A boy floats at the bottom of the shallows. He holds his breath until his lungs begin to ache. He tells himself, just one moment more, and then I’ll go. The boy watches people drift by— there goes a girl splashing after a friend. There goes a couple sharing the same float. There goes a father teaching his baby how to swim. In between their bodies, gaps of sunlight burst through. It’s gold. It’s white. It’s blinding. Just one moment more, the boy tells himself. I don’t want to have to go.
character intro
Here’s a pretty common sight: Mako Pollock, standing on the porch of his lifeguard tower. His arms hang off of the chipped-paint rails, tan on sunshine yellow. While the world bustles around him in a display of multicolor parasols, plastic buckets, and fluffy towels, he’s honed in on a paper of sorts. There’s fine print, and there’s his name, and there’s also very simple contents that tell him one thing, and one thing only.
You’re accepted.
And what an interesting feeling it is. It’s not nearly as exciting as Mako chalked it up to be— just another piece of information to relay over a packed dinner table, maybe— but he still folds up the paper and tucks it into his jacket for safekeeping anyways. He doesn’t jump for joy, or shout the news out for the entire beach to overhear, but he does look up at the blue sky above and hum thoughtfully.
A new opportunity— a chance to make new friends, and maybe to help some people out of a tough spot. He’s sure it’ll be a fun time. He’ll wave to his mother from her television, and he’ll smile large for all of his friends still left here on the sands. And then, in no time, he’ll come back home with plenty of stories to tell.
Mako beams. It’s no big deal. It’s really that simple. It's not like it'll take that long, anyways...
present
…Smiling widely, Mako says, “The world can be kind!” And sometimes people look at him like they’re waiting for someone to drop the shoe. People sometimes look at him like he’s slower because he looks for brighter skies— sometimes they pat his shoulders with what’s supposed to be sympathy, and he knows they think happiness makes him stupid.
That hope makes him stupid.
But why would he not want to be happy? Why would he not want to live a life of hope?
past…
…find out after sip!
