A short story about empty nests and leaving home. Also, about supernatural magical creatures, because they rock. :P This is a brief introduction to Kai, a character that will be showing up again in another book in the future. Hope you like it. :)
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|KAI: A call from the sea|
by Lilian Carmine
I grab a piece of dry wood from the pile beside me and toss it into the faint glowing embers in front of me. It's a feeble attempt to rekindle the fire, but it doesn't work. The bonfire spits out some ashes in the air and the red glow of the ember slowly fades away again. It seems the bonfire - along with the party - is on its last final breaths.
I have to accept that my last night at home is coming to an end.
I can't complain, though. This has been a great going-away party. Milo had done an amazing job organizing everything. I'm lucky to have a best friend who also happens to be the best party thrower on the island. There's been good food and good drinks, with some enthusiastic singing and lots of laughter shared around the bonfire tonight.
A great time was had, that was for sure.
Milo had been ambling around the party the entire night, talking and making sure everyone was having a good time, but now that everybody seems to be leaving, he decides to take a break from his host duties and slump heavily by my side with a slight hazy expression on his drunk face.
"Hey, man, there you are! So, what did you think of your party?" he asks, slapping me on the back affectionately.
I lean against a big log of wood to watch the bonfire in front of us. It gives its last sizzling sigh and dies out.
"It was awesome! Mahalo, my brother." I say, giving him a tired smile. My voice comes out with a sliver of melancholy that I didn't intend to give and I glance up to see if Milo had caught it.
I don't want him to think I'm sad because I'm not. For the past weeks, I've been so excited to leave. I've been dreaming about going away from this island for so long, but now that the moment draws near, I find myself with a mix of contradicting emotions.
I realize I'd miss home more than I imagined I would.
"It's the farewell you deserve, my friend," Milo replies smiling back at me, seemingly unaware of my emotional slip-up.
He looks as tired as I feel, but he's never going to admit it, at least not to my face. He's the island's party King, and party Kings do not get tired of parties, ever.
"Man, I can't believe you're really leaving tomorrow." He huffs out, frustrated. "What about our plan to start our own business together here on the island? How am I supposed to run a surfboard store without my best surf instructor friend to help me out? Are you really choosing this Akheron University over our store, for real?"
