Goddess Athenaeum
My real name is Athena
Here's the last story from my first collection of short stories. This one focuses on Tetra and her mom. It's based on the mother/daughter relationship I've developed with my therapist. Many different people can play the role of mothers in your life. I hope you enjoy it.
Your Sail Now
This tale takes place 7 years before the events of Wind Waker.
Standing on the ship's edge, Tetra pressed her hands together and took several deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, just as she had practiced since they first tried this.
She had been practicing this since she was four, along with her mother's guidance. Her mother had not been allotted that same privilege of learning with a guiding figure nearby, so she had made sure to raise Tetra to know she was never far.
"You feel ready?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Tetra said back, assuredly.
"You know I'm right here if you need me."
"I know," Tetra responded, hoping that she wouldn't.
"Alright then." Her mother said confidently. "You're up!"
And with that, in one swift motion, Tetra's mother grabbed her by the back of her shirt and flung her into the Great Sea.
This was an exercise that they had been practicing since Tetra was four. Before that, Tetra's mother would jump into the sea with Tetra in her arms to get her used to the feeling of being submerged.
Tetra had literally grown up with the sense of the salt running up her nose and stinging her eyes. She could not remember a time when she couldn't open her eyes underwater; it was just how she was raised.
By the time Tetra turned four, her mother had begun launching her into the sea as she had done this time. Tetra had been launched with a life preserver for a long time, and her goal was to dog paddle back. Later, she was thrown in without the life preserver, and her goal was to swim to it and then be pulled back up.
This time, she was being tossed in with nothing at all. Only the skills her mother had taught her. Tetra's goal this time was to swim back all on her own, climb back up the ship, and claim her place at her mother's side.
The launch was intense, as it always was, but she had learned to remain focused. She never once felt fear while being launched, only a feeling of deep concentration. She hit the water hard; the splash stung, but she instantly got to work and swam to the surface.
Breaking through, she used all her upper body strength to swim as fast and hard as she could. From the ship, she could see that her mother had turned her back on her.
She was repeatedly told that if she couldn't yell for help, they would come and rescue her. Tetra knew this to be true, as she had tried it a few times when she was younger.
But making it back all on your own felt so much more rewarding, and that's what she was aiming for today. Even though her mom had turned her back, Tetra never questioned that she had her full support.
Likewise, her mother was not forsaking Tetra; rather, she was allowing her the space she absolutely needed to grow. Through it all, Tetra made her way back to the ship, scaled the side of it, and made it back to the deck.
Standing beside her mom, she posed like a gymnast who had just pulled off an incredible stunt. And she really had. Her mom smiled with pride.
"I knew you were ready."
"I have to be," Tetra said. "Just like you taught me."
"Well, I taught you well." Her mother smiled back."
"Ugh! I don't understand!" groaned Tetra "If I'm to be the captain, why am I doing this?"
Tetra stood in the lowest levels of the ship, surrounded by what seemed to be endless piles of dirty laundry. In front of her was a large tub full of soap suds and a washboard.
"And that's exactly why you have to learn." Her mother explained. "When you have swabbies of your own who don't want to work, you'll know what this work is like. When they complain that you don't know how hard it is, you'll know deep down that you do. And then they'll do it."
"But mom!" she argued back
"Tetra!" her mom thundered, immediately breaking Tetra of her momentary brat behavior. "Tetra…..you have to do this now. You're seven. You have to do this now."
With that, she walked out of the room without allowing any further opportunity for argument. Tetra's mouth hung open in anger, mad that she didn't have a chance to argue further.
But the conversation was over; her mom had left it right there. Tetra knew exactly what was expected of her. The only way through was forward, and a lot of dirty laundry was standing in her way.
It took the entire day, nearly nine hours of work, with just a brief break to eat and drink, but Tetra had gotten through the laundry, hung it up, and was beginning to fold what was dry.
Her mother came in and surveyed the scene.
"Good." She said, very briefly. "Better get to sleep; we've got a different load tomorrow."
Tetra fell asleep in her stateroom, exhausted and, in many ways, feeling broken. But she also felt something else. She felt a sense of accomplishment for having gotten through it. In fact, she felt like she could do it again even faster if she needed to.
" What direction would you head if you were leaving Windfall for Greatfish Isle?" her mother quizzed.
"Uh…..south….west." Tetra said, not sounding particularly confident.
"Tetra! In Hylian, please." Her mother was speaking to her in the ancient Hylian language. Tetra had been raised bilingual in both the standard tongue of the sea and her mother tongue, though the only person she ever spoke to in it was her mom.
" South…..west" Tetra attempted again. " You would head southwest, past the tower, and under ideal winds only." She further explained, trying to sound more confident.
"Good" her mother responded, a different language but the same brief tone. "Okay, now it's time for books" she said, returning to the standard tongue.
Tetra spent the rest of the day pouring over texts of ancient Hylian legend. Most were retellings of the Hero of Time and the Great Flood, but some were more practical. Some spoke of the pirate stone she was instructed to use and how she would one day use it herself.
After many hours of pouring over books, her mother finally came over and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Alright, baby girl." She said in a much gentler tone. "It's Friday night." She smiled.
Tetra looked up wide-eyed with a huge smile on her face. She knew exactly what that meant. On Friday nights, Tetra's mom treated her as she did when she was still a baby. It was the main time the two got to express affection in that way.
Tetra's mom took her into the stateroom, held her in her rocking chair, and read her fairy tales of legend. This was the one time she allowed Tetra to regress, if only for a little while. She even allowed Tetra to suck her thumb as she cuddled her.
" Across the mystical land of Hyrule, a great Princess ruled with a just heart and mind. She ruled with kindness and she united all of her peoples. She knew this…..she knew she had to do this."
Tetra slowly drifted to sleep, cuddling in her mom's arms. She felt a sense of safety, comfort, and peace, knowing deep down that her mother would always be there for her.
This tale takes place 7 years before the events of Wind Waker.
Standing on the ship's edge, Tetra pressed her hands together and took several deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, just as she had practiced since they first tried this.
She had been practicing this since she was four, along with her mother's guidance. Her mother had not been allotted that same privilege of learning with a guiding figure nearby, so she had made sure to raise Tetra to know she was never far.
"You feel ready?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Tetra said back, assuredly.
"You know I'm right here if you need me."
"I know," Tetra responded, hoping that she wouldn't.
"Alright then." Her mother said confidently. "You're up!"
And with that, in one swift motion, Tetra's mother grabbed her by the back of her shirt and flung her into the Great Sea.
This was an exercise that they had been practicing since Tetra was four. Before that, Tetra's mother would jump into the sea with Tetra in her arms to get her used to the feeling of being submerged.
Tetra had literally grown up with the sense of the salt running up her nose and stinging her eyes. She could not remember a time when she couldn't open her eyes underwater; it was just how she was raised.
By the time Tetra turned four, her mother had begun launching her into the sea as she had done this time. Tetra had been launched with a life preserver for a long time, and her goal was to dog paddle back. Later, she was thrown in without the life preserver, and her goal was to swim to it and then be pulled back up.
This time, she was being tossed in with nothing at all. Only the skills her mother had taught her. Tetra's goal this time was to swim back all on her own, climb back up the ship, and claim her place at her mother's side.
The launch was intense, as it always was, but she had learned to remain focused. She never once felt fear while being launched, only a feeling of deep concentration. She hit the water hard; the splash stung, but she instantly got to work and swam to the surface.
Breaking through, she used all her upper body strength to swim as fast and hard as she could. From the ship, she could see that her mother had turned her back on her.
She was repeatedly told that if she couldn't yell for help, they would come and rescue her. Tetra knew this to be true, as she had tried it a few times when she was younger.
But making it back all on your own felt so much more rewarding, and that's what she was aiming for today. Even though her mom had turned her back, Tetra never questioned that she had her full support.
Likewise, her mother was not forsaking Tetra; rather, she was allowing her the space she absolutely needed to grow. Through it all, Tetra made her way back to the ship, scaled the side of it, and made it back to the deck.
Standing beside her mom, she posed like a gymnast who had just pulled off an incredible stunt. And she really had. Her mom smiled with pride.
"I knew you were ready."
"I have to be," Tetra said. "Just like you taught me."
"Well, I taught you well." Her mother smiled back."
"Ugh! I don't understand!" groaned Tetra "If I'm to be the captain, why am I doing this?"
Tetra stood in the lowest levels of the ship, surrounded by what seemed to be endless piles of dirty laundry. In front of her was a large tub full of soap suds and a washboard.
"And that's exactly why you have to learn." Her mother explained. "When you have swabbies of your own who don't want to work, you'll know what this work is like. When they complain that you don't know how hard it is, you'll know deep down that you do. And then they'll do it."
"But mom!" she argued back
"Tetra!" her mom thundered, immediately breaking Tetra of her momentary brat behavior. "Tetra…..you have to do this now. You're seven. You have to do this now."
With that, she walked out of the room without allowing any further opportunity for argument. Tetra's mouth hung open in anger, mad that she didn't have a chance to argue further.
But the conversation was over; her mom had left it right there. Tetra knew exactly what was expected of her. The only way through was forward, and a lot of dirty laundry was standing in her way.
It took the entire day, nearly nine hours of work, with just a brief break to eat and drink, but Tetra had gotten through the laundry, hung it up, and was beginning to fold what was dry.
Her mother came in and surveyed the scene.
"Good." She said, very briefly. "Better get to sleep; we've got a different load tomorrow."
Tetra fell asleep in her stateroom, exhausted and, in many ways, feeling broken. But she also felt something else. She felt a sense of accomplishment for having gotten through it. In fact, she felt like she could do it again even faster if she needed to.
" What direction would you head if you were leaving Windfall for Greatfish Isle?" her mother quizzed.
"Uh…..south….west." Tetra said, not sounding particularly confident.
"Tetra! In Hylian, please." Her mother was speaking to her in the ancient Hylian language. Tetra had been raised bilingual in both the standard tongue of the sea and her mother tongue, though the only person she ever spoke to in it was her mom.
" South…..west" Tetra attempted again. " You would head southwest, past the tower, and under ideal winds only." She further explained, trying to sound more confident.
"Good" her mother responded, a different language but the same brief tone. "Okay, now it's time for books" she said, returning to the standard tongue.
Tetra spent the rest of the day pouring over texts of ancient Hylian legend. Most were retellings of the Hero of Time and the Great Flood, but some were more practical. Some spoke of the pirate stone she was instructed to use and how she would one day use it herself.
After many hours of pouring over books, her mother finally came over and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Alright, baby girl." She said in a much gentler tone. "It's Friday night." She smiled.
Tetra looked up wide-eyed with a huge smile on her face. She knew exactly what that meant. On Friday nights, Tetra's mom treated her as she did when she was still a baby. It was the main time the two got to express affection in that way.
Tetra's mom took her into the stateroom, held her in her rocking chair, and read her fairy tales of legend. This was the one time she allowed Tetra to regress, if only for a little while. She even allowed Tetra to suck her thumb as she cuddled her.
" Across the mystical land of Hyrule, a great Princess ruled with a just heart and mind. She ruled with kindness and she united all of her peoples. She knew this…..she knew she had to do this."
Tetra slowly drifted to sleep, cuddling in her mom's arms. She felt a sense of safety, comfort, and peace, knowing deep down that her mother would always be there for her.
Tetra woke up in a cold sweat. She wasn't in her bed; the first few times this had frightened her, but she had grown used to it. This was supposed to train her to be prepared in case she was ever abducted. But in this case, she knew exactly where she was.
"Here again, " she said to herself. She was once again at the bottom of the ship, but this time, no stack of laundry or books stood in her way; now, several swinging ropes holding lamps stood in her way.
Tetra hated this part of the training. It was her least favorite exercise. Though she had no fear of the sea, she still had a fear of heights. She began to feel dizzy. Maybe she could wait it out, maybe she could sit here and wait for her mom to come and reclaim her and….
Quite suddenly, the pirate charm began shaking. Tetra retrieved it from her pocket and heard her mother's voice.
"Tetra….you have to do this now."
That was the only motivation she needed. Sucking it up, Tetra ran and grabbed the rope. It happened so fast that she almost didn't realize what she had done. And she didn't have any time to think about how scared she was; all she could do was swing.
And in this way, she somehow made her way across the room just as before. Just as she would again. Many years later, she would put all her crew through this same training exercise to practice quieting the mind and honing instinct.
The kitchen was hot, her apron was a mess, and the smell of fish made her want to gag. But Tetra had completed her task. She had prepared the fish, boiled the water, and was putting together a huge pot of fish stew, just as her mother had taught her many years prior.
Tetra had been helping out in the kitchen when she could stand up. At first, her job was clean-up duty, then assisting with cutting, and finally, at age five, her mother let her cook on her own.
This time, though, Tetra was tasked with preparing dinner for the entire crew. Like the laundry, it seemed to take the entire day, but Tetra was determined to do it. At long last, her stew was complete. She tasted it with her spoon.
"It's ready. I'm ready." She said confidently.
Heading into the dining hall, the other pirates were groaning impatiently. They knew the captain had instructed her daughter to cook tonight, but it took much longer than they were used to. No one would dare question the captain, but they weren't happy.
Slowly but surely, Tetra ladled out soup to all of the crew, focusing very intently on what she was doing. And finally, she arrived to Nudge, the pirate she had been getting along with the least. He tasted himself and spat it back out into his bowl.
"What is this swill? You expect me to eat this?" he hollered directly at the seven-year-old. Tetra's eyes got big with fear. She felt heartbroken, embarrassed, and defeated all at once. Her mother remained solemn and stoic.
"That's right, Tetra." Her mother responded slowly. "You've been cooking all day, slaving over a hot stove, only to be told your crew doesn't want to eat your food. What are you going to do about that?" her mother challenged.
It took a moment, but a wave of intensity rushed over her. She had gone from a frightened rabbit to a focused hawk. She put the pot down on the table.
She walked over to Nudge, stared him right in the eye, and punched him right in the face. It caught Nudge completely off guard.
" Dodongo!" Tetra shouted at him. The word had no meaning now, but Tetra had been taught it was a bad word and that she was not to call people that. But she found herself saying it quite naturally in this moment.
"If you EVER talk to me that way again, I'll dump the whole pot out on you. You WILL show me respect. Now get in the kitchen and start cleaning!" with that, Tetra slapped Nudge, once again in the face, to make it clear there was no room to negotiate.
Humiliated, Nudge stormed out of the room before he could be heckled. The dining hall exploded in cheers.
Tetra sat down and enjoyed the soup she had ladled out for Nudge. She had been so tired she hadn't planned on eating, but suddenly, a victory meal sounded nice.
Her mother smiled with pride from the head of the table. "That's my girl." She said quietly.
The day had finally arrived. Tetra's eighth birthday seemed to come in the blink of an eye. She stood at the ship's helm to be presented with gifts from her mother. This was the day she had been waiting for.
She would finally receive her sword. She had long practiced with them, but now she was entrusted with her own.
Her mother arrived and began to speak.
"I have three gifts for you today. Yes, first is your sword." She placed the sheathed weapon in Tetra's hands. Her eyes grew big again, but her mother continued to speak.
"Second, I give you this." She gestured behind herself towards the very sails of the ship.
"This is it, Tetra. This is what I've raised you for. It's Your Sail Now. You are to inherit this ship when my time comes and steer it as you see fit. You have to do this now, Tetra. Just as you have always known."
Tetra didn't say anything. She had to question what this meant. She always knew her mother would pass the ship onto her one day, but she imagined that wouldn't be for years.
"And finally," her mother began again. I give you this." With that, her mother put a golden necklace around her, one that held a small golden triangle connected to it. Tetra had never seen it before in her life, but it felt strangely familiar.
"When the time comes, you will know why you have it. You are always to keep it safe. Never let anyone tarnish it. Treat it with the same respect I have taught you to treat yourself with."
Tetra remained quiet for a long time, taking in her mother's words. "I have to do this now," Tetra said confidently. And I will."
"And I know you will." Her mother responded. "You are my daughter."
Tetra smiled. "My mommy taught me well, " she said, speaking as she had when she was a much younger child.
Her mother smiled back. " I love you with all of my heart." She said in Hylian.
" I love you too," Tetra said back.
For a very long time, mother and child just held one another in front of the entire crew, and no one said much of anything; no one dared to. This was a moment between the two of them.
It was a moment between a mother who had worked so hard to ensure her daughter would be ready to take on the world on her own. And a daughter who had worked hard to make her mother proud.
"You know I'm right here if you need me." Her mother reminded her.
"I'm ready," Tetra said again. "I have to do this, and that's why I know I'm ready."
"You're right, " her mother said. "And just the same, I will always be right here if you need me."
As she said this, she pressed her hand against the necklace. "It's your job now, your sail now…..it's your world now. And I will always be with you through it all."
Tetra began to cry as she held her mother tightly.
It is in this way that the crew came to respect Tetra. Her mother would pass away within the year. With Nudge's help, Tetra began to plan her future, and by her tenth birthday, she had been fully recognized as the ship's new captain.
There were moments when Tetra absolutely hated her training, but in the years that followed, she was thankful for it every single day of her life. Because it made her ready, it made her focused, and it taught her when it was time to suck it up and accept that she had to do this now.
But more than anything, she was thankful for it because her mother taught her. And anytime Tetra used those skills, her mother lived again. What she said was true; her mother was always with her. She lived in her daughter's self-sufficiency. And that's the best gift a mother could ever give her child.
Don't ever be afraid to grow up. You're ready. I promise you, you're ready.
The End.
"Here again, " she said to herself. She was once again at the bottom of the ship, but this time, no stack of laundry or books stood in her way; now, several swinging ropes holding lamps stood in her way.
Tetra hated this part of the training. It was her least favorite exercise. Though she had no fear of the sea, she still had a fear of heights. She began to feel dizzy. Maybe she could wait it out, maybe she could sit here and wait for her mom to come and reclaim her and….
Quite suddenly, the pirate charm began shaking. Tetra retrieved it from her pocket and heard her mother's voice.
"Tetra….you have to do this now."
That was the only motivation she needed. Sucking it up, Tetra ran and grabbed the rope. It happened so fast that she almost didn't realize what she had done. And she didn't have any time to think about how scared she was; all she could do was swing.
And in this way, she somehow made her way across the room just as before. Just as she would again. Many years later, she would put all her crew through this same training exercise to practice quieting the mind and honing instinct.
The kitchen was hot, her apron was a mess, and the smell of fish made her want to gag. But Tetra had completed her task. She had prepared the fish, boiled the water, and was putting together a huge pot of fish stew, just as her mother had taught her many years prior.
Tetra had been helping out in the kitchen when she could stand up. At first, her job was clean-up duty, then assisting with cutting, and finally, at age five, her mother let her cook on her own.
This time, though, Tetra was tasked with preparing dinner for the entire crew. Like the laundry, it seemed to take the entire day, but Tetra was determined to do it. At long last, her stew was complete. She tasted it with her spoon.
"It's ready. I'm ready." She said confidently.
Heading into the dining hall, the other pirates were groaning impatiently. They knew the captain had instructed her daughter to cook tonight, but it took much longer than they were used to. No one would dare question the captain, but they weren't happy.
Slowly but surely, Tetra ladled out soup to all of the crew, focusing very intently on what she was doing. And finally, she arrived to Nudge, the pirate she had been getting along with the least. He tasted himself and spat it back out into his bowl.
"What is this swill? You expect me to eat this?" he hollered directly at the seven-year-old. Tetra's eyes got big with fear. She felt heartbroken, embarrassed, and defeated all at once. Her mother remained solemn and stoic.
"That's right, Tetra." Her mother responded slowly. "You've been cooking all day, slaving over a hot stove, only to be told your crew doesn't want to eat your food. What are you going to do about that?" her mother challenged.
It took a moment, but a wave of intensity rushed over her. She had gone from a frightened rabbit to a focused hawk. She put the pot down on the table.
She walked over to Nudge, stared him right in the eye, and punched him right in the face. It caught Nudge completely off guard.
" Dodongo!" Tetra shouted at him. The word had no meaning now, but Tetra had been taught it was a bad word and that she was not to call people that. But she found herself saying it quite naturally in this moment.
"If you EVER talk to me that way again, I'll dump the whole pot out on you. You WILL show me respect. Now get in the kitchen and start cleaning!" with that, Tetra slapped Nudge, once again in the face, to make it clear there was no room to negotiate.
Humiliated, Nudge stormed out of the room before he could be heckled. The dining hall exploded in cheers.
Tetra sat down and enjoyed the soup she had ladled out for Nudge. She had been so tired she hadn't planned on eating, but suddenly, a victory meal sounded nice.
Her mother smiled with pride from the head of the table. "That's my girl." She said quietly.
The day had finally arrived. Tetra's eighth birthday seemed to come in the blink of an eye. She stood at the ship's helm to be presented with gifts from her mother. This was the day she had been waiting for.
She would finally receive her sword. She had long practiced with them, but now she was entrusted with her own.
Her mother arrived and began to speak.
"I have three gifts for you today. Yes, first is your sword." She placed the sheathed weapon in Tetra's hands. Her eyes grew big again, but her mother continued to speak.
"Second, I give you this." She gestured behind herself towards the very sails of the ship.
"This is it, Tetra. This is what I've raised you for. It's Your Sail Now. You are to inherit this ship when my time comes and steer it as you see fit. You have to do this now, Tetra. Just as you have always known."
Tetra didn't say anything. She had to question what this meant. She always knew her mother would pass the ship onto her one day, but she imagined that wouldn't be for years.
"And finally," her mother began again. I give you this." With that, her mother put a golden necklace around her, one that held a small golden triangle connected to it. Tetra had never seen it before in her life, but it felt strangely familiar.
"When the time comes, you will know why you have it. You are always to keep it safe. Never let anyone tarnish it. Treat it with the same respect I have taught you to treat yourself with."
Tetra remained quiet for a long time, taking in her mother's words. "I have to do this now," Tetra said confidently. And I will."
"And I know you will." Her mother responded. "You are my daughter."
Tetra smiled. "My mommy taught me well, " she said, speaking as she had when she was a much younger child.
Her mother smiled back. " I love you with all of my heart." She said in Hylian.
" I love you too," Tetra said back.
For a very long time, mother and child just held one another in front of the entire crew, and no one said much of anything; no one dared to. This was a moment between the two of them.
It was a moment between a mother who had worked so hard to ensure her daughter would be ready to take on the world on her own. And a daughter who had worked hard to make her mother proud.
"You know I'm right here if you need me." Her mother reminded her.
"I'm ready," Tetra said again. "I have to do this, and that's why I know I'm ready."
"You're right, " her mother said. "And just the same, I will always be right here if you need me."
As she said this, she pressed her hand against the necklace. "It's your job now, your sail now…..it's your world now. And I will always be with you through it all."
Tetra began to cry as she held her mother tightly.
It is in this way that the crew came to respect Tetra. Her mother would pass away within the year. With Nudge's help, Tetra began to plan her future, and by her tenth birthday, she had been fully recognized as the ship's new captain.
There were moments when Tetra absolutely hated her training, but in the years that followed, she was thankful for it every single day of her life. Because it made her ready, it made her focused, and it taught her when it was time to suck it up and accept that she had to do this now.
But more than anything, she was thankful for it because her mother taught her. And anytime Tetra used those skills, her mother lived again. What she said was true; her mother was always with her. She lived in her daughter's self-sufficiency. And that's the best gift a mother could ever give her child.
Don't ever be afraid to grow up. You're ready. I promise you, you're ready.
The End.
Last edited: