The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea(41)

“The following spring, the swallow returned and dropped a seed into the younger brother’s garden, where it grew into five large gourds. When the younger brother cracked open the first gourd, mountains of rice spilled out, more rice than he could eat in his entire lifetime. The second gourd held gold and jewels. The third held a water goddess, who then cracked open the last two, one which held small carpenters and the other timber. In a day, they built the younger brother a magnificent mansion.

“The older brother, having heard of his younger brother’s fortune, came to his brother’s mansion and asked him how he could become so wealthy in such a short amount of time. To which the younger brother explained about the swallow.

“The older brother, thinking himself very clever, built a nest and waited until a swallow came to lay her eggs. He then proceeded to push one baby swallow out of the nest, where it broke its wing. Like his younger brother, the older brother put ointment on the wing and stitched a cast. In the winter, when the swallow flew to the south, he waited eagerly for its return. Just as he’d predicted, the swallow flew back in the spring and dropped a seed into the older brother’s garden. As before, five gourds grew from the seed.

“The older brother, joyous, cracked open the first gourd, only for an army of demons to issue forth. They beat him with sticks, berating him for his greed and cruelty. Still, the older brother thought there might be treasures in store for him, so he cracked open the second gourd, only for it to be filled with debt collectors who took all his money. The third gourd opened to a rush of filthy water that flooded and destroyed his house and swept the other two gourds away. He was left with nothing.

“Realizing his terrible mistake, the older brother ran to his younger brother, begging for help. Now, never has the older brother been good or kind to the younger brother. In fact, he had gone out of his way to be openly cruel and vindictive. But when he arrived at his younger brother’s home—expecting to be turned away, as he himself would have turned away his brother had their circumstances been switched—the younger invited the older into his home, saying, ‘You are my brother, and what is mine is yours.’ He split half of his wealth with his brother, and the older brother, realizing the depth of his brother’s love, knew for the first time true remorse and shame. He became a humble and good man, and together, the brothers grew old and happy, surrounded by their families and loved ones.”

As I was speaking, the Sea God remained by the pond.

His voice is quiet. “What is the meaning of this story?”

I gaze at his back, the tremble of his slight shoulders. “There is no meaning, just a … feeling, maybe.”

“And what is that?”

“That there is no place you can go so far away from forgiveness. Not from someone who loves you.”

At least, that’s what I always thought when I heard this particular story. I wanted to believe that even if one of us should make a mistake, my brother would forgive me, and that I would forgive him.

“Forgiveness,” the Sea God says. “I will never be forgiven for what I have done.”

He lifts his hand from the water, placing his fingers on his forehead. Droplets trickle down his face, moving over and under his closed eyes like tears. “I have a headache. Leave me.”

“Wait,” I say. “There’s something you need to know. My people—”

The dragon raises its head from within the mist and blows a cool breath across my face.

I collapse unconscious, only to wake to an empty garden with Shin beside me.

“Mina.” Shin struggles to sit up, fighting off the last vestiges of sleep. His voice is laced with concern. “Are you all right?”

“I—I’m fine,” I say, startled by his presence. When he was asleep, he was vulnerable, and I felt protective of him. But now I’m the one who feels oddly exposed.

Like that morning I discovered he’d gone back for the paper boat, an odd feeling lodges in my chest, as if my heart were full. Something changed between us that day, or maybe it was the night before, when we brought the wish to the goddess. Though I’m not ready to put a name to the feeling just yet.

I turn away. “The Sea God was just here, Shin. I was in his dream.”

Shin says nothing, though his brow is furrowed.

“What does it mean?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” he says. Then, hesitating, he adds, “The Sea God has never shown himself to a bride before.”

All around us the fog has dissipated.

“Let’s go back, Mina. We’ve lingered here long enough.”

He reaches for my hand, and it feels natural to slide my palm against his, taking comfort in his steady strength. When we hold hands like this, the Red String of Fate disappears altogether. It’s how it would seem if we were in the mortal realm, where fate is hidden from the eye.





18


Kirin and Namgi are waiting for us on the dock when we arrive back at Lotus House. “A missive came for you when you were away,” Kirin says, handing over a scroll. “From Crane House.”

Shin unwinds the string, opening the scroll to reveal a short message written in elegant, sweeping calligraphy. “Lord Yu claims he has news of Lord Bom’s treachery,” he informs us. “He says to come at once.”

I turn to Namgi. “On my first night in the Spirit Realm, you said Crane House was home to scholars.”