c. 1993 · Vignette — two brothers at a pier, choosing.
As the gray wash of fog rolls in from the pier, two young brothers await the next ship leaving Hennesburge to cross Soland Bay and reach its destination at Sevenna. The elder brother, Emil, has decided to journey to Nomeikia: The Land of Sorcery. Rey, the younger by one year, decides to let his brother go alone, as he would like to learn the Natural Sciences at Vaunestowne.
Seagulls flew overhead, laughing contedly, observing only that they should fly, and otherwise oblivious to the rest of the world. Two young brothers sat at the edge of the pier, legs dangling close to the water. A swarthy boy of maybe sixteen summers picked up a large stone and cast it at a gull who had landed on the beach to rest his wings. A grin spread upon his sun-tanned face as the frightened bird took to the air and sought a safer place of refuge. He turned to the younger boy beside him and said, “Rey, one day Mother will return and bring us to the other side. And then, Rey?…” The other boy, though younger, was much larger. While his older brother reached up to his shoulder, he stood six feet tall, and had a tough frame not uncommon in Rönich. He stared transfixed at the waves washing ashore, ignoring his brother’s intruding voice. “Are you listening to me?” Rey smiled at the question and looked at his brother with hard, dark brown eyes.
“I always listen, Emil.” He answered, and then under his breath, added: “But I do not always choose to hear.” Emil continued speaking.
“And I will be taught the ways of wizards. I will command the forces of fire, direct the waves of rain and wind, and I will create or destroy as I please!” Emil turned to the water and shouted, “I command thee, mighty Triton of the Sea: Part the water that lay before me!” After waiting several expectant minutes, he cursed aloud, “Soon will you suffer; for I will be master!” Rey frowned at his brother’s musing.
“Emil,” said he, “Mother will not return. Do not expect her to return. Nomeikia has nothing to offer us. Your heart lies in Rönich, for, although you do not know it, I can feel it. You do not need the tricks of magicians! Come, let us go to the library. Mr. Turing knows of ways to part the sea without magic. Structures of iron and wood called dams—” Emil hit his brother on the face, stunning him.
“Never! Never speak to me of Mother again! You do not know her as I do! She will return.”
Composed 1993 · part of the Short Stories collection · authorship documented on the Provenance page.