Catherina - Day 16

Tut – Tut – Tut. The cruise liner detached itself from the dock, its silvery-white body shimmering with the tide's hold. Stay, stay, stay. The foaming sea was whispering, urging, shrieking. Yet, the liner had made up its mind. Thus, it departed at a steady pace, cutting through waves and sifting the water into white bubbles. Not without remorse, the tide (which was bounded to the dock) watched the cruise become a dot on the offing and sunk below the horizon right into the center of that hot red balloon, which contaminated the pure sapphire with a gory paint.

Leaning against the rail, the boy gazed out into the sea that had filled the lower half of the picture with a chilling Prussian blue – a color of solidity. Separated from the sea's coolness by a flaming orange line, the upper half of the view consisted of violet, magenta, and crimson that blended into each other like a melting unicorn ice cream - a delicious treat. The same Prussian blue was eating away the warmness, a bite each time, choking it with dark tentacles creeping through clouds.

The moon was out - a pale, watery crescent with grey age spots. The sun had not yet gone down, but its brightness had diminished, flaming lantern turned into quivering candlelight. With awe, the boy watched the moon climbing higher towards the zenith and the sun descending below the horizon, its last glaze of light about to ignite another semisphere of the sky.

How long had he been here, watching the domain of gulls? The boy's idle thoughts touched upon his family - why had they not come to call him for dinner? The buffet ought to begin hours ago. Pondering over this mystery, the boy slowly turned himself to rest his back on the rail. The wind was howling, sending goose pumps up his bare arms. He smelt salty water, and in it, the moon's reflection.

The deck was empty – white masts and white rails weaving a labyrinth of shadows on the wooden surface, segmenting it into cutting shades. Where had the crew gone? The boy liked their white and blue uniform – the color of the foaming waves.

Tap, tap. The sound of high heels hitting the floor, a womanly figure emerged from behind the spiral stairs towards the top floor. She was not there before – the boy could not have mistaken the emptiness behind the staircase's hollowed-out handrail. He might be wrong, though, for the woman wore black, a perfect camouflage into a corner of shadow.

Quietly, the woman stepped into a spotlight poured down by the overhead lamp, and there she remained still. Black shirt and black skirt, black hair, and black heel – a soul belonged to the night. Besides a monochrome outfit, the woman was characterized by a sense of dryness – one of smoke sausage and a slice of lean meat: no fat, no juice, no water even when surrounded by water. The boy was uncertain of her age - although the woman stood in the light, her face was too blurry for him to recognize. 20 - 70. A precise age range.

"Hello." Timidly, the boy smiled habitually. The woman looked slim enough to be harmless; however, she brought about a suffocating air, and even a thread of it was menacing.

"I am your family." Not responding to the boy's show of friendliness, the woman spoke plain words into a cipher.

"I'm sorry?" He must have misheard her, mustn't he? His family should be sitting in the dining hall, awaiting him. Mom, dad …… wait, who is in his family? It overheated his brain to think about his family members, the boy realized with pain. Does he even have a family?

"I am your family, and you will follow my lead." The woman repeated, and this time in a softer, more soothing voice. For a split second, the boy thought she was pleading. How curious! A stranger …… no, not a stranger anymore. Now, the woman had an air of extreme maternity and familiarity. She was sweet, loving, and caring. She was the literal embodiment of his favorite female relatives.

"Yes, I will." In perfect consciousness, the boy accepted the woman's offer. He knew what he was doing, and he will do anything for her. Of course, for she was his family.

The moon had vanished behind shrouds of clouds, and fog had arisen from the water, containing the cruise in a humid whiteness. Breathing liquid air, the boy waited for the woman to come forward, walk towards him, and hold his hand. Her palm was slimy on the surface and stiff under the skin. She guided him towards one side of the cruise, from where a dark block came into view.

The cruise went closer to that block, and now the boy could see that it was a cliff. Should there be a cliff in the middle of the ocean? This question vaguely passed in the boy's mind. The cruise kept going – it had gone astray, but no one seemed to notice (where was the crew?) – until its nose crashed into the cliff. Shades of stone and wood were clashing in midair, and the deck was cracking, breaking under the immense shock. Nonetheless, the boy and the woman stood still.

"I am going." The woman had not spoken, but the boy understood her regardless.

He climbed over the rail and hold on to it in a firm squeeze, his body inclining outwards toward the cliff. If he bowed his head, the boy could see the dark, swirling water beneath him. Yet, he held his chin up, proudly as a warrior. Slightly bending his knees, the boy was breathing at a normal pace. He could see the black stones amplifying in his view, coming closer to his physical presence second by second. They must be dry - the boy thought, despite the rocks reflecting watery light from the moon, which peeped out from behind the clouds.

His heartbeat had not quickened, and his pupil had not dilated for darkness – the boy held on to the rail still.

"I do this for you." Turning his head, the boy smiled to the woman, who looked encouragingly at him. Then, his toes tipped – a perfect parabola. The boy relaxed his limbs in midair as if about to embrace a soft teddy bear, only that he was aiming towards a black rockery cliff.

"Thank you." The boy heard the lovely voice behind him, expressing gratitude for his kindness. If one stood at the woman's spot, he could see that the boy was absorbed into darkness, a black hole, a complete vacancy just as that on the cruise. The floor was intact. The mast stood still. A few guests holding cocktails lingered in pairs. The sun had yet sunken.

No cliff, no fog, and no moon. No woman in black.

When the boy reopened his eyes, he was among a noisy group. People were excited, chatting loudly in a foreign tongue, aiming their cameras here and there. Most people around him were female, possibly middle and old aged - a tourist group led by a young girl with a red cap and ponytail.

"Welcome to town!" The girl had exaggerated facial expressions, showing a bit too much of her teeth, "we are going to dine at its most popular restaurant." She pointed to a place across the street, which had pink neon signs decorating its front.

Following her guide, the boy walked into the restaurant ahead of the group. Inside, the restaurant was busy, and a long line had formed around the open kitchen, ending at the counter. A wire fence encircled the kitchen, baring customers from the waiters.

Shouldering through crowds, the boy pushed himself towards the first place and saw that a chef was frying hamburger patties. Was the boy hungry? Perhaps he was so hungry that he started to hallucinate – or how else could he see the young tour guide coming in with a tiger's head.

"Hey, we need to leave here!" The tiger head waved at him, "we are meeting in front of that roadside shop in five minutes!"

The boy was confused – weren't they here for dinner? He turned to his right, trying to find the other group members. Immersed in an enchanting electric magenta, the crowd - in which everyone had a blurred figure - swamped the boy.

The boy groaned, for the restaurant was too hot, too dazzling, and too pink. Beside him, a black panther in pink underwear was ordering. Now that he was dizzy, the boy desperately longed for fresh air. Thus, he shouldered through the crowds again (forgetting what Mom had taught him about manner) and went out.

I woke up in a daze and, seconds later, realized that I hadn't had a proper burger in a long time. Healthy food or junk indulgence? The boy will choose the latter.

photo credit: https://prods3.imgix.net/images/articles/2016_04/Slide16-Diner-Neon-Sign-Art-Restaurant-Design-Let-There-Be-Neon.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2.63&ixjsv=2.2.3&q=38