The Gazebo

The child was attracted to the area, the water glittering in the warm sun. A hot day always goes well with cool water, appealing to the youngster than the shade of the forest surrounding the lake. They reached the edge of the water, almost running in to splash with their shoes and socks on. They paused, realizing it would be smarter to take off their blue sneakers and striped socks before zooming into the water.

Upon taking off those hinderances, MJ looked around for somewhere to set them down in a safe spot. His gaze focused on the roofed patio, scurrying over to drop off his shoes and socks under the protection of the landing. It was then that he noticed the stranger, leaning dangerously over the railing. His brown eyes sparkled as he hurried towards them, excited to make more friends.

“Hello!” He greeted, probably a little too loudly.

"Hey!" Alex grinned back, waving a hand as they leaned against the wooden railing.

"You wantin' to go for a swim, lil one?" Alex asked, glancing across the shores of the lake and back where the other godling had come from. It seemed like they were unsupervised. Wasn't someone supposed to look after kids like this? "You got any folks lookin' after you, or do you want me to be the lifeguard?"

“I’m a good swimmer! Mommy said so,” the child reassured the stranger, puffing their chest proudly. They hopped off the gazebo landing, heading to the water, confident in their skill. It appeared they were alone, no supervision whatsoever, which made sense. They were all dead in this plain, and it would be unlikely that an entire family would be chosen for the god repopulation program and even more unlikely for all of them to die at the same time.

MJ hustled over to the edge of the water, sliding a toe into the water. Before recoiling, a slight shock from the temperature. It was indeed cold, but it felt nice on the hot day. His eyes narrowed as he glared against the sun’s reflection on the water. Attention was turned back towards Alex.

“What’s your name? I’m MJ!”

"Alex. My name's Alex." He smiled, a warming expression that reflected years of altruism. This was another chance for spreading some good. "Good to meet you, MJ!"

The young man hopped up onto the railing, resting his hands on his knees and taking in a deep breath of clean air, closing his eyes. Alex sighed, opening his eyes after a moment. "You spent a lot of time swimming, MJ? Was it in pools, or lakes like this?" He asked calmly, trusting the child's confidence in his swimming, but also probing a little bit more just in case.

The child suddenly leaped into the water, sending water everywhere. They closed their eyes, diving underneath the cool water, before coming back up. It wasn’t very deep, but deep enough to come up to the child’s nose. Turning to face Alex, they swam over, eventually wading once the depth was shallower.

“Mommy used to take Anthony and me to the neighborhood lake! That’s where I learned to swim. Anthony is amazing! He’s like, a fish!” MJ rambled. They used present tense, as if this Anthony was still with them, as if he was still alive. It was a sad reality that someone so young as the eight-year-old could not understand the situation they were in. Who was this Anthony?

"Is Anthony your brother?" Alexander asked gently, looking at the mirror-like water. It seemed cool and refreshing, but it would likely be weird if he swam with the kid. If only they were related somehow. That would have been too small a chance, though.

“Hehe, nope! He’s my best friend,” the child explained, splashing in the water. Their shaggy hair was now wetted down, droplets of lake water ran down their face. “Mommy took me and Anthony to swimming lessons.”

It appeared MJ’s splashing of the water attracted a few of the nearby animals, more specifically a family of ducks. They moved closer, an innocent curiosity drawing them towards the commotion that was happening on the water’s surface. The ripples made in the usually calm waters, strong waves that could hardly be created from a mere duck. It was different.

"Your Mum sounds like quite a woman. I'm glad she took care of you while she could." Alex replied in a slightly saddened tone, wondering where MJ thought his 'Mommy' was right now. "She definitely raised you well - look, you've even got some new friends coming over!" Alex laughed, pointing over to the two ducks and their many ducklings paddling over.

“She is! Your mommy works for the hospital?” The child questioned, phrasing everything in present-tense. They didn’t understand they were dead, either of them, so they spoke as if they were still alive. Their eyes sparkled as the duck family neared the youth.

"I work- worked- for the hospital. My mum was a teacher." Alex smiled, catching on that MJ must have confused themselves between Alex's best friend and his mum.

One smaller looking duckling swam right up to MJ, no fear, just like him. It was strange, seeing a wild animal so carelessly approach a human, and a child at that. Big beady eyes stared back at big brown eyes, a connection was made. Actually, multiple connections were made as some other ducklings joined their companion. He giggled, laying his hand palm up, offering it to the ducklings.

The feathery fowls scuttled up to the outstretched hand, boarding the platform. The child smiled, bringing the group towards themselves. It was a cute sight, a sight for sore eyes. A young child, nose to beak with a group of ducklings they carried in their hands.

As MJ all but nuzzled the ducklings, Alex could feel his heart melt into goo. It was unspeakably cute and he couldn't believe nobody else was here to see it. "Awwww.." He couldn't help but let out an involuntary squeal.

The child giggled, turning to face Alex. They apparently had not noticed the large heron that oversaw them from a distance. The ducklings followed the direction in which the child was looking, multiple beady black eyes stared at the other, taller figure. The yellow fuzzy friends treaded water, some circling the boy slowly.

“Nah, mommy won’t let me have a pet, she says I’m not old enough,” he said, pouting slightly. “But Anthony has a big black dog! It’s super fluffy.” MJ made sure to emphasize the fluffy part as he stroked the fuzz of the duckling in his hand. Wait, if all these ducklings were technically his, did that mean he had to name ALL of them? His brow furrowed as he slowly, very slowly, counted how many ducklings there were. About eight in total, like his age. He was delighted to figure that out.

They beamed, white teeth almost shining brighter than the sun above. There was a youthful aura around the child, seemingly aging backwards every living thing around them. It seemed they liked the idea of expanding their family, their connections, friends. It was then that the child giggled, now noticing the heron mimicking the other’s movements.

“Lookie! You have a friend too,” he laughed, pointing at the avian. The fluff ball resting on his hand, chirped, flapping their small wings. MJ had decided to name that one Marco. It was distinguished by a small scar that ran down their beak.

The crane nipped gently at Alex's hand, causing him to be distracted as MJ explained their past. The older godling shooed the big bird with a wave of his arm, trying to pay attention to what MJ had to say. The grey-black heron-looking creature persisted, instead now standing right beside Alex, copying every movement he made to the smallest detail.

The child giggled, gathering the little squad of ducklings around them. There was about eight in total, the one sitting in the child’s palms was fondly named Marco with the distinguishing scar on his bill. The one snuggled next to the kid’s leg would be named Cuddles. The child would need some other way to distinguish between the ducklings if there weren’t any features like Marco’s.

Big brown eyes looked up at Alex, a broad smile crossing their small face. “Whatchu gonna name your’s?” MJ asked, nodding towards the large heron. He surmised that avian was about the size of all his ducklings if they stood head to webbed-toe on top of each other. “This is Marco,” he offered, holding up the duckling in his hand.

Alex tapped a finger to his chin gently, pondering on a name. The great bird looked up at them curiously and with expectation in its eyes. "Maybe I'll call mine Polo!" The young man laughed, probably a bit too pleased with himself, "There was a famous explorer once a time called Marco Polo, ya see?" He explained to the kid, leaning back onto the railing. "Yeah-- I think that's good for now. I'm not great at making decisions like this."

“Marco polo? That’s a game Anthony and I like to play!” There he was again. This “Anthony.” The elusive name and friend that the child easily spoke of as if he were still alive. A cruel fate, for both the child and friend. The child, for having died so young and oblivious, and the friend, who had to witness the death and suffer the consequences of a small mistake. Not even a lifetime of therapy could heal those wounds Anthony bore.

MJ furrowed his brow, adopting a cartoonish thinking pose before glancing at the squad of ducklings. He was sure they would just follow him once he started moving towards the shore. Marco fluttered in his hand, before the boy decided to put the duckling back into the water. He started toward the land, hobbling onto the grass.

At first the ducklings swam aimlessly in the water, until Marco chirped and quickly made a b-line to MJ. In turn, the other baby fowl followed the other. They quacked and fumbled to the shore, some falling over their clumsy selves and knocking into the others. They created quite a ruckus, to the boy’s amusement. He squatted down, wagging a small finger at the mischief makers.

“Now, now, be careful,” the child said in a reprimanding tone. They seemed to be mimicking a parent scolding a child, but in an immature and less threatening kind of way.