Invisible String - Jake Sully

15

Tawn promised Tuk and Kiri to spend her days with the siblings. Tuk gave her puppy eyes, and she caved in immediately.

That was why she was at the beach with Kiri and Neteyam, building a sandcastle with Tuk.

Lo'ak didn't join them since he was out with Tsireya. The girl told Tawn she needed to teach the boy some sign language. It was curious that she didn't invite Kiri and Neteyam since they needed it too.

"Neteyam, stop. You are going to ruin my castle," Tuk whined, her little ears flopped down in discontent.

"But Tuk, it's going to topple over," Neteyam pointed out the sloppy tower.

"No, it will not. Just wet it a little bit more," Kiri suggested.

Tawn sat back, waiting for anyone to tell her something. If she was being honest, she had no idea what Tuk was trying to make. The silhouette looked like something she never saw before, so she didn't want to annoy the little girl more by doing something. 

"Tawn, help me with the roof, please," Tuk smiled sweetly when she was done bickering with her big brother. "Neteyam, you'll do the other side. Tawn and I are going to work on this wing." Tuk ordered.

Tawn smiled. Yup, she was going to be an incredible warrior.

"What should I do?" Kiri asked her sister.

Tuk sighed in annoyance, "help Neteyam?" she pointed out.

"Tuk, that's no way to talk to your sister," Tawn warned while she carefully moulded the roof as Tuk did.

Tuk pouted, "sorry, Kiri," she apologised, "you can help Neteyam," she corrected.

Kiri was surprised that Tawn could handle her little sister's bratty side. She thought about how effective she was in stopping Lo'ak from his reckless behaviour.

"Tawn, slowly do this," Tuk said, showing her how to make a steep roof.

"Like this?" Tawn showed the little girl.

Tuk nodded and went back to her masterpiece.

The four of them spent their days building an enormous sandcastle. By the time they were done, Tuk had loved it so much that she ran to her dad, screaming about taking a picture of the masterpiece, leaving Tawn confused.

"What's a picture?" Tawn asked, lying down on the sand. She was so exhausted from their little activity it was crazy.

Kiri did the same thing as Tawn, plopping down next to her while Neteyam sat on her other side.

"Something the sky people love to take," Kiri said lazily. She had one of her arms covering her eyes, so the sun didn't bother the girl too much.

"It's like a drawing but more digitalised." Neteyam tried to explain it better, "dad loves to take our photos. We had this little box full of photos of us as a kid, me finishing the rite of passage, a grown-up Kiri with her mother and even a family photo with our mom from a year ago." Neteyam smiled fondly, looking at the horizon, his eyes glazed with the memories he cherished every day.

"That is so sweet. You could just see her anytime you want then," Tawn smiled at Neteyam.

"Something like that," he shrugged.

Tawn was lying if she said she wasn't curious at all. She wanted to see their cherished memories glimpsing at the forest and see what they looked like before the sky people returned.

Tawn closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin and listening in to waves crashing before a loud laughter broke her out of her peaceful rest.