"Enjoying the festivities?" The question jerked Luna's attention up from her book. A Wave Rider boy around her age with olive-tanned skin and tightly curled black hair stood over her, looking inquisitive. "I'm Alun," he said, offering his hand. "Luna," she replied, ignoring the gesture and returning to her book. Alun sat next to her and looked over her shoulder at the pages. "Red Beard, he's my favorite," the boy said. Luna shot him a look of displeasure and went back to reading. "You know, I'm a racer - it's the first year I'm old enough to compete, but I could show you around." Since ignoring the boy clearly wasn't working, Luna tried a different tactic. "Actually, I hate the race," she said. "I think it's the worst part of the gathering." Alun smiled at her, but Luna noticed some scornful looks from other Wave Riders passing by. "You just don't understand it," Alun said. "If you let me explain—" "What's there not to understand?" Luna interrupted. "You sail out, turn around, sail back, and then do it again the next day. I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal out of it!" Alun laughed, his laughter soft and gentle. Luna felt herself relax a little. "It's so much more than that. If you let me, I can show you. I bet you'll love it." Luna wasn't about to let the little Wave Rider boy win her over, but she found herself intrigued - why was this boy being so persistent, and what if there was something more to the race?
"Luna?!" Finn's voice called out from across the crowd. "Goodbye, Alun," Luna said, standing up. Then she called back, "Finn!" waving so he could find her.
"How did your story exchange go?" Luna asked as she and Finn started to make their way back to The Driftwood. "Good," he answered. "And how about your story exchange?" He was gesturing back to Alun, who was standing and waving now. Luna felt a warmth in her cheeks. "Ugh - he wouldn't stop talking about the stupid race," she told Finn. "Maybe you should listen?" Finn suggested, picking up his pace and leaving Luna alone in the crowd as he headed off towards where The Driftwood was tied.
All around Luna, the chaotic race festivities filled the flotilla. On her travels, she always looked forward to visiting Wave Riders - their large family boats, warm spicy food, and fresh-caught fish all made her feel comforted and loved. But for two days every three years, when the great whale pods gathered in their mating grounds, all the Wave Riders gathered their ships and formed a massive floating city, ever-changing as boats shifted. Food, spices, cloths, and all manner of goods that the various families had collected during their travels changed hands. For many, this was a chance to see people who had been absent from their lives for three years - relatives who had joined new families, friends from previous races. Luna remembered the first time she had attended the race; it had seemed so lively and exciting. She remembered seeing one of the many weddings that would be held, watching with excitement as the Wave Rider sailors showed off their skill in the race. But lately, Luna had found more comfort in her books and the small moments she shared with others - a quiet dinner or a warm hearth.
A cheer electrified the crowd - the race must be starting, Luna thought. Trying to move to The Driftwood, she pushed against a group of Wave Riders but found herself swept up, pulled along by the tide of people heading for the starting line. Grabbing onto a nearby mast, she pulled herself up and out of the crowd. There were already three children above her on the mast, but even from the lower vantage point, she could see the sailboats assembled and making their way to the start. The sails were adorned with symbols of the Wave Rider culture - stars, whales, waves - all arranged in careful patterns. "Their sails are like books," Finn had told her one time. "They tell the stories of the sailors." One boat, its sails unadorned, came racing into view. Despite the distance, Luna recognized Alun smiling and waving to the crowd. She watched as the boats went out, sailing into the distance, and then one by one, turning and coming back. People in the crowd cheered - I really don't understand this race, Luna thought, wondering why everyone was so excited about boats turning around. As the boats crossed the finish line, Luna couldn't help but look for the one with the unadorned sails. Alun, still smiling and waving to the crowd, was the last to finish.
The crowd having dispersed, Luna sat comfortably aboard The Driftwood. The boat had been afforded a fairly central spot in the flotilla, a sign of respect for the work Finn and Luna did. She hadn't given it much thought before, but in the course of any year, they would often visit five or six family ships, collecting stories and passing them along. In many ways, they were as much a part of the connection the Wave Riders had to each other as this festival was. "Luna?" Finn's voice called down from the deck. "There's someone here to see you." "Come on!" Luna protested, knowing exactly who it would be. "Tell him I'm busy with books or something." Coming below deck, Finn looked at her. "I think you should go with him. It would do you some good to get away from the books for a little bit, and besides, I'm going to a special dinner for the family leaders, so you would be on your own." "Fine," Luna relented. She put the book she'd been reading back on the shelf, taking special care to make it take as long as possible before finally climbing up to the deck.
Alun was waiting for Luna, his messy hair pulled back and tied. He wore a set of loose-fitting robes that were patterned with intricate spiraling lines, and a necklace with a single pink seashell hung around his neck. When he saw Luna, he smiled. "Here!" he said, bowing his head and offering a carefully folded stack of cloth. Luna took them and examined the same intricate patterning that adorned Alun's robes. "You'll need to wear those," Alun added, mistaking Luna's hesitation for confusion.
The dress Alun had given her was complex and layered, far from the practical clothes she so often wore, but once Luna had gotten it on, she found she could move easily about in it. Coming back above deck, Luna showed Alun the dress. "Did I do it right?" she asked. "You're perfect," Alun said. He led her off The Driftwood and over a maze of family boats. As they walked, Luna's trepidation gave way to curiosity. "Where are we going?" she asked. "A special racer event," Alun told her. "Did you see me race?" he asked almost as an afterthought. "I saw you lose," Luna said, her tone not quite as playful as she'd intended. Alun turned to her and smiled. "I didn't lose - see, I told you that you didn't understand."
Finally, they reached a small plank that was strung between ships. Draped sails blocked the view ahead, but Luna could hear drumming and singing. Alun led the way, sure-footed on the plank, and parted the sails for Luna. He watched, impressed, as she followed just as sure-footed as he was.
There, gathered on a large boat, were fifty or sixty people, all dressed as Alun and Luna were in intricate robes. A fire roared in a large basin in the middle, and people moved about with food and drums, playing music and eating. But what caught Luna's attention most of all was the dancing. There, around the fire, sometimes two, sometimes ten people would dance. The dance was energetic - jumping, stomping, clapping hands, and slapping arms. After a while, the dancers would move to the side, making way for new dancers. Alun had found some food - a spicy, crispy fish on a bamboo stick. The fish was delicious but made Luna start to sweat. Alun offered her a cup; the drink was fruity and sweet, cooling the fire that was left behind by the fish. The drink left Luna feeling warm on the inside. "Careful, it's fermented!" Alun warned Luna after watching her hurriedly drink it.
From the edge of the crowd, Alun explained the dancing to Luna - each dance told a story. "That is Juri," Alun told Luna, motioning to one of the dancers by the fire. He watched the dance, translating the story for her. "Two years ago, the pod his family guards was set upon by pirates, whale hunters. One of the calves was killed." "Why?" Luna asked, shocked that anyone would hunt the great whales. "Bone, fat, teeth - the great whales contain much that can be harvested," Alun told her. "When one of our pod dies, we take these things with reverence as a great gift from the sea, but the hunters do not see these as a gift which must be given, rather as a treasure to be taken." "That's horrible," Luna said, heartbroken at the thought of a whale calf being killed. "Juri and his family fought back," Alun continued, watching the dance unfold. "He and two others left the family boat and followed the pirates to Black Tide Cove. There, they found not just the pirates but a man who was buying whale meat." "Then what?" Luna asked, watching as the dance grew increasingly chaotic. "Then they boarded the pirate vessel late at night and took their gold," Alun continued. "They cut the lines on the ship and broke the rudder so the boat could not sail. Then they captured the man who was buying the whale meat and brought him back to their family vessel." Juri's dance slowed down, his feet squarely planted, his arms moving in wide circles. "The family passed a judgement, and the man was tied to a raft and sent to The Maw for the sea to decide his fate." Juri grew still and then all of a sudden jumped high into the air, clapped his hands, and landed stomping his feet. The crowd around him clapped and shouted. "What happened?!" Luna was on the edge of her seat. "The whales saved him," Alun told her. "They saved the meat buyer, and he vowed to never harm the whales again." Luna smiled; she had to admit that she was having fun here with Alun.
"Now it is my turn to dance," Alun told her after a few more racers had performed. "Would you like to dance with me?" he asked Luna. Terrified, Luna shook her head. "I don't know the moves," she said. "That doesn't matter; you tell your story with your own dance." "No," Luna shook her head reluctantly. "Suit yourself," Alun said, moving to the fire. Luna watched his dance - the jumping, the arms swinging and legs kicking, slapping, yelling, and then at the end growing calm and then fierce and then calm again. As he finished, the crowd cheered. "What did your dance say?" Luna asked. Alun smiled at her. "I told my story - the travels my family was on over the last three years, my decision to race this year, my mother's insistence that I was too young, and my victory in being able to compete." Alun told her, adding, "And I told them of you." Luna blushed.
It was late by the time Alun had led Luna back to The Driftwood. As she climbed aboard, he called out to her, "Look for me tomorrow at the race." "I will!" Luna said. Then, thinking for a minute, Alun pulled the necklace from his neck and tossed it to Luna. "Tomorrow my family will leave after the race. Keep this to remember me until we meet again," he said. Luna smiled, holding the necklace, waved, and headed below deck.
The next morning, Luna watched the race from the top of The Driftwood's mast. She scanned the assembled boats for Alun's with its unadorned sails but couldn't see it anywhere. Then she spotted it - Alun clearly steering, his huge smile and wave to the crowd, but now on his sail a single large crescent moon was prominently painted. Luna watched as his boat came around the turn, passing another and finishing second to last. She couldn't see him as the boat drifted off, but she knew he'd be smiling.
With the race over, the flotilla started to disperse, and family boats rejoined their whale pods as the whales left the mating grounds on their own migratory patterns. The Driftwood too had raised sail and departed, its hold full of dried fish, spicy peppers, sweet wine, and most important of all, stories. As they charted a course for their next adventure, Luna stood on the bow and touched the single pink shell on the necklace about her neck.