A tall lighthouse and a tiny house. Kai’s house looked almost comically small compared to the grandeur of the chalky lighthouse it was connected to. The red brick house, like most of the houses on Gamal, had a couple steps up to the door. A small pale cross was nailed to the door as Aaradhya’s father knocked.

Cracking open the door, Kai’s mother sprouted a large smile, “Father Udayar! How nice to see you today.”

Aaradhya’s father spoke, his voice confident and bright, as if even in this home he was delivering a sermon, “Please, how many times have I said it? Call me Nivaan.” They shook hands, “We have your deliveries to drop off.” Aaradhya and their father were dropping off some items for the lighthouse and since there were no delivery trucks on Gamal, they were the next best thing.

“Ah, thank you so much. God Bless. A thought dawned on Mrs. Suzuki as the Reverend and Aaradhya dropped the packages off inside the small home, “Oh! Kai! Get the soup!”

“We made you soup.” Kai brandished the plastic container filled with soup. His hair was slightly unkempt, like he’d been laying on his bed only a couple seconds ago. His light blue sweater was marked with a single blue whale. The sight made Aaradhya think of the tale of Jonah, their favourite story in the Bible.

“Oh…Thank you!”

“I'll put it on the counter for you to grab later, don’t let us forget. It's whitefish so you’ll feel better.” Kai’s father smiled and took the container from his son.

Kai scratched the back of his neck, “Hey, do you want to go for a walk?” Out of the corner of his eye he spied Michelle winking at him. She was leaning against the far wall of the living room, out of sight from her parents. He subtly flipped Michelle off by scratching his nose.

Aaradhya had obviously spied the interaction because they now had a smile, “Sure, I’d love to.”

Slipping back on their shoes, Aaradhya followed Kai out of the house. The weather on Gamal was always unpredictable, sometimes all in the same day it rained, was bright and sunny and had wind going 30 km/h. But today, at least for now, it seemed to be nice. Aaradhya’s lemon vest was keeping them cold.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes after leaving the house. Aaradhya wanted to feel more awkward, maybe Kai did, but they didn't. Perhaps it was the slight warm breeze or the sounds of crunching gravel beneath their mud-brimmed shoes. Kai’s hand dipped into his sweater pocket, his phone was connected with earphones, “What kind of music do you like?”

“Hmmm…”Aaradhya tapped a finger against their chin, “How about some chill music?” The Suzuki’s lived in a secluded area of Gamal, letting the sounds of nature become louder.

Kai grinned, “I can definitely do that. Good choice.” He held out the black earbud to Aaradhya who promptly took it. The band he played were melodious and serene, their voices blending together into a harmony.

They veered off of the gravel pathway, the crunching gravel turning into a dragging slither. Walking through whispering grass and towards the cliff side. Aaradhya could smell the slightly salty scent of the rising ocean as they neared it. The sounds of each crashing wave, each flap of a seabird.

“Oh, I probably should’ve…I didn’t think about it.”

“Kai, it's okay. I’m not afraid of the ocean…Even if it did try and kill me.” From the edge of the overlook Aaradhya took in a deep breath. “You know, I think my favourite part of Gamal is watching the ocean from high above on the cliffs.”

He looked over at them, his voice sounding like a smile, “What would you draw if you had your paper and pencil here?”

“Probably you and me. Us as tiny specks standing on the edge of the cliff overlooking the giant waves. I’m not too good at using watercolours but maybe I'd use some if I was out here.”

Kai’s eyes closed, like he was conjuring the picture in his mind from Aaradhya’s words. One with watercolours and towering waves. “Sounds nice. Maybe you'll have to draw it sometime.”

Aaradhya looked over at him, their eyes searching and landing on something new to memorize. The way his lip was slightly upturned, the rose of his lips curling with the faintest of smiles. They could imagine the brush strokes that framed and filled in the ridges and curves of his face. “Maybe I will. But only if you draw something too.”

His umber eyes flitted open as Aaradhya smiled, the ocean air flicking itself through their hair. There was no other way to feel more alive than to stand on the edge of the ocean. Every sense alive in a moment. Kai chuckled at Aaradhya’s request, “I don’t think either of us wants to look at my bad drawings. I’m pretty sure the Kindergarteners beneath us can make macaroni art better than me.”

Golden sand beneath the overlook caught Aaradhya’s attention. “Do you want to walk along the beach?”

“Love to.” Kai said, calm in each new breath. They walked towards the makeshift steps which were really just a less steep hill down to the beach.

Taking off their shoes, Aaradhya held their socks and shoes in one hand. The sand beneath their feet was cold, the frozen oceanic waters still hadn’t thawed with the coming of spring. The cliff towered above them, grass curled the sharp rocks and erosion had wrapped around the bottom stones so many times they were round like shards of grey sea glass.

Kai and Aaradhya’s hands’ next to each other, almost touching with each new unstable step. They veered towards the flowing waters. Between them, the music continued with a simple piano played over a light acoustic guitar. There were no lyrics, only the echoing sounds of musicians shared between them.

“You know…I don’t remember much of that night.” Kai looked over, trying not to look too interested in Aaradhya’s softly spoken words. “Sometimes it comes back, I can feel the cold waters and dark sky. Mostly though, it's blurry as the waves rush over me and clear as I'm looking back at the stars. The one thing I can remember like it's clear as day is that I wasn't scared. I didn’t flop and panic, I just laid there, floating still.”

It was easy next to Kai. As easy as it was to take shallow breaths or walk small steps.

“Do you dream about it? That night?” The waters blackened the farther out they looked, endless abysses just beyond the island.

“Not as much as I want. It's like I want to know everything about that night but I can’t even remember getting up from bed.” They had tried to conjure the memories with full clarity in their mind many times, even prayed for it. But it seemed that clear memories were not going to happen.

“Your dad said it was sleepwalking. Though I’m not sure I believe him.” He dragged his feet beneath the water, letting it rush up his ankles and drench the rolled up edges of his jeans. Despite the cold rushing waves, neither Kai nor Aaradhya seemed to mind them.

“Yeah, me neither.” Waters rushed over Aaradhya’s feet as they walked through the shallow seas. Both stared over the oceanic horizon, its white whitecaps blurring with each other with each rise and fall. It felt like the same ocean they had studied like the lines in their palms. And still, all too confusingly, it still felt as wondrous as seeing it for the first time.