Several days passed and Hem and Breema were abroad, sailing through the Heated Waters of the Big Ocean in the early dawn. The sea was calm and steaming; it sent forth occasional bursts of white foam that shot into the air with quiet hisses. It was a soothing sound that reminded Hem of the wind back home, the way it used to sizzle through the trees next to his house. Little sounds like that calmed his mind and blurred the angry intervening memories.

He stepped off the prow of his cruisin’ vessel as it shot through the sea and made his way back to Breema; she was astern, sittin’ there soakin’ up the sun. “Good sailin’ morning,” she called as she saw him coming back.

He waved in reply and muttered something about the wind. She couldn’t make it out. It was one of those mornings that was warm and cool at the same time, so she shivered and then wiped her brow. The clouds above were wispy feathers to match the tattered white strands of fabric at the top of the ship. Flying the Whites was one of the more cautious moves to make these days. Hem had argued for Yellows but she wouldn’t risk it, given their cargo.

Hem approached and gave her a rueful sorta grin. She liked that grin so he did it at every opportunity, so now she hated it. But he knew that too so he kept doing it until she liked it again. “Weather indeed,” he said. His hair flapped like the Whites above him.

“For a few days at least, looks of it,” she replied. Their heading had them at the East Passage of the Northbound Treaty Contract by evening tomorrow. Winds bein’ what they were, they were bound for FORTUNE AND FAME.

“Indeed,” said Hem, peering to starboard. The waves were pickin’ up and so were the shootin’ streams o’ steam. “Bizarre world out there, huh?” he said quietly.

“Yea,” Breema answered. Hem was always taken aback by the Natural Wonders. His Outland upbringing had not exposed him to any of the strange madnesses that occupied the Wide World so every new feature not inherent to the Assol Outlands blew his brain apart. She liked watching him cope with the JETS OF STEAM that blew out of the Big Ocean as if they had not been doin’ that since the start of time.

“I know what you’re thinkin’,” said Hem, as if he was readin’ her thoughts.

“I just enjoy watching you get excited,” she said, not defensively.

“We DID have the Ravin’ River and Madman’s Mountains, you know,” Hem replied. “Said it before. Just didn’t know what they were back when I was growin’.”

“Aye and it’s a wonder they didn’t teach ya the other parts of the Wonders.”


“Well now I’m makin’ up for it,” said Hem as he gestured broadly to the VAST sky and sea above and around them. It was an exultant display of relief and triumph.

A blast of steam off on the PORTSIDE knocked Hem off his perch and he clutched one of the ropes to keep from knockin’ his body onto the rails. Hot droplets sprayed the two sailors and they yelled in moderate pain. The Heated Waters were INDEED heated. Hem laughed and shouted, wordless and joyous, into the air.

Breema wiped her eyes of the hot, salty water, wiped her mouth of her wet, dust-colored hair, and said, “Goin’ below to check on the cargo.”

Hem sobered slightly and nodded. He glanced up at the Whites fluttering in the whistling wind and imagined it had to be enough to get them through the East Passage of the Northbound Treaty Contract. If not, he should’ve just argued for the Yellows a bit more strongly.

Alone on the deck of their small sailin’ ship, Hem pondered. He saw a bottle o’ wine rollin’ around on the ground there and caught it with his boot. Heemee’s Finest it said in scratchy letters. He wasn’t sure why Hem kept ordering Heemee’s when he was able to find it outside the Outlands, as if he could somehow buy back those hazy memories of Gilba Gilba. He’d only ever had Heemee’s at the Ragged Maiden, and then whenever he could find it in the Wide World.

He popped open the bottle and poured it on down. The sharp tang of Heemee’s wine alighted on his tongue and all he could think of for a few moments were Melley and her sharp eyes. He had never found out what happened to her.