Somewhere at some beach, July 13, 2024
“Like this, breathe in, breathe out.”
Soojin made swooshing noises while trying to show Pimento how.
Pim wasn’t looking though. She could barely balance on her board, like how is she doing that?
Mind you, the water was as calm as peace but Soojin wanted Pim to balance the same way she was balancing – with one leg folded up which left her looking like a canary. Canary? No… flamingo, right?
Oh, what did it matter.
She was on the brink of falling once or twice, and to be fair she didn’t really mind that bit. But then the waves came in rather subtly, and a silhouette formed just beneath their boards.
“You see that Pim?”
“Mmm.” The Zanzibar could barely say anything while trying to mimic Soojin’s stance.
“You know what that is, right?”
“What, a goldfish?”
Huh? The answer confused Soojin. She looked at her in this weird way like what?
“I thought you said you grew up in the sea.”
“Your…” and Pim almost slipped “…point being?”
“You know a goldfish the size of that?”
“Frankly, yes. His name is Marlowe.”
I wish I hadn’t asked.
A little to the right, a little wiggle to the left. A fall. Some splashes.
“Soojin I’m done.”
“You’re giving up? You’re a sad slimy giver-upper aren’t you?” She said all this with a smile.
A little evil smile, for that matter. “Woah where’s this coming from?”
“Nothing. It’s just a shame, little giver-upper.”
“Hey now you don’t have to call me that.” Pim even raised her hand and everything as though the whole thing actually mattered.
“Giver-upper.”
“That’s not even a word.”
“It doesn’t have to be. You still understand me, giver-upper.”
“You’re going to keep doing that?”
To this, Soojin nodded. She had a cheeky smile on her too, and added a little wink.
The difference between Soojin and Pimento was simply a matter of age. Soojin didn’t look it, but she was about ten or so years Pimento’s senior. Now this doesn’t mean all younger people are naïve, but Soojin knew Pimento spent most of her life on the sea. A little common sense may be lacking in that regard. Or so I’m hoping. I kind of want to get a laugh out of this.
“Yeah, have it your way then.” Pim wasn’t a pushover. She came back to Soojin’s ridiculous position and almost got it. There was a little wiggle or two but she got it, and she saw Soojin nod in approval. That was the best part.
They balanced together for an extended moment – two figurines being pushed and pulled gently with the wind and waves. Their eyes closed to achieve peak ‘at-one-with-nature-ism’.
“Are we there yet?” Pimento asked, referring to the ‘at-one-with-nature-ism’, as Soojin had termed the feeling to her. Every other moment, Soojin picked up on Pimento’s breathing, swooshing in and out.
“Yes. We’re there.”
Bliss. It enclosed them both.
“It’s great, Soo.” Pimento spoke.
Soojin shushed her. There was no need to talk at a moment like this.
“Pimento.” She said this about two seconds after shushing her.
“Mm?”
“Did I ever tell you the story of the Grizzleback Gator?”
Pimento’s eyes opened ever so slightly. “No, I can’t say you have.”
“Well… it’s a rare occurrence. Legend has it that the Grizzleback Gator only comes close to shore every once in a hundred years or so. Records and stories about the Grizzleback Gator all point to it being summoned due to two chumps trying to achieve peak at-one-with-nature-ism amongst the sunny waves.”
“Soojin,” Pimento inquired very seriously now.
“Tell me.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what a chump is.”
Oh, this again. Soojin gave her an even weirder look. Made her open her eyes too.
“Pim, that’s us. We’re the chumps.”
“And?”
What the-
Pimento’s board got bumped there and then. She gave this look to Soojin suddenly like what’s that?
Soojin only shook. Then her board got bumped. Her perfect balance had finally been smudged.
In that moment, both of them harboured the same thought, and looked at each other very intently as though to communicate telepathically. It worked.
Do you think? The question echoed in both of their minds, but they’d both receive their answer sooner than the other could reply.
Emerging from the water, Pimento and Soojin both saw it. This scaly, moss-green tooth-blanket with beady little eyes. They both looked, both peering into the soul of this creature. Within, there was nothing. No remorse, no humanity.
They knew it undoubtedly. This was the Grizzleback Gator.
“And then what happened?” A few hours later, Merudin asked Soojin this question while they were getting ready for bed.
“That’s the thing though right? It all happened so fast. It was like a blur. First we’re there, and then… I don’t know… I’m safe by the beach blankets. Pim was all red. I think she somehow managed to drag us both out of that one.”
“Wow, and you’re sure it was the Grizzleback whatever?”
Soojin punched him in the arm. “Shut up. Why’d you go and grab my leg anyway? I thought you were only going for Pim.”
“If I went for Pim’s leg, I wouldn’t have heard the end of it from you.”
She had to admit, he wasn’t wrong.
