A Game of Nets

The sky threatened their game.

“You said that it wouldn’t rain, right?” asked Filmore, holding onto his sun hat as he peered at the clouds on the horizon.

“That’s what my app said,” said Ursel, glancing at her phone. To reassure herself that what she had read was correct.

It was.

“It’ll be alright,” said Eve, pulling the two together. “If it does rain, we could always head to my boss’s place and hang out there instead. He wouldn’t mind at all. You have the keys, right?”

Elvard nodded. He gave the keys a twirl to show it, then swung it into his backpack for safekeeping.

“A shame that Vivi isn’t available today,” said Ursel, as the group made their way down the flight of steps to the beach. “I would have loved have one of her cakes for tea.”

“I’m sure that she’ll let us know when she’s free,” said Filmore. “I mean, we’re neighbours. I’ll let you guys know when she’s ready for guests.”

Without a word, Ursel squeezed Filmore as if he was a plush toy and lifted him off the ground. He even cried like one.

They had a laugh (except for Filmore) over it while they approached the designated areas for picnics. He set the table up while Filmore and Ursel made sure that the playing field was ready for their coming game.

It won’t be a serious game of volleyball, he’s told himself many times since waking up on this fine weekend morning. He’s playing with friends, friends who didn’t care if they had won or lost in a casual game of passing the ball from one side to the other. Fun was all that mattered, and fun is what they will have until it was time for tea.

He set the table for the coming picnic. The thermoses were still warm. Some were cold. There was a cooler with several cans of sparkling juice of various flavours. The block of cheddar and sliced cheese were tucked nicely amongst the slices of bread, the clear boxes of cabbage and tomatoes, a few slices of ham, the shakers of salt and pepper, the bottles of vinegar, a jar of preserve, and some pickled vegetables.

“Some very colourful vegetables,” said Eve, holding the jar up to examine its contents. “Filly, was this why your kitchen reeked of brine a few days ago?”

“It’s good stuff!”

“I’m not so certain about it. Do you?”

Elvard shrugged. “It’s safe and edible.”

“And you know how Elvard is intolerant towards spicy stuff,” said Filmore, taking his seat next to the sea lion so he could have the pickled vegetables. He popped the jar open and popped a yellow slice into his maw. It’s crunch disgusted Eve. “What? Give it a try.”

“I’ll pass.” She moved to join Elvard.

“Don’t mind if I do,” said Ursel, picking a red slice for a bite. Her happily-shut eyes popped open so suddenly. Despite the tears welling up under her eyes, she swallowed and grinned with a hint of nervousness. “This, uh, was great, Filmore! How did you make it?” she panted.

While the boar went into great detail of how he had sliced and diced the peppers and chillies to fit into this jar, Elvard served a mug of warm chocolate and passed it to Ursel. She ceased fanning of her mouth and drank it as if she hadn’t drunk a thing in four days.

She gave him a thumbs up. He returned the gesture without breaking line-of-sight to Filmore.

“… So it’s been sitting in my cupboard for the past couple of days, and I thought that today would be the best time to serve it!”

“I think I may give it a try? But you do know what happens if I don’t like it?”

“It’s fine! More for me!” He popped another slice into his mouth, and he relished in its crispness. “Want one, Vard?”

He looked into the briny liquid at the jostled slices. He feigned contemplation, then reached in to take a green slice and bit a small piece of it.

It was the least spiciest thing he could’ve had from the jar. The others would’ve made him cry a bit, judging by how intense the scent was when the jar was opened.

He reached for his cold themos and started chugging.

“Slow down, Vardy! You might choke,” said Eve, hands ready to pat his back. “Does it still burn?”

He shook his head with a weak smile. “I’ll live. I think I’ll have to eat that with my sandwich later.”

“The other ingredients would help tone down the hotness of these chillis,” said Filmore, popping another red slice. “I ought to put this down before I finish it. We still have a game to play, right guys?”

“Yes!” Ursel jumped eagerly onto her feet. “I’ve been waiting for this day to come! Can we start on the first game, please? Pretty please?”

“In a few moments,” said Elvard, as he downed another chug of mango juice. “You guys can start ahead of me. A shame that Scarlette missed out on this game.”

“Yeah, but she’s not feeling well lately. I’m worried for her.”

“I’m certain that your grandparents would do fine to look after her,” said Filmore, wiping his fingers dry with a tissue, then threw it into a bag he’d recently taken out. He then tucked a corner of the bag under the hamper. “How is she doing?”

Eve shook her head. “Not well. She had a nightmare last night.”

“It’s alright, Eve,” said Ursel, taking her seat next to the sea lion so she could put her arms around her. “I’m sure that Greca will do a good job at looking after her in your place. Want to call him up just to check on things?”

She thought about it. Her mood in a gloom, she fished for her phone and excused herself from the table to make a call out of earshot distance.

“It must be rough, looking after her,” said Filmore. “But I feel bad for Scarlette even more. Poor girl is still recovering from that injury.”

He thought about it for a moment, then got up from his seat. “I’ll check in on Eve.” He made his way towards the sea lion who had her back turned on them.

“… Greca? Hi. The beach party is going well, thank you for asking. We hadn’t started yet. How is Scarlette? Really? Make sure that she gets her painkillers when she is in pain, okay? Huh? You’re having your own party? You sure know how to light up her day. Are you sure you don’t like her? I’m kidding, hahaha~ Elvard and Filmore? They’re here, but Filmore served his pickled chillis, and no one could handle it. Ursel is here too, and she cried from the chilli. Elvard went straight for his drink, so that should let you know how spicy it was. I can’t take spicy food! What if I can’t sing after that? You’re mean, Greca. But I have to thank you for looking after Scarlette while I’m away. It’s a relief to know that she’s happy now. I’ll talk to you again before the party ends, okay? Gaia be with you!”

She put her phone down and turned around. She screamed when she bumped into Elvard.

“Don’t do that!” She threw fists at him, but they bounced off of his chest. “And how long have you been here?”

He shrugged. “Since you started the call. It’s great to know that Greca is doing a good job at keeping Scarlette happy.”

She crossed her arms with a hmph. “As he should.” She sighed. “You have no idea how much weight he has singlehandedly taken off of my shoulders, no pun intended. Come, let’s head back to the others. They’re probably waiting to be smashed by you.”

He looked forward to it, giving his shoulders a stretch as they neared the two. Filmore had left the table to practice with the volleyball.

“How’s goat boy doing?” asked Filmore, attempting to juggle the ball with his hands clasped together.

“Sheep,” corrected Ursel. “But I have the same question as he does.”

“He’s doing great,” replied Eve. “Him and Scar are having a party of their own. Maybe we should’ve invited them to this beach party. She could do with the fresh ocean air.”

“That would be a lovely idea!” said Ursel. After snacking on another shortcake with strawberry filling, she joined Filmore by stealing the ball before he could catch it. “Until that day comes, let’s hit it!”

It was a doubles game of boys versus girls. The players were evenly matched, in that the girls had some experience while Filmore had none. Elvard had to remain at the back to make this game fairer, but he couldn’t help himself from returning the ball to their end if Filmore had miscalculated his strikes.

“Guys, slow down!” cried Filmore. “You said it was a casual game!”

“Casual for us,” said Ursel. “You need more practice!”

“I have clothes! To mend!”

“Have a few games with Elvard then! He’s always available, right?”

Elvard shrugged, but Filmore wasn’t able to see it. He was too busy preventing the girls from scoring to notice.

The game went on for a few rounds with points scored evenly on both sides. Filmore was too exhausted to go on halfway through their matches, but that was fine. Elvard guided him off the court - all the while returning hits - so Filmore could collapse on the side and watch the game unfold between the boy and the girls.

“No cheating, El!”

Not that he planned to. All he had to do was to prevent the girls from scoring, and all the girls had to do was to land a score. One small mistake was all it takes to decide this game.

Not that it would happen. The ball eventually hit the sand on their end, because they couldn’t stand anymore.

He had to admit, he felt out of breath too. But he was still standing. Surely that means something, right?

“What did you expect from the king of volleyball?” panted Eve.

He shrugged.

“I don’t know,” gasped Ursel, who caught him shrugging. “I’m done. And hungry. Need a lift, Eve?”

Eve simply nodded, who was then hoisted onto Ursel’s back as if she weighed nothing.

Ursel dragged her feet towards the picnic table. Elvard managed to maintain pace with her. Halfway back, he walked in reverse to see all the steps that they had taken to prevent the ball from ever touching the sand. If this had been a grassy turf, all the grass would’ve been trampled and pond-shaped holes would’ve been dug on both ends.

Despite being the first to return, Filmore laid flat upon the bench. He had chosen the bench furthest from the playing field, giving the girls the ease of a seat to rest their tired knees.

Elvard simply stood at the end of the table. He dropped his volleyball back into his duffel bag.

Cans were popped. Food containers were opened. Packets were torn. It was time to fill their stomachs, to take their minds off of the aches from the rest of their bodies.

Now they spent their time around the picnic table in silence. Elvard helped himself to some shortcakes, while Filmore was making sandwiches while laying down on the bench.

No one objected his approach. He layered the cabbages, the cheese slices, the ham slices, sprinkled some pepper and salt, and finally the tomatoes between the slices of bread as if he had been putting them together while standing up. By the time that he’d finished the fourth sandwich for himself (this one had his pickled chillis instead of tomatoes), everyone else was nibbling away at theirs. That was when he sat up to have a bite of his sandwich.

“What do you want to do after this?” said Ursel, hoisting herself upright with elbows on the table.

“We could splash around,” said Eve. “No swimming. I’m done for today.”

“I wholly agree,” said Filmore. “I could do with a few waves crashing into my face. What about you, Elv? What are you thinking in that elusive mind of yours?”

He smirked in reply. All he wanted was a swim, hence the light meal he was having. In fact, he only had two shortcakes, but the crumbs on his disposable plate had given the impression that a lot had been consumed.

“I don’t think I get you, man,” said Filmore, taking another bite of his sandwich.

“I’m thinking of a little walk,” he announced, then got up from his seat. “I’ll join you by the sea when I return. I want to check out the cliffs.”

“Enjoy your walk, Elv,” said Ursel. After a drink of her peach-flavoured sparkling juice, she added, “Keep an eye for fossils! There may be good ones in this area.”

“I doubt it,” said Eve. “The people in this neighbourhood would have found all the good fossils before any of us were born.”

“Actually,” said Ursel, getting up from her seat with her can of sparkling juice in hand, “I wish to join you on your walk, Elv. Would you mind?”

He shrugged at her with a smile, then picked a can from the cooler. He was glad that she perceived it as an acceptance.

Only after they had gone a considerable distance from the other two did Ursel ask, “How was your week so far, Elv? I hadn’t heard from you in a while. Filmore claimed that you were busy with practice. How did it go?”

“The usual,” he replied, finally holding his can up for a look at the flavour. It was lemon. Perfect. “My team has been doing well for the coming games. Nothing too remarkable, and my coach didn’t want them to become heavily reliant on my skill… for obvious reasons.”

“Yeah. You’d make winning those games too easy. And you’d be banned.”

He shrugged, then popped his can open for a sip. That fizzy lemony taste shook him up. “I’m not scared. It’s good to be a reserve player in case someone sprains an ankle. Not that I’d wish for it to happen to anyone. And I wouldn’t go up if my teammates did it deliberately.”

“I know,” she said with a chuckle. “A sprained ankle isn’t worth the win. But people have done far dumber things for less.” A sigh.

He tipped his drink to that. It’s not like he and the gang hadn’t made such mistakes in the past. He could still recall the times that he had made an error in his judgement, like that time he threw a punch at an arachnid creature. Something had happened after he’d missed, but he couldn’t remember it, or know how he was still alive. Don’t spiders usually turn their prey into soup? Or did this otherworldly entity feed on something else?

He hoped he’d never find out.

Ursel hadn’t said anything either. Her attention was at the sea instead.

A gust swept past them. He had to hold down his wig in case it was blown off.

Ursel stood firm against the wind and enjoyed the blast of air from the sea.

He glanced behind him. Eve and Filmore were still at the table. Neither of them were looking at their direction.

“I’m sorry that my schedule has been difficult,” she continued.

“It’s okay,” he replied. “How’s your training going?”

She shrugged. “Well, I suppose. I’m not used to the graveyard shifts, and I would have to in case I was called in for a shift. I’m just glad that they would allow me to look after Scarlette, and consider it as work experience. I just hope that it goes well.”

“I remember. You were really excited to meet her when Eve announced that she had to house a friend. It’s awful, what she’d been through. I think that she’s only here because her G.P. suggested that she stays in a stress-free environment, right?”

Ursel nodded. “And she wasn’t like Vivienne, whom we’d known for a long time. We have to be gentler with Scarlette. I am so relieved that Greca could make her feel welcome, but we must remain vigilant. She is still recovering, even if her wound has healed.”

Even if her wound has healed. He wondered why none of them had been this careful when Vivienne made that decision. Maybe it was because they trusted her as much as she trusted in them?

This Scarlette… they’d only known each other for less than four months. Known, in a sense that they had only seen each other and never said a word. No questions, no “how are you”s, not even a “hello” from Scarlette.

No one minded. They were no strangers to traumatic events that resulted in a loss.

“Have you ever wondered how she sounds like?” asked Ursel.

He shrugged. “I have never heard her speak.”

“Neither have I,” she replied. “It was easy, I suppose. To keep her mobile. To make sure that she is steady on her crutches. To let her know that she will be alright. I want her to live a comfortable life after what she’d been through.”

“But only Eve knows what she had been through,” he remarked, stopping to glance behind him. The two now looked like specks of dust in the distance, a spot of blue and yellow.

“I wish that she would just share with us what Scarlette has been through. At least we would know what not to show to her when we want to watch movies with her.”

He put up a thoughtful look. What movies had he seen? “What about documentaries? She should be fine with documentaries, right?”

Ursel chuckled. “That could work. But what type of documentary would you suggest? I don’t keep up with those like how I do with my dramas.”

He shrugged with a grin. “I think we’ll find something for her. Maybe we’ll just let our service provider decide- Hold on.”

There was something in the sand. Upon closer inspection, it was a small tube-like object that tapered to a point that had broken off at some point. This piece was as long as his pinky finger, but it was smaller than it.

The rhino crouched next to him, her eyes transfixed onto the object. “What’s that?”

“I do not know,” he said. “Maybe one of Eve’s friends knows? We could ask her boss if he’d ever seen such a thing.”

“Well, we found something at least. Let’s share it with the others. Maybe Scarlette would love to see it.”

Maybe she will.

A grumble came from the sea. Those clouds at the horizon have darkened tremendously.

“There goes our plan to have a splash.” Ursel sighed.

“But we have a fossil to share,” he reminded, holding onto in his closed fist. “Let’s head back before we get drenched. Maybe we could make it back to Eve’s home in time for the party back there.”

“I’ll race ya!”

He didn’t mind a race against her. Sure, she was faster than him, but that’s okay. It’s nice not to be a winner in some fields.