Calming Boat Trip

Naoko looked out on the river. The boat played koto music overhead. There weren’t that many people on today. The mouse boy did a quick count and found four other people on the boat with him. The captain’s steering had a relaxing effect on the passengers. Naoko turned to the driver.

“Captain,” he said.

“Hm?” she asked.

“How often do you take people on this boat?” the mouse boy asked.

“About five or six, give or take,” she said. “I don’t like boating around big crowds.”

“I see. But don’t you get lonely out here on the river?”

“Not really. I do get to talk to people on this journey.”

“Ah.”

“And what about you?”

Naoko lifted his head. “Hm?”

The captain looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “How are you liking this Heaven?” The mouse boy shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s strange,” he said.

“Why is that?”

“I have never seen so much love before in my life. Everyone seems to be so happy.”

“Yes, everyone is getting their second chance at love. They are beginning to believe in it again.”

“And what about you? Do you have somebody you love?”

The captain smiled as they went further down the river. “I do, actually.” Naoko leaned forward.

“What is he like?” he asked. She smiled as her mind went to the happy times in their life.

“He was wild in his younger years,” the captain said. “All of the girls wanted him. He acted like he didn’t care. When we first met, he was rude and blew me off many times.” The mouse boy frowned.

“Why would you want someone like that?” he asked.

“I was young and I thought that he was misunderstood in our high school years.”

“What made him change?”

“Me.”

“But how did you win him over?”

“Patience, love, and being myself. Plus, I didn’t cling to him and follow him around. On top of that, I treated him like a normal person and not like a god like the other girls did.” The captain giggled.

“Wow,” he said to himself. Naoko looked out at the rive moving river again.

“If you want to take a nap,” the captain said. “You’re welcome to. We won’t be at Sweet City for another hour.”

“Mmm,” Naoko mumbled as he slowly drew his eyes closed. It didn’t take long for him to dive back into dreams of Midori again.

---------

The Queen Esmeralda would pull into the dock for Sweet City by noon. Naoko paid the captain another kiss on the cheeks before he could leave.

“Good luck on your journey!” she shouted before she sailed off. Naoko waved as the boat disappeared from view.