N-A-A 45: A skeleton with an afro?
45: A skeleton with an afro?
"How long are these damn fogs going to keep us hanging like this?! We're just passing through!"
Lingling stood guard at the bow of the Golden Dawn, chewing on pastries and muttering unhappily, the black armor color on the giant axe in her hand still not dissipating.
She looked toward the stern, where Gails was in charge, but there was still only fog, a thick white fog. Not to mention Gails, even the ship's deck was nowhere to be seen.
Captain York and Oro stood together at the bow of the Rumba Pirates' ship, the Rumba, which sailed side by side with the Golden Dawn.
The captain, whose right shoulder was wrapped in bandages, looked better than when I first met him yesterday, but the fatigue in his eyes was still undeniable, and he was clutching a crumpled nautical chart tightly in his hand.
That was the original route map of the Rumbar Pirates, now covered with dense red circles, which were the "suspected symbiote sighting points" they marked when they got lost in the fog.
"Captain Oro, does Brooke really know how to play the double bass?"
York confirmed again, his voice tinged with urgency: "We've been apart for almost half a month, I'm really scared..."
"Are you worried that something has happened to him?"
Oro interrupted him, the gold dust on his fingertips paused for a moment, then resumed its spinning:
"You said before that Captain Brook would have his crew sing 'Binks' Wine' to the rhythm of his violin whenever he changed course, right?"
York nodded: "That's true. That guy always says that the frequency of music can resonate with the ocean currents, and if you follow the rhythm, you won't go off course..."
"But even the compass needles are spinning wildly in this fog, can we really find them this way? We've already tried all day yesterday..."
"Don't worry, York. The area covered by the gold dust wasn't large enough yesterday, and the humidity in the air was too high. It should be about right today."
Oro raised his hand and waved, and another batch of gold dust, like a swarm of awakened golden fireflies, drifted into the mist along the ship's side.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness following the gold dust. Since yesterday, his gold dust had been vibrating at a specific frequency, without stopping.
It wasn't the sharp, high-frequency sound of a sonic cannon, but rather the deep, slow bass of a cello, with a rhythm that perfectly captured the classic melody of "Binks' Wine".
At the former Lamb House, the children loved this song. Lingling always sang it the loudest, while Gale would hum along softly.
The sensation transmitted through the gold dust brought Oro back to his senses—
Deep within the fog, a faint, low-frequency vibration was responding to the trembling of his golden threads, as if someone in the distance was gently tapping the surface of the sea in the same rhythm.
He immediately opened his eyes: "We've found it! There's a stable low-frequency source in the southeast direction, about four kilometers away!"
"My gold dust can extend this far, which means there shouldn't be anything around. Now's the time!"
Oro looked up and called to Lingling, "Lingling! Hold on here and don't let the two ships deviate from their course. York and I will go ahead and scout ahead."
Don't worry!
Lingling patted her chest and agreed, hoisting the giant axe onto her shoulder, her domineering aura once again covering the axe blade:
"If those things dare to come again, I'll smash their red eyes!"
Taylor, carrying a specially made wooden basket, slid across the ship's rudder:
"Lord Oro, Sister Gaels has changed those detoxifying shortbreads into throwable puff pastries that burst open when thrown!"
"My sister said that since this can neutralize the poison in the fog, it might also be useful against those other things."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of puff pastry, which was light green and sprinkled with seaweed flakes.
Oro nodded, reached out and grabbed York's shoulder, and with his other hand manipulated the gold into three thin golden ropes, which he wrapped around their waists and then tied to the basket: "Let's go!"
The golden rope carried the two of them lightly as they leaped out of the Golden Dawn and flew towards the direction of the low-frequency vibration.
Visibility remained low in the fog, with only the golden dust of Oro clearing the way ahead, like tiny golden lanterns illuminating the sea surface a few meters in front.
Before long, the sound of a violin could be heard coming from the fog.
It was the tone of a double bass, faint yet carrying the free-spirited rhythm unique to "Binks' Wine," each note seeming to be fighting against the fog, stubbornly drifting into the distance.
"It's Brook!"
York recognized the violinist immediately.
Oro immediately quickened his pace, the golden rope carrying the two through an even denser layer of fog, and the scene before them gradually became clearer—
A pirate ship tilted at nearly 30 degrees was quietly floating on the sea, its sides covered with metal scratches of varying depths.
The deepest slit almost cleaved the ship's keel.
Only a few tattered sails remained, draped forlornly on the mast. The "Rumba Pirates" flag still hung stubbornly, though it appeared somewhat heavy after being dampened by the fog.
The three large characters "Violin" are engraved on the bow of the ship. Although part of them are covered by dark red rust, the outline is still clearly visible.
Meanwhile, on the ship's side, a figure wearing a ripped black suit and sporting an afro was standing with his back to them.
The man was tall and slender, and was using the body of his violin as a sword to defend against an unknown creature that was half his height.
It was another creature Oro had never seen before, with exposed bones and dark red, flowing muscles wrapped around them. It was baring a mouthful of messy, sharp teeth, trying to bite the man.
"clang!"
The body of the instrument collided with the frame, producing a crisp metallic sound.
The man turned around, revealing a pale, skeletal face with empty eye sockets, prominent cheekbones, and a carefree smile on his lips. His voice was slightly hoarse.
"Hehehe, little guy, you think you can bite me with that little strength?"
Taking advantage of the stalemate between the unknown creature and the skeleton, Auro raised his hand and waved it, sending out several golden threads in an instant.
The golden thread precisely wrapped around that thing, then tightened sharply—
With a "crack," the symbiote's metal ribs were snapped in two, and its dark red, flowing muscles dissipated into the mist as if deflated.
The skull with the afro turned its head, and a look of surprise appeared in its empty eye sockets.
The skeleton seemed to smile, and bowed to Oro while leaning on his double bass:
"Thank you for your help, blond guy! I am Brook, captain of the 'Violin' of the Rumbar Pirates."
"Your abilities are truly magnificent, as beautiful as sunlight piercing through the fog!"
"Well, although I haven't seen sunlight in a long time..."
As he spoke, his jaw would sway slightly, and the tattered sleeves of his suit would swing with his movements, revealing his bare arms, which looked both eerie and strangely carefree.
"Brook! Brook? That afro, it really is you! But what happened to you?!"
York's voice came from behind Oro. When he saw Brooke's skull face, he was so shocked that he dropped the nautical chart in his hand onto the damaged deck of the Violin.
"Oh ho ho ho, it's York. Me? I'm already dead."
Brooke chuckled and picked up the nautical chart from the deck, his skeletal fingers gently pinching the edge of the chart.
"Luckily, I ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Yellow Spring Fruit) back then."
As Brooke spoke, she raised her hand and patted her chest, where her dress had a large hole, clearly revealing her empty chest cavity.
"After being resurrected, I turned into this skeleton. But it's pretty good. I don't need to eat or sleep, and I can stay in the fog for so long without any problems."
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
P.S. In the original story, after Brook died, he searched for his body for a long time as a spirit. When he finally found it, his body had turned into a skeleton, and only his afro remained.
This is my secondary interpretation.