Buu Island

By Levan Planz

When two teens elope and leave their sheltered island life behind, they are faced with the harsh reality of the outside world. Is their love strong enough to overcome these challenges?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Levan Planz
• Release date: Aug 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223364672

Book preview

Buu Island

by Levan Planz

Ship of our forefathers sailing the sea,

Lightning tore you asunder.

Buu of the depth, we thank thee,

For your compassion from below under.

You took pity and saved us,

Motherly love nurtured us,

Oh, Great Buu of the sea,

We are in your debt forevermore.

- Ancient prayer of the inhabitants of

Buu Island

Chapter 0: The Clockwork of Fate

We can feel it...

Yes, we can feel change coming.

It is a murmur in the wind, a whisper among trees.

The ripples on the sea of time will soon become waves.

The seed of destiny will blossom soon.

We can feel it from above and all around us.

The tale that has been spun since the beginning of time will come to an end once more. The actors are performing their swansong, the audience grows ever more impatient.

Let these these three months be our coda.

And let us take a long, last bow.

Together.

Chapter 1: Promise

Jinja-roo’s amber eyes were staring out of the classroom window. They were glowing with excitement – an emotion that was clearly not directed at the lesson, which was wrapping up right now. It’s not like he paid much attention to begin with anyway.

Life on Buu Island was as boring as ever, or so he thought. It shouldn’t be possible for such a young person to feel so much ennui, one would think. But Jinja-roo was different.

He was interested in the outside world, far beyond the horizon. Buu Island was small and surrounded by seemingly endless stretches of water on all sides.

Though fishing boats went and came every day, it was rare for other ships to arrive on the island. This was not only because of the policy of isolation that was in place on Buu Island, but also because it was moving! For Buu Island was a human settlement on the back of a Buu – a quasi-extinct species of gigantic whales that can live longer than humans were able to measure.

But what would sound fantastic to other inhabitants of the world was Jinja-roo’s everyday life, and as such he was much more interested in the vast world that lay beyond his reach. The ring of a bell pulled Jinja-roo out of his daydream and he frantically packed all of his utensils into his bag.

Don’t forget that your presentations will start tomorrow!, said their teacher Mr. Yagi, trying to make himself heard in the ensuing commotion.

Jinja-roo barely took notice of it, hurried out of the classroom and out of the school building, pushing past the dense crowd of other students.

Since it was a small community, this was the only school on Buu Island. It was a place of studying for all ages. When he finally reached the road, he breathed in the fresh smell of sea salt and immediately tried to make his way to the port.

Buu Island was small, but its network of roads was complex – some may even call it chaotic. But Jinja-roo had the way to the harbor memorized with perfection.

Just as he got ready to start sprinting, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Are you trying to go to the port again, Jinja-drool?, said someone in front of him with a sneer in his voice.

It was Bellack, accompanied by his posse. His crooked grin was foreboding. He and the two other kids were a year older than Jinja-roo and thus went to a different class, but that didn’t stop them from bullying him relentlessly, day in and day out.

Jinja-roo knew they were cowards and only bullied those younger or weaker than them, but he had no allies in the school. He had to face them and endure their torment alone.

What’s the matter, Jinja-drool? Have a sea urchin stuck in your throat or what? We know what you’re up to. This night that filthy lander ship arrived. The one that’s coming every couple months. You’re probably going to beg for some more lander garbage from them again, you little freak!

Landers – that was a slur for those coming from the mainland.

Jinja-roo couldn’t deny their accusations, for they were true. Even though he was scared, he spoke up.

Oh yeah, and so what? What’s it to you?

He couldn’t stop his voice from cracking halfway through the last sentence. Bellack’s group chuckled.

You’re a freak! You should be proud of our culture, but instead you’re wasting your time with these sick, colorful books of yours. The gods of the landers are false! You are corrupting our society with this- this filth!

Bellack took a few threatening steps towards Jinja-roo and the other mooks followed in his wake.

He wasn’t taller than Jinja-roo, but his broad build, gelled back hair and piercing blue eyes gave him an aura of respect and instilled fear in Jinja-roo. However, years of being ridiculed and bullied prepared him for this moment.

Jinja-roo jolted backwards and started sprinting in the opposite direction.

Coward!, he heard Bellack’s voice bellowing from behind him. He anticipated a tense chase, but whether it was the unusually hot sun beating down on them, or the bullies were finally getting bored of picking on him, they didn’t decide to pursue him.

After taking a few twists and turns around buildings made out of limestone and algae, Jinja-roo stopped and took a breather.

I should be glad they don’t mean business today. But at this point even picking up a fight with them is more fun than the same old routine...

He adjusted his bright yellow suncap and tightened the belt on his blue and white striped fisher pants. If there was one thing Jinja-roo appreciated about Buu Island’s culture, it was their fashion. Combining functionality, comfort and bright designs, they had an edge over the dull or uncomfortable looking clothes mainlanders wore. They were made out of specific breeds of algae, scales of aquatic creatures and sometimes even feathers.

Jinja-roo wondered what materials mainlanders used to create their clothes and slowly made his way to the harbor. His plan was to get there as fast as possible because his parents told him to come home immediately after school, so they wouldn’t notice his little detour. But now that he had to take a longer route to avoid Bellack and his crew, he gave up on avoiding punishment and decided to spend a peaceful afternoon by himself.

He occasionally waved at other islanders, and most people returned his greetings. Despite that, he was a cause of worry or pity to many of them. His unusual hobbies were well-known in the small community – after all, rumors travel faster than sonic birds here on Buu Island.

After a while the port finally came into view. It was not much of a sight, as it was a simple limestone building like all the others, attached to the side of the Great Buu. Three piers extended outwards from it, usually only accommodating the small fisher boats belonging to the islanders.

But rarely, other boats would dock as well. Sometimes traveling merchant ships would do trade or voyagers would restock and rest on Buu Island.

And every few months, a small steamboat with the name Katharo would arrive and trade goods from the mainland with Buu Island. Because of the island’s moving nature, it was always uncertain when it would arrive. But on his way to school he overheard that a ship from the mainland had arrived in the night.

When he finally saw the Katharo in port and got confirmation, he sped up his pace and a smile appeared on his face.

He ran the last few meters and finally arrived at the port, where he made his way to the docked ship. Standing on the Katharo’s deck was her captain, a man in his late thirties.

Captain Kalliston had a scruff appearance. His dark hair and beard were unkempt and he wore a greyish brown, patchy coat. But in his auburn eyes was the sparkle of curiosity and kindness that had earned him Jinja-roo’s admiration.

So ya heard I arrived ‘ere last night after all, eh?

Yeah! So how long will you stay here this time? Two days, three days? Do you have the magazines I wanted?

Jinja-roo couldn’t contain his excitement at all.

Kalliston laughed heartily.

Easy there, son! I’ll stay ‘ere for another night for sure. And I did bring back some of them magazines alright.

Jinja-roo’s smile grew even wider, but then he remembered something.

You’re just in time for Luna’s birthday tomorrow! Can I take a look at your other stuff? Maybe I’ll find a present for her!

Jinja, yer always taking a look at my things. ‘course ya can!

Thank you!, Jinja-roo exclaimed and instinctively jumped on deck and hugged the old man. He frantically let go of him after a second, blushing from embarrassment and then rushed to the back of the ship.

Captain Kalliston’s eyes followed him until he vanished below deck, where the mainland wares were stored.

Delightful little guy that is, the captain mumbled to himself, then shook his head solemnly.

It’ll break his heart...

Below deck a whole new world opened up to Jinja-roo.

It has been many months since he last was here, and the assortment of wares was completely different from last time. The ship’s storage room was by no means big, but creative use of space made it possible to fit in enough objects of interest to keep Jinja-roo busy for hours on end.

He knew that Buu Island was not this ship’s only destination, and that it would travel to several other islands on the Great Sea as well. Buu Island’s traveling nature made it difficult to predict when he would arrive for captain Kalliston.

But this year he seemed to have stumbled upon it later than anticipated, as a sizable chunk of the range of mainland goods was already replaced by trade goods from other islands.

Jinja-roo only barely noticed, as there were still plenty of things for him to discover.

He quickly dove into the various stacked shelves and browsed through the more mundane goods, such as sugar and wood, but investigated the shelf with foreign candy much closer.

The shelf he was most interested in was all the way in the back. It contained what is known to the mainlanders as ‘electronics’ and ‘media’.

Jinja-roo was always fascinated with the former, but the need for a thing called ‘electricity’ had always disappointed him. The concept was entirely foreign to him, even seemed magical. For on Buu Island, possessing any kinds of electronics was strictly forbidden.

As such, they had no need for electricity, rendering all these curious items pointless. Nonetheless he would always listen intently to captain Kalliston’s long-winded explanations of how they work and be utterly fascinated by the captain’s so-called ‘wristwatch’ or the ship’s ‘radio’.

The ‘magazines’ and ‘books’ were Jinja-roo’s true passion.

While not prohibited by law, their existence on Buu Island was seen as something shameful. Oral tradition was an important part of their culture, and written words were merely used in holy texts. Only basic literacy was taught in school.

Buu Island’s language was based on the old language of the first settlers and though it developed and changed over the centuries, it remained fairly similar to the archaic language in those old magazines and books called Kentronese. Jinja-roo couldn’t understand everything, but enough to satisfy his curiosity. Besides, magazines also offered crisp and colorful pictures that captivated the young boy without fail every time.

He carefully opened the magazines and stared at the pages, his mouth agape.

They were already several months old, in some cases even a few years. But to Jinja-roo they were a treasure trove of previously unknown knowledge and a gate to the outside world, far away from the constraints of his home on Buu Island.

And so he spent the rest of his afternoon in excited silence on board the Katharo, absorbing new information and immersing himself in this strange new world.

Captain Kalliston and some of his shipmates would sometimes walk into the storage room and push past him, or scold him for blocking the way.

But it all didn’t matter to him.

After almost three hours, Jinja-roo finally emerged from below deck, adjusting his suncap to shield his eyes which were still used to the dark storage room below deck.

In his hands he held two magazines depicting a famous sports player and a popular idol singer respectively, as well as a small package with chocolate candy inside. And of course he also remembered to fetch a gift for Luna.

He was greeted by one of Kalliston’s crew members. The captain must have been busy conducting his business on the island.

Jinja-roo paid for his haul with a few tiny shells which were used as currency on Buu Island and then put the magazines and the candy inside of his school bag.

He stood on the pier for a while, unsure of where to go next. His parents would undoubtedly conduct a search of his belongings if he returned home hours later than he was supposed to.

But returning to school and hiding his stuff there was too risky, too. There would be no school tomorrow and his bullies were probably bored enough to hang around school grounds on the off chance that Jinja-roo might return.

One of the reasons he hated Buu Island was the fact that he had nowhere to retreat to or to hide in this society that frowned upon his interests.

The entire area of the island was plastered with small buildings, some farms and workshops, to a point where the town extended even beyond the back of the whale-like creature it was resting upon. Fishing nets and algae farms could be found hanging off the sides of the creature. Solitude could only be gained by becoming a fisherman and putting some distance between the island and one’s own boat, though there were strict guidelines and rules to be followed nonetheless.

After being lost in thought for a couple of minutes, Jinja-roo finally decided to visit his one and only ally on this island: Luna Shiro.

She was only a few months older than Jinja-roo, but she didn’t visit Buu Island’s school at all. That was because she was the daughter of the Shiro family – the religious caste responsible for tending to the Great Buu shrine and upholding the island’s traditions and rites.

The friendship between the two was a strange one, seeing as her existence itself symbolized everything Jinja-roo hated about Buu Island. But Luna was different from the rest of her family. She had her own set of beliefs and the way she behaved often clashed with the expectations of her parents and even the villagers in general.

While she was still treated not unlike a princess, Jinja-roo realized that they were kindred spirits. Her life must have been as constricting and unfulfilling as his own, if not even more.

It was one thing to be a disappointment to everyone, but the pressure on Luna as the only daughter of the shrine family must have been intense.

I spent more than three hours on the Katharo, she should be done with all her duties at the shrine by now.

Jinja-roo headed down one of the many narrow roads. Gazes of disapproval or pity were thrown at him from every direction, from windows and from passers-by.

His obsession with the outside world was well known and so was the fact that he was one of Kalliston’s regular customers. But what was once a soul-crushing experience for the young boy, only made him double down on the path he had taken. Whereas some kids would have given in on the pressure and abandoned their passion, Jinja-roo remained steadfast.

The shrine could be found towards the front of the island and the harbor was closer to the middle. So it only took him about ten minutes at a leisurely pace to reach his destination.

The shrine was Luna’s home.

It was a large wooden sailing ship originally named Eleftheria that shipwrecked many centuries ago and has since been repurposed as the communities’ only temple. Large parts of its wooden structure, but also most metal parts had been used as building materials for the first smaller buildings and fishing boats, before the surviving crew and their offspring discovered other materials.

Nowadays only a small part of Eleftheria was open to the public. The remaining parts were off limits and served as the Shiro family estate.

Jinja-roo waited nearby, occasionally glancing towards Luna’s home. His presence would only cause her trouble with her family, and he was not keen on visiting the public temple area either.

Luna already knew where to find him, but apparently she was still busy and not allowed to leave her house yet.

Jinja-roo let out a deep sigh.

Recently, the two of them spent less and less time together because of Luna’s increasing responsibilities. She underwent private education at home, but in addition to the subject matters Jinja-roo and the others learned at school, she was also tutored extensively in ceremonial behavior, the lore of Buu Island and important religious rites.

Her parents were strict and convinced of Jinja-roo’s bad influence on her. But even so, they loved their daughter and allowed her to leave the house and lead her own life, knowing full well that they couldn’t shelter her completely.

Jinja-roo didn’t have to wait for too long.

He was observing passers-by and visitors to the temple and though he was excited to continue reading his magazines, he didn’t dare pulling them out of his bag on the street in broad daylight. 

Hello Jinja!

A familiar voice called out to him from the other side of the street.

Jinja-roo was startled, but his expression of surprise was soon replaced by a broad smile.

Luna! I didn’t even notice you leaving the temple! How did you do that?

The young girl danced over to him and gently pressed her delicate fingers on his lips.

It’s a secret, she said in a whisper, and with a laugh she pranced away.

Jinja-roo stood there in awe, marveling at her long, silvery white hair that danced behind her in the breeze.

While still moving away, Luna spun around and fixated Jinja-roo with her deep purple eyes.

Hurry up, slowpoke!

He quickly came to his senses and took after her. Luna put two fingers in her mouth and unleashed a loud whistle. People’s heads turned, but since this was a regular occurrence no one paid much attention to her.

A few seconds afterward Jinja-roo spotted a familiar creature in the sky. It was a little white bird of a small species of seagulls and he was Luna’s cute little friend.

He landed on her right shoulder and gently nibbled on her earlobe as she continued walking.

The bird didn’t have a name, since Luna didn’t believe he needed one – he was a free bird and shouldn’t be forced to carry a human name.

Jinja-roo was never quite able to follow that train of logic, but it was useless to argue with Luna about such things.

Together the trio made its way to the island’s only little park further towards the center of Buu Island.

While there was no place on the island that truly granted them privacy, the park was less claustrophobic than any other area.

They weaved through narrow paths between the countless little huts and houses, drawing the gazes of many of the inhabitants on them as they passed by. The strange couple was well known throughout the community, as they couldn’t have been any more different... on the surface.

As the only daughter and heir of the Shiro family, Luna represented everything Buu Island stood for – their traditions, their policy of isolation, and their religion focused on the worship of the sea gods and the Great Buu whale that was their home.

Meanwhile, Jinja-roo was all but an outcast of society. His interest in landers and their culture, as well as his rebellious behavior and lack of discipline in school made him stand out like a sore thumb and even painted his family in a bad light. Yet the two of them had a deeper connection, that only they could truly understand.

The park wasn’t very populated at the moment, so they sat down on a bench and relaxed a bit.

Jinja-roo took a good look at Luna’s clothes.

She was still wearing her purple and white ceremonial garbs, which was unusual.

Hey, Luna. Why are you still wearing those?, Jinja-roo asked while pointing at her clothes.

Oh, those? I didn’t feel like changing.

Though Luna had a smile on her face, Jinja-roo could feel that she was hiding something from him. He felt a strange tension creeping up on him.

He was at a loss for words. But the silence between them felt even more unbearable. His legs started swaying back and forth, and he was desperately looking to his left and right, as if to literally look for a topic of discussion.

He was startled by Luna’s chuckle.

So, what’s on your mind, Jinja? You seem nervous.

She absentmindedly reached into her pocket and procured a small piece of dry algae bread. She crushed it into little crumbs and tossed them on the ground, where her little bird friend had a small feast.

Oh, sorry ‘bout that!, Jinja-roo said. I- I guess I was lost in thought, haha!

I’ve heard that the Katharo is in port. Did you get anything from there yet?

Jinja-roo’s heart skipped a beat.

Of course!

Worrying about Luna made him almost forget about his haul from the ship. His mood changed instantly, as he rummaged through his bag with excitement. He pulled out the two magazines and the small package of candy and scooted over closer to Luna.

As if a switch inside of him had been flipped, Jinja-roo excitedly blabbed about the contents of the magazines while pointing at the pictures inside. Luna listened to him with genuine interest. Their discussion about sports, pop songs, vacation spots, TV shows and other topics continued and the park slowly emptied as the sun slowly approached the horizon.

Their conversation was long and fun, but eventually Jinja-roo ran out of topics.

The little chocolate beads he bought were empty, too – though it was mostly Luna who ate them all, since Jinja-roo was so busy talking.

Still upbeat from being able to talk about his passion freely, he quietly smiled and simply enjoyed the silence between them.

His gaze met that of Luna, who was also smiling at him.

Jinja-roo felt his face turn hot as he blushed and quickly turned away, pretending to look at some nearby houses. Luna’s soft voice cut through the awkward silence.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had wings, too?

Jinja-roo faced her again.

Now she was looking at the bird on the ground in front of them.

True, Jinja-roo felt like a caged bird on Buu Island, but too often he forgot that she must feel very much the same, if not worse. Her duties as the heir to the Shiro family and the future head priestess must have been suffocating.

But when he looked at her and the smile on her face, her silvery white hair flowing behind her in the gentle breeze, Jinja-roo couldn’t help but see the countenance of an angel.

You already have wings, Luna.

What is that?, Luna asked out of nowhere.

Jinja-roo flinched.

Luna was facing him again and he followed her gaze. Then he noticed it: Luna’s gift was visible from inside the bag on his lap! He must have gestured pretty wildly during their long conversation and didn’t notice the contents of his fallen over bag slowly spilling out.

Oh! Ahem, ah- that’s nothing!, he said and nonchalantly shoved it deeper into his bag.

Damn. I hope I didn’t ruin the surprise for her...

Come on, Jinja! Please show me! I want to see it!

He didn’t have time to wonder whether she was simply playing dumb or really didn’t figure that it could be a present