Coconut Talisman

"Coconut Talisman" Ah Yue's palms are always stained with the sweetness of coconut sugar, which was left behind when her grandma taught her how to draw talisman. The bubbling coconut milk on the old stove, mixed with coarse salt and stirred in a pottery bowl, is the best "ink". Grandma said that this talisman does not seek to ward off evil spirits, but only to "remember" - remember the tide messages at the pier, remember the return date of people who go to sea, and remember the bowl of sweet soup that is always warm on the stove. Grandpa's logbook was locked in the tin box. On the yellowed page, there were crooked symbols drawn on coconut milk, and an annotation next to it: "On the third day of March, sprinkle half a spoonful of salt and the wind will move around the ship." On the night of the typhoon last year, Ah Yue used the same method to draw talisman on the board of the boat in the shaking cabin. The salty seawater wetted the talisman marks, making the coconut fragrance even clearer. Now she is guarding the old stove to boil the soup, watching young sailors come to ask for talismans. They always ask, "Is it effective?" Ah Yue doesn't answer, and just mixes more sun-dried coconut into the talisman. Just like grandma said: "The charm is to find a thought in the heart. What really depends on it is the patience when boiling the pulp and the peace of mind when waiting for the boat." When the coconut fragrance filled the window lattice, the whistle of the dock sounded. Ah Yue pressed the newly painted talisman under the clay pot. In the pot was coconut sugar that was boiled last night. It was sweet and a little salty - that was the taste of life.