam!” Before Leo could hear Maxwell’s parents say anything back, his friend had rushed outside and slammed the door. “Come on!” The two took off down the road. As they walked, Leo watched as Maxwell put his jacket on over his buttoned shirt. The blue jacket had a thick, wool hood, and pockets in the front that zipped up. It was a very special jacket, one that Maxwell treasured, and Leo desperately wanted. Maxwell was a Courier. On Maxwell’s right shoulder a patch was sewn into the sleeve. It showed a bird flying with a letter layered over top. The back of the jacket had the words “Courier” embroidered across the shoulders, and the number “48” printed below that.

    Maxwell had been a Courier for roughly a year and shared all of his stories with Leo whenever he could. Maxwell was fourteen, and he was able to take the exam last year after he turned thirteen. With his last birthday a few months behind him now, Leo was ready to take the exam himself. The two friends spent the last few nights prepping Leo for this day. 

“Did you study?” Maxwell asked as they walked down the road toward the town.

“Of course I did,” Leo said, “I memorized that booklet you gave me. I’m ready for whatever they throw my way.”

“Good! You’ll need to be! There’s no telling what they may ask you.”

The two made their way into the main town of Meadowlark. The road turned from dirt to cobblestones, and big wooden buildings began to crowd around them. There were homes and shops of all kinds. Leo walked past the bakery his mother would be working at later today, and the town hall that his father would work at as well. The sweets shop was just down the lane, and Maxwell and Leo stopped in to get a morning snack. They munched on candy as they continued their way through town. Suddenly, they came to an intersection of roads where the town opened into a large square. Maxwell stopped and looked around. Leo, who kept walking at first, looked back confused.

“Maxwell? Knock knock!” he asked, rapping his fist against Maxwell’s head. 

  “This is where I met you.”

  “Oh yeah,” Leo said. He stopped and looked around as well. It was indeed where Leo had first met Maxwell. He had only been six at the time, but it was a day he would never forget. It was the day he learned all about the Couriers and the day he made his first friend. “I remember,” he said, softly, almost to himself.

  When Leo was only six years old, his parents decided to move. They picked up everything they had and relocated from their cozy home on Orange Grove Island to the, as his parents put it, “exciting” island of Meadowlark. Leo’s parents moved to the island to find new jobs. Adults were always worrying about trivial things, like where the money was coming from. Luckily, they were successful in that. They told Leo that he would be able to make new friends and fit in just fine on Meadowlark. They had hoped for the same luck for Leo that they  had with their jobs. Leo was not very successful. 

Leo had a hard time letting go of his old life and his old friends. He was, in fact, only six at the time of the move, and it was a lot to deal with as a little kid. He tried to meet other kids his age, but often felt nervous or shy. He could feel the words he wanted to say to them in his mouth, but whenever he tried to speak, nothing came out. He could feel his hands shake, he could feel his face go red. Eventually, young Leo learned it was easier to not talk to people. Sure, you spent your days alone, but it was better than trying to embarrass yourself. Being alone was not terribly hard. If it’s all you know, you get used to it. 

Meadowlark was a nice place. Several villages were spread out over the island, all within a day’s walk of each other. The land was dotted with streams and ponds, and little groves of trees sprouted between them. Leo’s family chose to live in a field next to one of the larger towns on the island. This was mainly for their jobs, but it would prove to be incredibly important for young Leo.

 After the move, Leo enjoyed exploring the island, but he never went into the town. He would watch the other kids play from a distance, and he saw them laugh and run together. But Leo never joined in. Who would want to play with the new kid? For a long time, Leo didn’t talk to anybody. And no one talked to Leo. The kids on the island begin to talk about Leo though. They wanted to know why he was so weird. Why he kept all to himself.

One day, Leo’s parents convinced him to venture into town. They didn’t like how lonesome their son was, and they wanted him to go make friends. His mother gave him a small stack of coins and said, “Leo, honey, go into town and pick up a bag of chocolate for yourself. You remember where the candy shop is, right?”

“Yes,” a now seven-year-old Leo whispered, sitting at the table in the kitchen.

  “Perfect. Off you go.”

“But I don’t want to,” he said. His mother looked at him, but he didn’t look back. He just kept his eyes down on the picture he was drawing. Avoiding eye contact was the best plan, he thought. Mother walked over to the table. She put her arm on Leo’s shoulder.

“Leo, you can go into town. I know you can.” Leo continued his strategy of not looking at his mom. “You know, at some point in your life, you’re going to learn why people live in towns to begin with.”

This thought intrigued Leo. Why do people choose to live in towns and cities? What was the point? It seemed crowded, and people got mean at times. “Why do we live in towns?” he asked. His mother, ever the wise teacher, stood him up and looked at him.

“If I told you that, then you wouldn’t discover it for yourself.”

Young Leo made his way down and into town, running at first, but slowed to a walk when he first saw people. He moved to the side of the road and kept his head down as he crept past people. He watched his feet as he walked, avoiding looking at the clumps of people around him. Eventually, he made it to the candy shop and went inside. He stood, nervous, in the corner of the shop for a minute or two before approaching the counter. Even then the shopkeeper had to ask Leo to speak up because he whispered his order. The candy shop was silent as Leo waited for a bag of chocolate pieces and tried to ignore the line forming behind him. When the shopkeeper returned with the paper bag, Leo took it, handed him the change, and ran out of the store as fast as he could.

When he got outside he took a deep breath. He had done it. He ventured into town and got candy, all on his own. He sat down on the sidewalk next to the candy store and opened his bag, tasting the spoils of his victory. As he munched on the chocolate he heard a sound coming from across the street. Amidst the chatter and thuds of footsteps, Leo heard someone crying. He quickly looked up to see what was going on.

Across the street, a young girl sat on the ground crying. She had fallen and was now holding her bright red knee. She looked around at the people who walked past her, but the adults all seemed to be ignoring her. She wasn’t as big as they were, so her problems must not have seemed as big to them. Leo watched as people simply walked right past her and overlooked her. He watched as they didn’t talk to her; as they ignored her. He couldn’t ignore this. 

He picked himself up and slowly made his way across the street. The girl continued crying, rubbing her knee, and she didn’t see Leo walk up next to her and kneel down. “Hello,” Leo said, having spent the entire walk over mustering the courage to speak. The girl turned abruptly and stopped crying for a second. She looked Leo right in the face. She said nothing. “Hi,” Leo tried again. She said nothing. “Would you like some chocolate?” Leo held out a piece of candy from his bag.

The girl, with auburn hair that fell to her shoulders, looked at the candy and then at Leo. She grabbed the candy fiercely and began to eat it. Leo, startled, watched her as she ate. He noticed that her face was covered in freckles. He sat down and looked at her knee.

“Does it hurt?”

“No,” the girl grumbled, looking away.

“I’m sorry,” Leo said. The girl slowly opened up to Leo. “I fell once before and scraped my ankle. You should wipe it off. It’ll sting but it’ll help.” He slowly reached out for her knee to help her, but the girl pulled back and gave Leo a very scared and confused look. “I only want to help.” She relaxed a little. Leo took the end of his sleeve and balled it in his hand. Carefully, he wiped off her knee to clean it up, getting the tiny bits of rock and dirt out of the fresh wound. The girl winced and bit her lip, but she didn’t make a sound. The end of Leo’s sleeve was all dirty now and even a little red with the blood from her knee. He didn’t care.

“Thanks,” she said, hiding a smile.

“You’re welcome,” Leo replied. “My name is Leo.” She didn’t say anything. “How did you fall?”

“Some boys pushed me as they ran past. They’re real jerks.”

“Well, they’re gone now.”

“No,” the girl said, looking worried, “they’re coming back.” She pointed down the street and Leo saw a group of about five boys, all a few years older, heading their way. They were chasing a big ball and whacking it with sticks, unaware of what they had done. Leo trembled and clenched his first, turning away from the group. 

The ball rolled close over to where Leo and the girl sat, and one of the boys rushed toward it. He saw them sitting there and began to chuckle. “What’s her problem?” he asked as he picked up the ball. Both the girl and Leo ignored him, looking away. “Hey! I’m talking to you,” the boy said. His friends walked up behind him. “What’s the baby crying about?”

“You pushed her down,” Leo said without even thinking. At first, he didn’t know who was talking. But when he realized that it was his voice he heard, his eyes got big and he felt his face get hot.

“What did you say?” one of the boys in the group asked loudly. The girl looked at Leo, and all Leo could do was look at the ground. Go away, he thought to himself. Just leave us alone. The boy who spoke stepped forward. “What did you say?”

“I said you pushed her down,” Leo said softly, “and she got hurt.”

“Oh,” the boy said. He looked at the little girl and back at his friends. “Well, she should watch where she’s walking and stay out of our way.” All of the boys laughed. Leo couldn’t believe what he heard. He didn’t understand why someone could be so rude. He stood up and glared at the boys.

“You should apologize,” he stated, stubbornly. The boys started walking forward, circling around Leo and the girl. The one Leo had been talking too got up in Leo’s face and shoved him.

“Make me,” he said as Leo stumbled backwards. Leo managed to catch himself from falling, but before he could stand up straight again another set of hands pushed him forward from behind. Leo tripped forward and fell on his stomach. Laughter erupted from the group of boys. Leo pushed himself up to his feet and glanced over at the girl next to him. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was silent. He clenched his fist and wheeled on the boy who pushed him. He swung fast and wide, missing the boy’s face by just a few inches. The boys all stopped laughing. Uh-oh, Leo thought. 

“You missed,” the boy said. “Here, let me show you how to punch.” And with that, Leo felt a sudden smack of sharp pain in his gut. The boy pulled his fist back as Leo reeled over and back on to the ground. Suddenly, Leo was greeted with a sharp pain in his face. The older boy swung wide and punched Leo in the side of his face. Leo’s eyes began to water, and a cut tore the skin below his left eye. Blood began to trickle down his cheek and Leo touched his cheek. The others quickly gathered around and started whacking and pushing Leo. All Leo could do was curl into a ball and hope it all went away. He felt his face get wet with tears and blood, and his body sore from hits. 

The girl that Leo had helped watched the boys abuse Leo and decided that she too had had enough. She screamed with all her might and shot straight up underneath the lead boy, ramming her head into his chin. The boy squealed and fell back grabbing his mouth.

“I ‘bit my ‘ongue!” he yelled. The girl glared at the others, pulling her fists in close. She stepped over Leo so he was between her legs. She would protect him. “Get ‘er!” the boy on the ground yelled! 

“Nope,” another voice shouted. Everyone turned only to see another one of the boys get tackled to the ground by a tall, lanky kid. “Leave these guys alone!” The tall kid stood with his foot on the back of the boy he had just pushed down. The rest of the group looked at each other nervously.

“Let’s ‘et out of ‘ere!” their leader said, and they quickly scampered off, picking themselves up and running away around the corner. The tall boy walked over to the girl and together they helped Leo sit up. Leo’s face was covered in dirt from the road blood that ran from the cut on his cheek and his busted lip.

“Man, you took a beating! You okay?” the tall boy asked.

“I think so,” Leo said, feeling upset about what had just happened. But he wasn’t the only one in the fight. He turned to the girl. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said softly.

“What’s your name?” Leo asked. The girl looked at them for a brief moment and then turned and ran away. She took off down the street and was soon lost in the crowd. Leo never saw that girl again and never found out who she was.

“Well,” the tall boy said with a huff, “she’s talkative.” He laughed a little at his own joke, and Leo couldn’t help but smile. It was strange, given everything that had happened, that she just ran off. “Girls are weird. But, at least you’re okay. Those guys can be real jerks, especially if you’re younger like us. And these adults don’t ever take the time to look at us to see what’s happening.”

“I noticed.”

“My name is Maxwell,” the tall boy said, “and I’m going to be a Courier one day.” He held out his hand for Leo to grab. Leo took the hand and Maxwell pulled him up to his feet and shook his hand.

“I’m Leo.” There was a long pause. “What’s a Courier?”

“What’s a Courier!? You’ve got to be kidding! It’s only the coolest job! Haven’t you ever seen them? They fly on the backs of giant birds and deliver the mail all over the islands!”

“All over Meadowlark?”

“No! Not just here, but everywhere! The whole sea! Ain’t nothing that can stop them and no place they can’t go!” Maxwell explained excitedly. “How have you never heard of them? They’re famous here because their main Post Office is on Meadowlark.”

“I didn’t know that,” Leo replied.

“What, do you live under a rock?”

“No. I just don’t go out much.” Maxwell sighed and looked up at the sky. But when he looked up he gasped and smacked Leo’s shoulder. “Hey!” Leo snapped, “My shoulder still hurts!”

“Look! There goes one now!” Leo looked at what Maxwell was pointing at and saw a great yellow bird soaring over the town. On the back of the bird was a person in a blue jacket and a sack full of letters. The bird spread its wings out, gliding through the air, and then with a mighty flap it took off high into the sky. 

“Wow,” Leo said quietly.

“I know, right? I can’t wait to be one.”

“Me neither,” Leo decided. “Want some chocolate pieces?” The two looked at each other and laughed.