"Mateo... Mateo! I'm bored!" Helena complained while Mateo stubbornly ignored her, focused on his video game. "Let's go outside, let's do something more interesting."

"Doing nothing is interesting."

"Very funny! Come on... Let's go swim in the sea."

"We went yesterday, the day before, and last week," he replied, annoyed. "If you want to go so badly, go and spare me your whining."

"Fine, I'll go alone. But if a shark eats me, it'll be your fault." She crossed her arms and put on a fake pout.

"I think I'll take the risk," he replied without even looking up.

Helena sighed as she left the room, went downstairs, and exited through the back door. She crossed the small garden and walked straight to the beach. The sun seemed to shine brighter than ever that day, and the sand burned her bare feet. All her boredom and loneliness vanished when a strange feeling distracted her. 

She felt the urge to go toward the nearby rocky formation. She walked decisively, her long black hair tangling in the wind. She approached slowly, looking around. Her surprise was immense when she found a young man lying on the sand, asleep, behind a large rock. She stared at him, barely believing what she was seeing.

He was an interesting-looking young man. He had a serene expression, tousled blonde hair, and skin as white as the sand. His cheeks and shoulders were sunburned, and his body was covered with what seemed to be a white sheet. In his hands, he held a strange spear that looked like it was made of bone, and across his shoulder was a kind of belt that seemed to be made of seaweed.

Helena hid and continued spying on him, unsure of what to do. The boy kept sleeping peacefully.

"Should I wake him up?" she wondered. Unable to resist her curiosity, she started poking his head with her finger until he finally woke up. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she hid behind the rocks. The boy sat up abruptly, looking groggy, and turned his head in all directions, trying to find whoever had disturbed his warm sleep. Meanwhile, the culprit hid nervously, her heart racing.

"Huh? What was that?" he mumbled. "A human!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet and pulling the sheet around him.

Suddenly, Helena found him standing right in front of her, his face full of enthusiasm, his eyes still shut.

"Hello!" he exclaimed, bowing. "I am very happy to meet you! My name is Erunestian, I hope we can be friends."

"He's very weird," Helena thought. "Nice to meet you too..." she stammered, unable to pronounce his name correctly. "My name is Helena... and I live around here... Where are you from? What were you doing sleeping on the sand?"

"I... well, from..."

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Dressed?"

"Yes! And you still haven't told me where you're from. With such a strange name, you must not be from here."

"I come from..." he hesitated. He didn't know if he could reveal his true origin so soon to this human he had just met. However, he had no other answer to give and remained silent.

"Are you okay? Did something happen to you?" Helena asked, seeing him hesitate so much.

"I come from far away!" he answered hastily.

"Are you sure you don't need help? You look... a bit lost." She noticed that the young man hadn't opened his eyes the entire time. It seemed very unusual, but she didn't mention it. "Did you come with your family or something? Do you know where they are?"

"Too many questions, I do not understand."

Helena spoke slowly. "Help, do you need help?"

Erunestian paused, sensing her intentions to ensure they were sincere. Finally, he accepted. "Yes, help me, I am lost."

Without another word, Helena took him by the arm and led him to her house. Mateo opened the door.

"I found a weird foreigner who's lost!" she exclaimed.

"What the heck?!" Mateo exclaimed, startled by the unexpected event.

Erunestian quickly greeted him politely with a bow. Mateo, even more bewildered, returned the greeting.

"This is... Ernesto? No... What's your name again?" Helena asked, attempting to introduce her new friend.

"I am Erunestian. I am happy to meet you," the young man greeted.

"Mateo, nice to meet you," he replied. He paused and then said, "Can you give us a second?" He pulled Helena aside and started questioning her.

"What's up with this guy?"

"I don't know," she admitted with a worried look.

"He looks really strange... Is that a spear he's carrying?!"

"Mateo, what else was I supposed to do? I think something bad happened to him, and he doesn't speak the language well. He's completely lost, and besides, look at his eyes... He hasn't opened them. It's really weird."

"Is he blind?" Mateo asked.

"If he is, then all the more reason to help him!" she argued.

"I don't know... We can't just bring someone into the house like this."

She crossed her arms and complained. "What do you want me to do? Send him back to the beach?"

"No, I'm not saying that..." Mateo sighed. "It's just that we need to be careful, that's all."

Erunestian listened in silence, trying to decipher their emotions. He found it reasonable that they were debating whether to let a stranger into their home so easily. But he didn't fully understand human customs. Why did they move away to talk if he could hear them anyway?

"Alright, let's help him," Mateo finally agreed. "But he has to leave that spear outside." He approached Erunestian and said, "Thanks for waiting. Please come in, but if that's a weapon, I ask that you leave it outside." Mateo felt responsible saying that. They were alone at home, and he had been left in charge just because he was a few months older than his cousin Helena.

Erunestian hesitated for a moment but finally handed over his spear. If he trusted them, they had to trust him too.

"Open your eyes," Helena said. Mateo nudged her to keep quiet.

Erunestian did as she asked, and when he opened his eyes, he felt how they both were startled. Helena took him by the arm and guided him into the kitchen, and made him sit on a chair. Mateo and Helena exchanged a worried glance but tried to keep the atmosphere from getting awkard.

"What did you say your name was again, friend?" Mateo asked.

"My name is Erunestian."

"'Estian,' got it... So where are you from? You look... I don't know... Russian or something."

"My name is Erunestian... What is Russian?"

Mateo and Helena exchanged another concerned glance.

"Alright... Then can you tell us what happened to you? I mean, you're dressed in seaweed and a bedsheet."

"You're right! Mateo, give him some clothes!" Helena exclaimed.

Erunestian felt completely out of place but had no choice but to go along with them. Embarrassed, he asked, "How to get clothes?"

Mateo sighed annoyed, thinking, "Why do I have to give my clothes to this weird foreigner?" But out of obligation, he said, "Yeah... I can lend you some, Estian. If you want, you can also use the bathroom to shower... to get rid of the seaweed smell."

Erunestian smiled. "I am very thankful for your help! I come from far away, I do not know this place, and I do not know where to go, so I am happy to find you... And my name is Erunestian, not Estian," he added.

"I'll prepare lunch now. You look hungry. If you'd like, you can stay and eat with us," Helena said kindly, while Mateo gave her the side eye.

"I compliment you!" Erunestian answered with a smile.

She giggled, the boy was finding many ways to say 'Thank you' in his broken tongue.

"I see... Well then!" Mateo said, standing up. "I'll learn your name later. For now, come with me."

He grabbed Erunestian by the arm and led him to their room, carefully guiding him up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Helena started preparing lunch. Oh dear! I really wanna know why this guy is here. Though... maybe he's a shipwreck survivor... she mused while chopping vegetables.

Upstairs, Mateo rummaged through his closet for clothes to lend Erunestian. He was taller than him, so he tried to find something loose-fitting that he wouldn't mind parting with.

"What is this?" Erunestian asked.

"What is what?" Mateo replied absentmindedly.

"This, beneath me."

"The bed?"

"I know this! Is for people to sleep!" Erunestian exclaimed.

Mateo gave him a puzzled look and started to worry. Did this guy hit his head or something? How does he not know what a bed is? It's like he was born yesterday, he thought.

"You need not to worry," Erunestian said with a gentle smile. "You can say it—I am not offended." Despite his words, his face showed a hint of distress.

Mateo was baffled.

"I come from very, very far away, and I know nothing," Erunestian continued. "Please tell me if I do something wrong—I want to learn your culture."

"No... I... uh..." Mateo hesitated. He thought the guy wouldn't notice his grimaces and annoyed looks, but he had been completely wrong. So, he apologized.

"Do not worry so much. And if you were wondering, I was not born yesterday—I was born sixteen years ago," Erunestian said with a laugh.

Mateo was stunned. He stood frozen for a moment, unable to process the situation. Then, awkwardly, he handed Erunestian a set of clothes.

"Here. You can keep them if you want."

"Thank you! I am very happy that you gift this to me. But I have problem... Where I come from, we have no clothes. Can you show me how to wear?"

"Where he comes from, they don't have clothes?" Mateo thought, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Where exactly are you from?!"

Erunestian paused for a moment before replying, "I tell you, I tell you—it is very important. But not now. First, I must wear clothes."

Mateo stopped insisting. He now just stood there, almost motionless. Erunestian noticed his unease. These are the terrifying humans the elders warned me about? he thought, incredulous.

"Sorry, sorry," Erunestian said, chuckling. "I scared you. I do not do it again—forgive me."

"You can read minds!?" Mateo asked, genuinely amazed.

"Sometimes. I do not know why. Everyone is scared when I do it. My father says I should not."

"Amazing! Then, if you can read my mind, I can just think about how to put on a shirt, and you'll learn without me having to explain!" Mateo said, thinking really hard on the mental image of a shirt.

"No, no... I can not do that," Erunestian admitted, embarrassed. "I really need help with clothes..."

Mateo tried to teach him, only to realize it was a challenge explaining clothing to a blind guy from another dimension. If small children struggled at first, often sticking their heads through the armholes, then this strange boy was bound to have an even harder time. But Erunestian got it eventually, and Mateo felt proud of himself.

"I'll show you where the shower is," he said. "I suppose you'll need a full explanation for that too, right?"

Erunestian nodded sheepishly. Mateo burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"Alright, I'll explain everything—even how to use soap. But you owe me a big explanation for all of this. Either you're messing with me, you had a massive accident that wiped your memory, or... you're from another planet."

"I know, I know. I cannot hide I am not from here. I do not know anything—sorry."

After his shower, Erunestian was overjoyed. He had finally rid himself of the unpleasant smell of seaweed and felt like a new person—especially with the clean, fragrant clothes against his skin. He was starting to feel more human, and he liked it.

Mateo waited outside the bathroom, and to his surprise, Erunestian had put on the clothes perfectly.

"Thank you, Mateo! I feel great!" Erunestian exclaimed.

Mateo offered his arm to guide him, but Erunestian had already memorized the way and confidently made his way to the kitchen on his own.

Mateo stood there, trying to process what he had just seen. It took him a moment, but then he snapped out of it and followed him downstairs for lunch.

Helena had started showing Erunestian about what she was cooking. He picked up the vegetables and smelled them.

"This is a tomato, and this is a bell pepper," she said. "I used them for the salad. By the way, nice outfit, Erunestian."

"You remember my name! Thank you!" he said, beaming.

Helena led him to his seat, placing a fork and knife in his hands and teaching him how to eat—like humans do.

Erunestian's first proper meal wasn't anything extravagant, just a breaded fish fillet with rice and a fresh vegetable salad. But to him, it was divine. The flavors and aromas overwhelmed him with joy. He wanted to shout in excitement but held back, not wanting to startle his new friends.

"So, Estian..." Mateo began.

"His name is Erunestian," Helena corrected.

"Right, sorry... E-ru-nes-tian. How was the food?"

"It is best thing I ever eat!"

"Really?" Helena blushed slightly, feeling flattered. "It's nothing special. Just a simple meal."

"I cannot believe! I never eat cooked food before," Erunestian exclaimed. His expression shifted, and with a mischievous grin, he added, "Where I come from, we do not have fire."

"You only eat raw food?!" they both exclaimed. "Oh my God! Tell us where are you from already!"

"I think you will not believe me. But if I do not tell truth, how can I want you to trust me?" Erunestian said in his broken tongue.

"Did he tell you he can read minds?" Mateo whispered to Helena.

"Sometimes. I don't know why," Erunestian chimed in.

Helena's eyes widened.

"I come from the sea," Erunestian finally confessed with a sigh. "We do not have fire, we do not have things, clothes or houses. The sea give us everything. But I wanted to leave... because my people suffer."

Mateo crossed his arms skeptically. "So how did you end up here?"

Erunestian, sometimes solemn, sometimes cheerful, began telling them his story. It took hours, as he struggled to explain things with his limited vocabulary. Many details were difficult to grasp, but Helena and Mateo, young and imaginative, were willing to listen—no matter how bizarre or fascinating his tale was.