Inoc. A figure of imposing stature with sinewy muscles rippling beneath his skin (shout out to all the fat people out there) . His face shows the marks of a life lived on the edge of continual danger. Aside from his black beard and framing lips that show no signs of smiling. However his eyes that tell the story of his journey. One piercing gaze filled with strength, while the other bears the scar of an old battle fought and won.
One fateful night as the moon casts its silver glow through the fogs. Inoc found himself drifting to the world of dreams. Withing the depth of his sleep, dreams of majesty danced before his mind's eye as he watched himself building a ship. Its shape was akin to the massive ships that traveled the seas centuries ago.
With each stroke of the hammer, Inoc felt a sense of purpose and destiny running through his veins.
"There may be new things waiting for me out there behind the horizon" he said. And as he set sail upon the vast expanse of the ocean, the winds guided him towards lands unknown, where new nations awaited for him with open arms.
As if he belonged to every part of the world.
Awakening from his dream. Inoc wasted no time in summoning his fellow islanders to a meeting beneath the branches of an old gingko tree, and with wise words and sharp look, he spoke of his vision of a new world hidden behind the mountains of waves.
"My fellow brothers! I came to you with a vision." he said as he pointed with his index towards the sea.
With a thunderous declaration, he says "the ocean calls! Its vastness! Its majesty summons me, urging me to dive into its mystery!" A mischievous grin dances across his lips as he hid his face with his colossal hand.
"Ah, but see here ,my fellow brothers! It represents itself as a challenge, would you believe it?! The sea dares to challenge me!" he said as he laughed proudly. Yet, in an instant, his countenance shifts, and he strides purposefully through the crowd, his gaze piercing yet unmet by any, for not a soul dares to meet the steely resolve in Inoc's eyes.
"From the depths of all existence! It chooses me" he said after a pause, now pointing his index to his chest. "And i would be damned, cursed by my wife's soul herself if i dared to ignore the sea's invitation!"
He roared and started painting a vivid tapestry of the lands he had discovered and the people he ate and drank with.
He spoke of lands teeming with life, where verdant forests stretched as far as the eye could see, and crystal clear rivers flowed like veins of silver through the earth . As he spoke, Inoc's words transported the islanders to a world of wonder and with hands outstretched, he invited them to stand beside him as they discover the unknown and beat it.
Having poured his soul into every word. Inoc, breathless, brought the wood and asked the islanders to unite their strength, to build something magical from few pieces of wood. Yet, the islanders were not convinced and called Inoc a fool for daring to believe in such a fantasy.
"Oh, my people! I came to you with a clear sign, that you should seek to find! Aren't you curious?! has monotony not wearied your souls? I'm sure you are! Come! land me your strength!
For if you do, i pledge to stand by your side until our last journey." he said with unyielding confidence but the islanders response was a very arrogant one.
"Oh, Inoc, we feel that you are in a major error! You are following a blurry path. A journey you yourself appear uncertain to believe in!".
"O my people! Do you perceive even a whisper of doubt within my gaze? Look upon me!" With a firm grip, Inoc seizes an islander by the shoulders, locking eyes with him intensely. "Look! Can you detect falsehood in my countenance?" He releases the islander and repeats the action with another, asking the same question. But as the cycle repeats, the more the islanders recoil with fear and run with their lives thinking that Inoc has experienced madness.
"I see nothing more than a mortal, no different from the rest of us,and
I…I…I see that the only ones who will be following you are the fools of the community!" said one of the islanders boldly, looking straight at Inoc's eye
"We rather reckon that you are a liar!" another person shouted.
But how long did the conversation last;
was it a week?
Two weeks?
A month? A year?
Thirty years and hundred days long, Inoc was struggling with the islanders to follow him while he was building the ark. And generation after generation would come and warn their children not to follow the path of the misguided Inoc. They mocked and scorned him, labeling him a madman ensnared by a fictitious dream.
"You are insane!" they would say.
"I'm not insane!"
"You are mad!"
And he would visit his wife's grave and say. "Oh, my beloved one. I've been calling those islanders day and night, but the left me behind as your soul did ages ago!
Oh, every time i called them they would place their fingers in their ears and hide their faces with their clothes as the soil of this land hiding you from me!
What should i do my beloved one?! The ark is almost done, should i seal without my people?!"
Inoc, weary from years of relentless struggle and countless setbacks, stood beneath the ancient gingko tree, his frustration boiling over into words of desperation. "Why do you refuse to recognize the magnificence of my vision? Can you not envision the marvel that these humble pieces of wood could become, crafting a masterpiece of transportation? Do you not grasp the wonders that lie beyond the horizon? I beg you, for the final time, join me in the pursuit of the unknown!"
"Dear Inoc," the islanders countered, their skepticism getting worse by every word Inoc utters, "if your convictions ring true, then demonstrate it to us! Show us that you can harness that mere piece of wood and embark upon the journey you so fervently promise."
Their words struck Inoc like a thunderbolt, shattering the last vestiges of hope he held for his people. With a heavy heart, he made a solemn decision. Deliberately forsaking those who harbored nothing but disdain for him—be they young or old, men or women, enslaved by their own indolence—he turned his back on the community that had rejected him. As he set sail upon his ark, their silent stares followed him, a silent chorus of anticipation for his demise, hoping to witness his downfall and perpetuate his legacy as a cautionary tale for generations to come.
And now he begins preparing himself to ride of what will be the first miraculous bit of engineering that has ever been put together in the history of the island.
People watching him pushing the ark from the sandy shores to the vast expanse of the sea, but their mocking laughter echoed in the salty breeze . "Where are you going?! There are no other nations out there! The only thing we see is water!"
"If you ridicule me, i won't ridicule you! For i know you cannot see the whole picture! At least not now. But i will make you!" he says and continues his work. "I will make you see!"
"Come, join me within the ark! Together, we shall unveil a realm of uncharted wonders!" Inoc's voice rang out, echoing over the tumultuous sea. With a heavy heart, he shut the doors behind him, shutting out the laughter and jests of those outside. As the ark began its tumultuous dance atop the mountainous waves, the mocking cries of the islanders faded into the distance.
Glancing back, Inoc caught a final glimpse of his son and brother, who had chosen to remain behind, steadfast in their allegiance to the islanders' way of life. With a desperate cry, Inoc pleaded. "Oh, my son! Brother! Please come ride with me! cast away your fears! And come join me!" but they both turned away their faces from shame, refusing his call.
As Inoc's words hung in the air, a chilling silence enveloped the scene. Suddenly, a massive hand emerged from the depths, swallowing Inoc and his ark whole with a single, merciless bite. In an instant, they were consumed by the sea, vanishing without a trace, as if they had never existed at all….
To be continued…