As April Fool’s Day came and went, I looked at the stories I wanted to tell this month, specifically the two micro-fiction tales. Right now, I have a few characters I’m rotating through to explore character moments or side quests of exploration. This month, my Wanderer shorts give me a little of both. While I know the depth of Ramas’s power, I’ve only hinted at his capability to date. With this brief narrative, I wanted to highlight the depths of his power. I’m also able to flesh out more of the background surrounding the cadre who possess the cursed sight.
Ramas moves through the world with a perspective few would ever know. What most accept with the briefest glance, he questions without hesitation. It is not due to stubbornness or defiance. It is the nature of his cursed sight. It drives him with a certainty of the world others will never understand, creating a stiff and lonely life. That difference isolates him even among a ship full of sailors.
Out on open water searching for the myths and legends of his kind, that distance becomes sharper. The sea has its own rhythm, and those who sail it learn to read the signs that keep them alive. A shift in the air, a change along the horizon, or a warning carried on the wind. That shared language is built on experience, and those who’ve learned it rely on that fluency without thinking. Ramas does not share that reliance. When he refuses to listen to their expertise, the tension rises without a single word spoken.
This scene unfolds in that space between certainty and doubt. One side trusts what can be seen and prepares accordingly. Ramas stands unmoved, guided by something no one else can explain. It’s a standoff that reveals far more than either side intends.
Excerpt of Sight’s Power
Ramas leaned over the ship’s railing, staring out at the ocean. He took a deep breath of the salt-laden air.
“I’ve always wondered how your kind can see.”
“Without a common reference, you can’t understand,” Ramas said, gripping the rail. “Captain, why are you bothering me?”
The captain pointed at the dark clouds looming ahead of the ship. “Despite the calm sea, there’s a storm brewing on the horizon. If you don’t go below deck, you’ll be in danger.”
“You dare to dictate my actions?” Ramas lifted his head to the darkening sky as he slammed his fists upon the railing. “You seemed to understand what I was.”
“Nature doesn’t care who anyone is.” The captain grabbed Ramas’s shoulder as he tugged him away from the stem. “You’re blind to the threat heading our way.”
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