Closed Row Your Boat

[Maro]

Row Your Boat 2nd of Winter, 514 AV Maro had headed out to the docks as soon as he woke up. He was ecstatic. One of the many things he had wanted to try since he had begun fishing was ocean fishing, both from the coast and from a boat in one of the more secluded bays. He had saved up enough money to buy himself a rowboat and was excited to make his purchase. When he arrived on the docks, there were many Svefra he recognized selling their wares. One, an experienced old sea fisherman, recognized Maro from the many times he had come to buy the seafarer’s sturdier line. He waved Maro over. “Maro! Come see what I have.” Maro did, excited to talk with the old fisherman and see what advice he could give on ocean fishing. When he arrived the man asked him about his previous purchase. “How’s that line I sold you holding up against those river fish?” “Amazingly. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to land them. How do you think it would hold up on the ocean?” The man lifted a curious brow to that question. “You planning on doing some ocean fishing?” “Yes, sir.” “Hmm. Well, I sold you some of my weakest line. Everything else I got would be too thick and cumbersome for your rod and reel. It’ll hold up well enough for smaller ocean fish which might be what you run into along the coast, but there’s always the chance that you run into something bigger. How are you planning on doing the fishing? Not by chartering a Svefran vessel, I hope. They’re a bunch of lousy thieves. Rob you blind, they will.” Maro laughed. A lot of the merchants said things like this, as if the deals they were giving were the best and they were friends of the buyer, looking out for their best interests. “No, no,” he assured the man. “I’m planning on getting my own boat, a row boat.” “A row boat? How good of a swimmer are you?” That seemed an odd question to Maro. “What do you mean?” “Well, if you’re a decent swimmer, you can buy cheap rowboat from any of these thieves here. Sell you a vessel sure to capsize, they will. If you want to stay dry though, you should see my cousin, Jon Cliffshore. He’ll make sure you end up in a boat that will keep you above the water.” Maro laughed again. “I’d love to meet him, if you’ll introduce me, but first I’d like to buy some stronger line from you.” “I would love to sell some to you, Maro, but like I said before, everything stronger that I have will just be too big for your rod and reel. I don’t want to sell you something you can’t use.” Maro had always found the man to be honest, though he found most people he met were. Still, this man seemed so openly so that Maro did business with him whenever he could. “That’s why I want you to set me up with a good sea fishing pole and some good tackle for it as well.” The old man’s bright blue eyes brightened even more at this. “I’ve got just the thing for you.” The man pulled out a fishing pole and placed it in Maro’s hands. It was heavier than his normal pole and seemed a bit more unwieldy. He told the man so, and the old man smiled and nodded. “It’s supposed to be that way, Maro. What it lacks in ease of casting it makes up for in grace when it catches a monster fish. The unwieldiness comes from its strength, and that strength is the only thing that will make a pole able to hold a larger fish. You catch one of those bigger fish on your little pole, and either, it’ll snap like a twig or it’ll be the fish pulling you into the ocean and not you pulling it into the boat.” Maro felt the rod again and gave it a few mock casts, nodding appreciatively. “I can see myself getting used to this. I’ll take it.” “How about I give you that introduction you were looking for earlier? While you and Jon are selecting a vessel for you, I’ll go ahead and get this rod and reel set up for as well as get some tackle and extra line that will be good for your coastal fishing.” Maro nodded and soon found himself farther out on the docks where there were many rowboats and larger vessels moored. The fisherman gave a brief introduction. “Jon, this is Maro, a good friend of mine. He’s interested in your boats.” He went off to prepare Maro’s new rod and reel, leaving Maro to discuss business with his younger, gruffer looking brother.

[Maro]

Row Your Boat Jon’s blue eyes sized Maro up. “So, what kind of a vessel are you interested in?” “I’d like to buy a rowboat.” A disdain, the kind reserved for people who wandered into something they didn’t understand, crossed Jon’s eyes. “You don’t just buy a boat.” Maro wasn’t sure how to respond. Most merchants were friendly and wanted people to buy whatever it was they were selling. Jon didn’t seem too concerned with keeping his customers happy though. Unable to think of anything to say in response, Maro kept quiet and stared at the man. “You don’t just buy a boat,” Jon repeated. “Boats aren’t just objects to be bartered, used, and thrown away when one is done with them. They are a part of one’s soul, and one should be wise in choosing a boat. Understand?” Maro nodded, even though he didn’t. He knew how to be diplomatic when the time called for it but really hoped the man would explain more. The misunderstanding, he imagined, stemmed from something any Svefra would understand. He didn’t. “Good. I couldn’t abide selling to someone who didn’t understand that much. Now, as everyone knows, a boat ain’t just a part of your soul; it’s a soul in itself. And any creature with a soul is nothing without a name. You should go let your boat choose you before you name it though.” Maro gestured to the docks, indicating he thought he might be ready to choose his boat. Jon nodded, looked Maro over again as if trying to decide if his customer was fit to receive one of his boats, and finally shrugged. Leading the way down a short stretch of the dock, Jon Cliffshore stopped where several rowboats rose and fell with the perpetual motion of the tide. A smile came across the Svefran’s face when he saw the five little boats bobbing in the water. He gestured to them. “Go ahead, friend. It’s time you met them. Feel free to step inside. No better way to get to know someone than to get up close and personal with them.” Maro quickly went to the nearest boat and stepped in. It wobbled a bit as he stood in it. His past with rowboats was limited, and he was certain his experiences could only get better. Shifting his weight back and forth, he tested the boat’s balance. He wasn’t expecting so much rock and nearly went overboard before deciding to unceremoniously fall to the bottom of the boat. Jon laughed. “She’s a tricky one, a bit playful and bit of an ass, really, but I still love her. She’s the first one I ever made, and still haven’t been able to sell her. A part of me is hoping I never do. Sorry, friend. I shouldn’t have let you start with her. Try the next one along.” Maro accepted Jon’s assistance in getting out of the first rowboat and jumped in. This one was broader than the first and steadier for it. Testing the boat in the same manner, he found that he remained upright when he shifted his weight from one side of the boat to the other. Satisfied with the results, he exited the boat and did the same with the others. When he finished, Jon was waiting. “So which one speaks to you, friend? Did you feel a connection with any of them?” Maro pointed down to the second one he had tested. “She seems to understand me better than the rest.” He was beginning to understand Jon’s point-of-view on these matters and knew how to be diplomatic. “She suffers my ineptitude gracefully.” Jon smiled. “That she does. She’s a fine vessel, one of my more recent projects. The frame is Kalean teak; and the rest of her, Talderan cedar. I was lucky a lumber merchant passed through. You won’t find any finer wood for a vessel than that.” Maro believed him. The boat was certainly more than he been expecting to find. “So what’s her name going to be?” Maro had watched the Svefrans and other sailors that had passed through, and his curiosity had shown him their naming customs for the boats they used. Many were reminiscent of beautiful women the sailors had known or those from legend. Even the bold few christened their vessel with the names of goddesses. Thinking about this, Maro smiled. He knew beauty. “Autumn.”