A Boy's Voyage

Erosion Island's name suits it perfectly.

The sea wind cuts like a knife, blowing without pause all year round. The island's stone houses have been worn smooth by the wind, squatting round-bellied on the bleak, bare ground like a crowd of old men hunched over as they beg.

Lu Zhou squats beside the pier, watching a battered fishing boat come ashore.

Old Chen, the fisherman, jumps down from the boat. There are a few more deep wrinkles on his face than yesterday. He slams his fish basket onto the ground and curses, "Three jin! Damn it, three days out at sea and all I got was three jin!"

"Another empty haul?" someone nearby asks.

"I wish it were empty!" Old Chen points out to sea. "Just look for yourselves!"

Lu Zhou follows his finger and looks out.

The sea beyond Erosion Island is especially strange today.

The water isn't its usual blue; instead, it's covered by a murky yellow sheen. It looks as if something is turning over beneath the surface. A huge swell rises now and then, then slowly sinks back down. The distant horizon looks as though someone has crumpled it, and the waves are moving in every direction.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.