Chapter 5: Secrets in the Study

Some doors protect memories; others imprison them.

Gabriel stood outside his father’s study long after Manni had walked away. He couldn’t shake the image of the gold ring fused to his father’s finger. It wasn’t a trick of the light. He had seen it clearly. The skin had swallowed the metal, so he thought. 

Something was terribly wrong. Later that evening, the mansion grew unusually quiet. Mama Yatta remained with Selene, who still couldn’t move her legs, while doctors reviewed another set of normal test results. Gabriel slipped down the hallway as he noticed that his father’s study door stood slightly open, he hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. There were leather-bound books which lined up on the walls with awards, photographs, and miniature ship models that filled each polished shelf. The room smelled of old paper and cedarwood. Everything seemed ordinary, he scratched his head for a bit until he noticed one drawer which wasn’t fully closed.

Inside lay a worn leather journal, its edges faded with age. Gabriel opened it carefully, with caution while watching out for his father. The first pages contained business notes, shipping routes, and investment records. Then the handwriting changed.

“Year One. The sea has kept its promise.” His heartbeat quickened as he turned another page. “The ring grows heavier each year, but the ships keep coming.” And then another page. “Yatta must never know.”

Gabriel frowned as he read…What promise? What ring? Before he could read further, a folded map slipped from the journal onto the floor. It showed an isolated stretch of the country’s coastline. A single location had been marked with red ink beside it were three handwritten words.

Kru Mangrove Shrine.

A floorboard creaked behind him, immediately Gabriel spun around and his father stood in the doorway neither of them spoke. Manni’s eyes dropped to the journal in Gabriel’s hands. The color drained from his face. In a quiet voice that carried more fear than anger, he asked, “How much have you read?.”