To Akib, there was a difference from what he had in mind. He had thought of seeing everywhere in this land filled with weaponry, blood on the floor, giants, and merciless-looking men and women. He imagined how ruthless the people would be and how restless the environment would look. He was expecting great glowing lights and firestorms, in accordance with what he observed from the outside. There should be a ladder of steel, which could confirm what he had seen before. He needed some assurance that he had not been brought to the wrong place.
Strangely enough, the man who beckoned to him at the city gate could not be found anywhere. At least, he could have done some introduction. When he turned around to see his environment, there was a thick forest, and he heard birds chirping.
"What's going on?" he asked. Then, he drew his staff closer.
The guys around didn't show any sign that they took cognizance of him, and they didn't speak to one another either.
The boatman had returned to take them. He asked him to come on board with a mere hand signal. As Akib walked towards the boat, the boys also advanced towards it, and they all got in almost at the same time. Akib's hand hit the closest boy, but he returned with a stern look. Akib did this intentionally to start a conversation.
"Sorry," Akib gave the closest boy a smile.
But his smile froze when he saw his look.
This was no man's land, according to one of the laws that guarded the functionality of Eskamay. For new students especially, no one was permitted to befriend another until the time this would be lifted. Everyone was expected to have been informed from their lands to mind his own business. But for Akib, this was not one of the things he knew. His initiative should be a teacher for him as he went ahead. Since he saw the gestures of these boys, he drew the conclusion that this journey on water could have a different meaning. He decided to study them and apply whatever they did.
At a point, the engine of the boat stopped. The boatman engaged himself to check it out. He pulled out a small container which had some liquid oil. Looking at the plastic vessel, the oil was on the last line of its marked measurements. He buried his head into the pit of the engine. He did not speak with anyone, as usual, but his activities could only mean the boat engine had failed.
He returned to the back of the boat where Akib sat and raised the cover. There was a bag of tools, a paddle, and some nuts. He removed a spanner. Not bothering to cover it up, he ran towards the engine compartment. Akib helped to cover it up. He hoped he succeeded.
Fortunately, his effort didn't go down the drain. The engine started, and the hopes of everyone were restored. Akib breathed a great sigh of relief. As he didn't know how to swim, he would have been the worst hit if the engine had resisted the command of its master.
The boatman returned the tools to their place. Still, he didn't cover it. The way he dropped the equipment showed his frustration, but with one look at his face, he was indifferent—neither laughing nor sad. Akib wasn't going to help him again. His action was intentional, so why should I cover it up? So Akib left the place of the tools open, as the boat master had left it.
The journey continued smoothly, and silence reigned among the five people. After about ten minutes, the boat stopped again. This time, the boat master didn't bother to look for the problem. He raised the keg from which he had poured the last content of oil to gain everyone's attention. With an iron, he beat on the keg. Getting the attention he required, he opened his mouth to speak.
Only his lips moved, but no word came out of his mouth.
"Is this man deaf and dumb?" Akib asked.
He didn't hear any response, and the boat master was serious about what he had to say. He had tried to pass an important message, but nobody understood, so there was no appropriate outcome to match his expectations. Having discovered there was nothing he could do to make them reason, he gave his last wave of hand and then proceeded into the ocean. The boat master was swimming away. The message became clear—the boat could no longer proceed with the journey.
The boys only pretended to be ignorant about the problems around them, but that was all they could do. But it was obvious they had to help themselves now that the boat master had fled.
"What shall we do?" two boys spoke at the same time.
The string which held their voices had been removed.
The third got to his feet first, and the two who had just spoken stood on either side of him to look at the vast body of water. It was a massive stretch of water.
"For sure, the boat had developed a fault, and that bastard couldn't fix it," Gawal, the first to stand up, said.
"We can't swim this, the shore is far away," Pony said as he pointed in a direction known only to God.
"Does it mean the death the teacher talked about has started? We haven't reached our destination yet," Gawal registered his fear for everyone to see.
"This is way too massive!" Pony added his fear.
The last had a calm posture, and he was not intimidated like Gawal and Pony. His name was Boris. His eyes scanned the area; something was going on in his head. After his look, he didn't see anything he could take advantage of.
"What do you think?" Boris asked with a pleading look as he turned to Akib.
Akib smirked. He hadn't any solution, but the fact that Boris brought him in was a great relief, and he had to act accordingly. At least someone had recognized his presence. He walked to the edge of the boat and looked ahead. The wind blew on him, and it was a tough one. Betty's garment was drawn, and that created some fear. He pulled his garment in and cowardly left the area, back to his seat.
"You see, we have been warned—no stranger is our friend," Gawal stated what they had been told from home.
Stuck on the sea, there was need of a solution which no one had. The wind hadn't been friendly, and the high tide suggested a storm was approaching.
"What's your plan?" Boris asked Gawal.
He could say nothing, but he could quote laws, which would not be of help.
"Look around for a paddle," Akib was back on his feet.
The paddle he saw when the boat master was looking for the tools was the first thing his mind went to. After getting it, he needed one more to steer the canoe. Akib decided to use his staff as the second paddle.
Gawal approached Akib and held onto his staff. With his interest, he let him have it for examination. Gawal ran his hand to feel the smooth surface and then hissed. He threw it down before him.
"What's this for?" Gawal asked.
With this attitude, Akib didn't give any answer. He positioned himself well at the front, and he lowered his staff in one hand and the paddle in the other. He pushed the waters backward from side to side, and he could see the boat move forward.
That was a glad tiding. He was invigorated to press harder.