The owner of the carriage I was hitchhiking smiles politely at me. "We are here!" He says while pointing at a dirt path leading to some runed-down buildings. I hop out of the car with some of my luggage in hand. He puts my last suitcase on the ground and prepares to get back on the road. With a quick wave and a thank you, I watch as he spins the carriage around and wheels away.

I grab my things and walk along the dirt road. The small town ahead looked just like the other people I took rides with described: old wooden buildings, fog due to the many different bodies of water around the area and the heavy smell of fish. If I weren't a fisherman myself, the smell would probably be too much for me.

The locals all shoot me sour and curious looks, but that is expected from small town folk. I am a stranger carrying some luggage around after all. A building sporting a huge sign on the shape of a fish caught my attention. "The Salty Sardine" it says.

A pub sounds like a great place to make some friends on a town like this, but after such a long trip I could really use some rest. Especially since I haven't even seen the house I'll be living from now own. Maybe buying a random property without even looking at it wasn't the best idea I have ever had, but I was looking for a fresh start. Plus the price to a place like that so close to good fishing spots was too good to let it pass.

I've been a fisherman for most of my life. A passion passed to me by my uncle, who spent most of his days on a boat at the sea.

A shiny and colorful machine by the door of the pub beckons me to approach it and just like a fish, I'm drawn to it. It's a coin machine with many toys inside. Crouching and inspecting it closer makes me realize that they are actually fishing lures. A smile comes to my face as I think about how fitting it is for a fishing town to have coin machines with stuff like these as prizes.

A scuffed giggle by my side caught me off guard and I quickly stand up. A man is looking at me with a bright smile on his face. His dirty apron sports the same fish from the sign neatly stitched to it. He places his hand on top of the machine:

- Customers love this stuff, even the kids come by to buy some. I bet they even collect it and what not.

He offers his hand to me:

- I'm Peter. This here is my pub! You are the new guy, right? The one who moved to the swamp house.

I tilt my head and shake his hand:

- Yes, that's me. Name's Adrian. A swamp house, you say? There was nothing on the advertisement about that.

He sports a concerned look on his face and, after glancing around to see if no one was listening, he comes closer and whispers:

- The mayor can be a little shady sometimes. That house was on the market for a long time, so I don't doubt that he may have lied about it to sound better on paper.

I flinch when I hear those words. I hope I won't have too much work fixing up the old house and property. I think Mr. Peter sensed my anxiety, as he puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles friendly:

- Oh but don't worry so much! I'm sure that if you hold him accountable for that, he'll find someone to help you tidy the place up!

He winks and turns towards the door of the pub:

- I'm sure that you must be tired, but don't hesitate to come by the Salty Sardine when you feel like it! We have the best fish and chips of this side of the river!

I nod and glance once again at the coin machine, 'why not?' I think to myself while reaching on my coat's pocket. Pulling a coin out, I insert it on the machine and spin the handle. A clanking sound from inside could be heard and a plastic ball rolls out of it. I place it on my hand and open it, revealing my prize inside. A purple dragonfly made out of something jelly like wiggles on my fingers as I move it around, content with my newest possession. I put it back on its plastic ball and shove it in my pocket. When I look up, I can see thorough one of the Windows of the pub that Mr. Peter is looking at me, a warm smile on his face. I wave goodbye and pick up my luggage, heading towards my new home.

It wasn't difficult to find the property. Although it was a little farther from town, the change of scenery quickly made you realize where it was. From the alpine biome to marsh and swampy in a few steps, it's was like stepping through a door to another world. Even the sky looked different. A mailbox sits lonely in front of a small cabin, all looking very decrepit. A shed could be seen by the side of the cabin and the calming noise of a running river could be heard. I walk around the small property, accessing the damage that time has done to the place. I stand on the back porch of the cabin and stare at the river running behind it. Maybe it's because of the swampy appearance of the place, but I expect a crocodile to jump out of it at any moment.

The front door is locked, as it should. I hit my forehead with my hand, of course it's locked! I drop my luggage loudly on the front porch, making a noise come from the shed. I stare at it, waiting for any other noises, but nothing comes. I slowly approach it, forgetting completely about the weird prospects of crocodiles being around.

The door of the shed is half open. I creep inside, looking around it. The dirty windows make the shed a little dark, with some corners completely shrouded on it. I fully open the door, expecting to light the place a little more. As the sun light fills the place, I see movement on one of the corners of the shed. Slowly, a young man stands up, as he was sitting on the ground, a book on one of his hands. His face is flushed and he avoids my eyes, staring at his feet. I take a step closer and offer my hand:

- Hello...? I'm Adrian, the new owner of this place.

He faces me, a surprised expression on his face:

- I didn't know anyone lived here! I'm so sorry!

He raises his hands and averts his gaze from mine. With my hand still in the air, I now offer him a smile:

- Oh, no problem! I just bought this place and moved today. Apparently this place has been abandoned for quite a while now, so I understand why you thought it was empty.

He slowly raises his hand and shakes mine, pulling away quickly:

- I'm so sorry... My name is Roe...

I wave my hand in dismissal to show him not to worry about it, but a quick glance at the book he is holding catches my attention. There is a fork and knife crossed over a fish on the cover. I tilt my head trying to read the title, but as he catches me doing it, he hurriedly hides the book behind his back.

He paces back and forth quickly and basically runs out of the shed, shoving me lightly so he can go through the door. He mumbles a quick "I'm sorry, I have to go" and scurries away on the muddy path out of the property. I stand in place processing what just happened for some seconds and then remember that I have to go back in town to find the mayor and get the key to the house.

The mayor’s place was not difficult to find at all. The biggest manor in town, with huge windows at the front and two stores high. I stand in front of it, hands on my hips, admiring the craftsmanship of the house. I knock on the big wooden double door and shove my hands on my pockets. I swear it's colder when you're standing in town. The door creeks open and a young girl greets me. Judging by the way she is dressed, I presume that she is a maid. She eyes me up and down, a curious shine in her eyes. I take off my hat and offer her a smile:

- hello miss. Is this the house of the mayor?

She nods, still just staring at my face. I put my hat back on:

- well, I would like to talk to him. Name's Adrian. I just moved to the little house down the dirt path up north.

She fully opens the door and beckons me to come inside. I step in and just as expected the house looks just as fancy on the inside. There are pictures and models of ships and fishing boats of all sizes and a huge marlin hangs on one of the walls. I come closer to it, gawking at the size of the fish. Footsteps catches my attention and I turn. Before me, a short and chubby man sporting an impressive silver mustache greets me with a smile:

- Adrian! I've been expecting you! Did you have a good trip? It must have been quite the hassle since there isn't any train lines running around this area.

I approach him and offer my hand. He shakes it vigorously:

- have you seen the place yet? What do you think?

- it's a little more runned-down than I thought, but nothing that I can't fix.

The mayor nods knowledgeably:

- yes, indeed. I'm sorry for not mentioning about it earlier. But I already thought of a way to make it up to you!

I wave my hand dismissively:

- oh there is no need for that. I have lots of free time, to be honest.

- of course not! I own you that, at least!

Hesitantly, I nod at him. I shift my attention back to the marlin at the wall, trying to wave off the awkwardness:

- caught this one yourself?

He belly laughs joyfully, patting his stomach with both hands:

- no, my grand pappy caught that one. With hook and line he said! I don't believe it for a second, but it has been on our family for generations now.

We both stare at the fish in silence for some seconds, until the mayor suddenly gasps:

- oh my! You're here because the house is locked! I should've left the keys at the mailbox or something like that. Wait here, I'll be right back with them.

He disappears through one of the doors. I step closer to a wall covered in portraits. There are pictures of people and places. It seems that even though the town was quite small, it has been up for a long time. I hear shuffling behind me and turn to see the maid staring at me. Her big blue eyes piercing through my soul. I face her and open my mouth to talk, but the mayor emerges back on the room, keys in hand:

- here they are! With these, I leave you to it. Welcome to Four Waters.

I thank him and grab the keys. There are two silver keys dangling on a fish keychain. The young girl opens the door for me and as I'm leaving, I hear the mayor shout from inside a room:

- ah yes, about the fixing of your place, I'll send my son tomorrow morning to help.

As I'm about to reply, the maid closes the door, leaving me standing at the porch.

I still have some time before it gets too dark, so I decide to explore the town. By the right side of the mayor’s manor sits another tall building. Two statues of jumping fish adorn the front and a plaque on a wall directs that this is a museum. I had no idea that this place had a museum or history enough to fill one. I step closer to one of the statues and touch it, running my fingers along the back of the fish. The smooth stone makes me chuckle, as I think about how fish are scaly and slimy.

It seems my actions amused someone, as I hear chuckling coming from my side. A man is standing by the door of the museum, a grin on his face as he studies me. I offer him a smile and tip my hat. He comes closer and offers his hand:

- hello! Welcome to the Four Water’s Museum! Are you here for a visit?

I take his hand and notice how warm it is. This man definitely wasn't born here:

- thank you, and no, I'm not. I just moved here. The little house up north, you know.

- oh yes! The mayor mentioned someone was moving there. I'm Arno, curator of this museum and head librarian.

- Adrian. This place has a library also?

- haha, yes! It used to be only the library, but when some of the local fishermen started to catch some unusual stuff around here, we decided to expose some on the building.

- and then you moved here to take care of the place.

- why, yes indeed! I've been living in this town for... Around two years, I think. How did you know?

- pfff, you don't sound like any of the locals. Then again, the only one I actually spoke to was the guy from the pub and he seems very nice. The others are giving me the stink eye when I walk by.

- hmm, I'll have to agree with that. When I first moved here, people would also look at me like that. And indeed, Peter is a very nice and welcoming man. I enjoy going by his pub at night to have some dinner and a drink.

I peek inside the building. As expected, the walls are covered in fish, both in pictures or mounted. There are many tables sporting curious artifacts and nautical paraphernalia. As a centerpiece, a huge anchor rests on the ground, chains and dry seaweed still attached to it. Arno steps aside and gestures inside with a smile:

- well, come on in! Let me show some of the story of this town!

As much as I'm enjoying his company and the nice smell of his cologne, the sky is getting quite dark and I still have to give a look at the inside of my new house. I explain as such and he nods understandably, waving goodbye after me promising that I would visit the museum soon.

Back at my place, I finally open the door. As expected, it looks abandoned, with a thick layer of dust covering everything. Other than that, it all looks in order. Kitchen and living room are the same, a bedroom with bathroom on the left. I enter the bedroom and drop my luggage on the floor. The bed looks comfy enough to sleep on it at least today. I'll definitely have to dust everything, including myself, tomorrow morning. I look at my bags, but the motivation to unpack just won't come to me. With a grunt, I walk towards the bed and drop myself onto it, letting dust fly everywhere and me regret that decision immediately. My eye lids feel so heavy and so does my body. As the night sets in, the sound of the river running behind my house can be heard. So soothing...

I jolt up from the bed, startled by the rapid knocking in the front door. The sun greets me from the window. Wow, I slept like a log. Lazily I get up and stretch. More knocking awakes me from my morning daze and I slowly make my way towards the front door. I open while still letting out a yawn, making the stranger in front of me chuckle in amusement. A person stands on my front porch. Their androgynous features and playful smirk caught me completely off guard. Regaining my composure, I blink rapidly trying to get my eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light of the sun. The person shoves their hands inside of the pockets of their overalls and blows a bubble gum at my direction, letting it pop with a loud noise:

- morning, sleepy head!

They do an overly exaggerated bow, their long hair swishing close to my face. I smile at the stranger:

- good morning...? How can I help you?

They blow another bubble, this time letting it hang around a little longer before popping:

- my dad told me he promised that I needed to come here and help you and stuff.

Then it hits me:

- you're the mayor’s son?

- ding ding ding, you got it! So, what do you need help with? Aside from fixing yourself up first...

He eyes me up and down, a novelty frown on his face:

- I'm sure a brush would do you wonders. Also, I hope you did not sleep with those clothes on...

I look at myself and then back at him:

- yeah, I was very tired yesterday. My head hit the pillow and I was out cold. Name's Adrian, by the way.

I offer my hand at him, but he blows a bubble and spins on his hills, facing the front yard:

- yeah, I hope you don't expect me to help you fix anything out here. This place looks filthy. Is it any better inside?

I look behind my shoulder and gesture to him to follow me. Once inside, he goes around the living room with a disgusted expression on his face. He touches the top of a shelf and pulls his hand back quickly, wiping his finger on his shirt:

- ugh, yeah, no. This is horrible.

He walks back towards the door and I follow him curiously. Back at the front porch, he spins around to face me:

- sorry, but I'm out. If you see my dad, tell him that I helped you a lot and stuff.

He walks away and waves goodbye without even looking at me. I hear the last pop of his bubble gum as I'm just left standing at my front door watching him walk away.It's around noon when I decide to stop my cleaning for a lunch break. I remember Mr. Peter mentioning fish and chips and think about how good those would be right now.

As I step inside The Salty Sardine, the patrons all look at me. I wave awkwardly to the nearest one, who just looks back at their meal. Mr. Peter emerges from where I assume is the kitchen and spots me:

- Adrian! You came! Here, have a seat!

He points towards a table and pulls a small notebook as I sit down:

- so, what's up for today? Wanna try our famous special?

His enthusiasm is really contagious and I can't help but smile:

- the fish and chips? Yes please!

He taps my shoulder with his pen and winks:

- one special, coming up!

I watch as he skips happily back at the kitchen and then look around the place. Just like all the buildings I've seen so far in this town, the walls are covered with pictures and mounted fish. On one of the walls sits a glass cabinet with many trophies inside, adorned with fish and fishing poles. Pictures of fishermen with their catches sits by the side of each trophy and a small plaque on top of the cabinet reads "annual fishing tourney winners". I smile thinking about how fun will it be once I'm settled in this community and ready to participate on this kind of events. On the reflection of the cabinet, I spot a familiar figure, so I turn and face the front door of the pub. Standing at the door is Roe, who seems to be looking for a vacant table to sit. I wave at him and as soon as his eyes meets mine his face turns bright red and he spins around, ready to leave:

- Roe! Same as usual?

Mr. Peter is standing by the kitchen door, flagging Roe with one hand while holding a spatula with the other. Roe seems frozen in place for some seconds, before slowly turning around and meekly walking closer. He stops closer to Peter and nods, fidgeting with his fingers and the sleeves of his sweater. As Peter leaves, I pull a chair from my table and smile at him:

- here man, grab a seat!

He briefly looks at my face and shyly sits by my table, mumbling a quiet 'thank you'.We sit in silence, him looking at the floor as I glance around the place. I point towards the glass cabinet:

- so, when does that event happens?

He looks at the cabinet and then at me, answering quietly:

- mid summer.

I smile and nod. It's fall now. I wonder if it snows here. As I'm about to ask, a plate of fish is placed in front of me. Mr. Peter is all smiles as he then places the plate of chips:

- want anything to drink? Yours will be right out, Roe.

He says, winking at Roe. I ask for a soda. Roe is quiet for most of the meal, giving short answers here and there. It seems he was born and raised on this town. As I bring my glass to my lips, I notice him shooting a glance towards the front door and getting a little more pale than normal. He quickly looks away and almost cowers under the table. I look towards the door and see the source of his fear: the mayor's son. He comes in strutting, arms open and smirking at the people inside, saying his greetings. Everybody greets him, some just raising their cups. He makes his way towards the front counter, but stops when he notices me:

- well now! Seems like the new guy decided to try the special! What do you think?

I look down at my plate and back at him:

- it's pretty good.

- yeah, I don't eat that stuff anymore. I'm honestly sooooooo tired of fish!

He eyes me up and down with a smug smirk on his face and as I'm about to argue back, his face changes to a scowl:

- oh Roe... You are here...

I look back at Roe, who was almost under the table by this point. He jolts back up on his chair and eyes him warily, murmuring:

- hello Nereid....

Nereid leans over my shoulder, his face very close to mine but eyes sharp on Roe:

- watch out for your food, new guy. One second of distraction and fatty over there may wolf it all down!

Roe averts his gaze, looking at his own plate, face completely flushed. Nereid laughs and looks at me, his face still very close. I squint at him and gently tap his arm off of me. By his face I can tell that he didn't like that:

- wow, what is this? High school? You came here to eat or to make people feel miserable?

He frowns at me, and not in the playful or sarcastic way that he did before. I can tell that this guy is not used to people telling him off:

- excuse me? Please, I don't eat on places like these. I -

- well, then I guess you can just leave, right? We are trying to eat.

He just stares at me, mouth agape. I hear some people laughing behind him. With a pout in his face, he looks at Roe:

- enjoy your meal, you little pig.

And with that, he spins around and struts his way out, huffing and puffing. As I'm following him with my eyes, someone on a table flags me down with their hand. A guy smiles and gives me a thumbs up. I smile back and look to my plate, but a quiet sob catches my attention. Roe is looking at the ground, his face bright red as he wipes his tears with the sleeves of his sweater. I reach my hand across the table and touch his shoulder, making him let out a small yelp and look at me:

- hey man, just ignore that guy. I barely even know him but already know that you shouldn't listen to the stuff he says. He seems like a prick. You're a good guy so don't let idiots like that get under your skin, okay?

I smile trying to reassure him and offer one of my napkins. As he grabs it and cleans his face I reach my hands on my pockets, looking for my wallet. A round object touches my fingers and I pull it out. It's the little plastic ball I got from the vending machine yesterday! I pop it open and reveal the purple dragonfly, taking Roe's attention. He eyes it curiously, his big blue eyes shining with a childish wonder. I wiggle it a little and then offer it to him:

- here, I got it from the vending machine out front.

He grabs it and wiggles it around, a shy smile appearing on his face. I watch him play around with the dragonfly while pulling my wallet out of my pocket and flagging Peter:

- so, what did you think? Did you like it?

- yes, no wonder it's the special! Nothing like fresh fish for a good meal!

I pay for mine's and Roe's meal and stand up, shaking Peter's hand and thanking him for the meal. Roe is lost in thought wiggling the bait but quickly gets up when he notices me and Peter are up. Peter shakes his hand as well and we make our way towards the exit. As we're standing at the door, Roe offers me the dragonfly back, but I smile and gently hold his hand shut with the bait on it:

- you can keep it. I don't like to use fake bait.

He looks at our hands and back at my face, his face flushed red. He then pulls his hand back and averts his gaze to his feet. His voice is quiet and soft:

- thanks for having lunch with me... And for standing up to Nereid...

- no worries! Tell me if he causes you any more trouble, okay?

He looks me in the eyes and smiles. I don't think I've seen him smile like that yet. I remember the terrified expression he had on his face when we first met. Talking about that...

- say... what were you doing on my shed that day?

His smile quickly vanishes and his eyes grow wide. He shoves the dragonfly on his pocket and shuffles away, waving good bye from afar. I stand there for some seconds, processing what just happened

It's around 4 p.m. when I reach a point in my cleaning that I just can't go forward. I swear if I see another mud smudge, I'll go crazy. I look at my clothes and see that I'm pretty dirty. Whelp, since I'm already like this I guess I should just get some fishing going.

After grabbing some worms from behind my house and gathering my gear, I start to make my way south along the river that runs on that area. The swampy area ends abruptly just some kilometers down and lush green can be seen. If I'm correct this path will take me straight to the ocean. As I slow down to consider if I should fish on the river or on the ocean my eyes catch a rather interesting find in the woods. There, among the bushes at the shore, is a wooden sign. I approach it and notice another one some meters down the river. There is more on the other side of the river also. I crouch to give it a better look. It seems quite new. The rustling from the bushes nearby makes me jolt back up. A young man stands there with a camera in hand:

- excuse me! This area is closed. No fishing allowed.

I point at the sign:

- yeah, I can see that. Can you tell me why?

He sighs and rolls his eyes:

- look, I know "your family has been fishing in these waters for generations" and all that, but I just need this tiny spot closed for a little while. There is plenty of river to fish, don't you think?

I keep staring at him in silence. He notices the confusion in my face:

- you.... Are not a local, aren't you?

I shake my head no and drop my gear at the ground, shooting him a smile:

- name's Adrian. I just moved to this place yesterday.

He sighs again, this time in relief:

- oooh I see! Haha I'm sorry! The locals have been giving me a hard time about closing some spots on the river. He steps closer and offers me his hand:

- I'm Kelvin, a biologist. I'm doing some research on the fish in this area. I've been here for three months now.

He points behind him and I can see a tent hidden around the trees. I shake his hand while nodding knowledgeably:

- fish research huh? What's so interesting about the fish around here?

He looks around us suspiciously before gesturing me to come closer. As I step closer he whispers:

- I'm actually looking for an elusive fish said to live on these waters. A giant koi fish.

I step back and tilt my head. He can see my curiosity:

- I'm keeping this a secret because if the locals were to know, they would all flock to the river looking for the fish. You know how fishermen are.

I raise an eyebrow at him and he quickly reiterates:

- no offense, of course! I hope you understand what I'm doing here and how it is for the good of science!

I cross my arms, showing him that I'm not entirely convinced:

- so, once you find this koi fish, what do you plan on doing with it?

- study it, of course! A fish like that is not natural to these waters, so it getting to the size people says it is a feat that needs to be studied!

I nod at him and pick my gear from the ground:

- well, good luck in finding your giant fish. I'll look for giant fish somewhere else.

As I spin around to leave, Kelvin reaches out and grabs my arm:

- wait!

I spin back and stand face to face with him:

- if you see or hear anything about this koi fish, will you please seek me out? I could use a little help but the people in town are not the type that seem to like strangers.

Feeling a certain sympathy for being also a stranger in this little town, I smile at him and gently pull my arm out of his grip:

- sure man, I'll let you know.

- great! Thank you very much! You know where my camp is, so stop by if you have any info! Or if you just wanna talk and all...

I nod and walk away, this time making my way up north on the river. After passing my house, the swamp stands much further up north. The marshy land takes a toll on my work boots as I start to sink slowly on the mud. The vegetation gets denser and the air gets quite foggy. Soon I can barely make out any shapes and decide to make my way back. As I'm struggling to walk on the mud, I see water filling my footsteps as I tread on. The ground gets more and more soaked and soon I have mud almost at my knees. Stopping is not an option anymore, as I don't really know how fast I might sink. I can hear the water shuffling on my right.

Something is on the swamp.

It takes my all to lift one of my legs, but I manage to get closer to a tree, using the roots to pull myself up. Water splashes nearby and I can see a silhouette swim closely to where I am. I make my way towards the trees, trying to leave the swampy area. Suddenly a very loud sound pierces the silence of the marsh, with something swimming quickly back to the river. I look frantically around trying to find the source of the sound, when I feel something yank me by the collar of my vest. I fall backwards on the ground and lift my head, coming face to face with a gun. I scream.

A man is standing there, looking at me with an unamused stare. He holsters the gun around his torso and offers me his hand:

- get up, dude. No reason to scream, the croc is gone.

He pulls me up:

- Croc!? There are crocodiles around here!?

He raises and eyebrow at me, a scowl on his face:

- yeah. I wouldn't be here if there wasn't any. Tourists shouldn't be wandering around these parts. You should leave.

- I'm not a tourist! I just moved here! I'm a fisherman!

I wave my fishing pole at him. He stares at me, the same look on his face, then gives me his back and starts to walk away:

- whatever. You shouldn't be here. Go find somewhere else to fish, fisherman.

I stare at him as he walks back towards the river and disappears on the fog.

Following his advice, I decide that the ocean seems like the best place to fish right now. Walking out of the woods, a dirt path leads all the way up north and south. As I walk along it, I reach the front of my house and the path towards the town. Continuing south, I see some sand dunes and palm trees in the distance. After climbing a sand dune, I can finally see the sea. The blue water mixing with the blue sky, no clouds in sight. My boots and pants, now with dried mud all over it, picks some sand on it, making they look even more dirty and messy. I decide to wash myself a little before starting fishing. As I step into the shore, a loud squawk catches my attention.

A seagull is flying above my head, squawking loudly. I pay it no mind and start to scrub my pants, but the bird seems to be offended by me ignoring it, since it flies closer and pecks at my hat. I take my hat off and wave it around, trying to shoo the bird, but that only seems to annoy it even more. With a swift move, the seagull snatches the hat from my hand, taking it on its beak and flying away. In a panic, I chase after the bird, yelling some profanities.

I run on the beach barely paying attention to my surroundings, panting heavily at the sudden jog. Running on the sand is no joke. Suddenly the bird takes a sharp turn towards a deck, perching on the rail of a boat. I walk slowly towards it, trying to persuade it with some nice words. As I get closer, a door on the cabin of the boat opens. The seagull flies away, perching on the head of the young man that came out of the cabin. He eyes me up and down and extends his arms just in time to my hat to fall right on his hands, the seagull squawking satisfied. I lean against the boat trying to catch my breath. He steps closer:

- hey, you okay? sorry about Buddy, he must have liked the shiny pins on your hat.

He hops down from the boat and in the deck and offers my hat back, a smile on his face. I take my hat and annoyingly put it back in my head:

- your bird made me run all over the beach! I lost a ton of time that I could be fishing!

The man frowns while the seagull squawks and flies away, probably afraid of my outburst:

- oh wow. I'm really sorry, dude. I'm sure he just wanted to be friends, tho! I'll make it up to you, I promise.

I cross my arms and look behind him. The fishing boat he hopped out of looks in good shape, with "Sea Queen" written in bold letter on its side. He smiles and looks at it, chest puffed proudly:

- she is a beauty, right? My love and pride. Name's Barbeau, but my friends call me Beau. Who are you, by the way? I don't think I've seen you before.

- Adrian. I moved to town yesterday.

- ooooh, I see! Welcome to Four Waters. You're a fisherman? I'm a fisherman! Although I stick with sea fishing only. He points upwards on his boat, where his fishing poles rests:

- say, do you like sea fishing? Do you got a boat? If not, we could always head out onto the sea with mine. I own ya much. You can even use my nets.

His laid-back smile almost makes me forget about the stunt that his bird pulled on me, if it wasn't for the sudden pain in my legs for running on the sand. I frown at him:

- trying to get some free labor from the new guy?

His face changes to a panicked expression:

- what? No, of course not! I just figured that since I own you something and we both are fishermen, we could make an arrangement like this.

As I'm about to answer, a sudden realization hits me:

- my fishing gear! I left it behind when I started chasing the bird!

I look at the direction I came from, but I can't see my stuff. Beau stares off in the same direction and honestly, I don't think his mind processed what I just said. I gesture for him to wait right there and run back towards my stuff, much to the dismay of my legs. As I'm approaching the spot I was, I notice someone standing by my things. A dude with a surf board in hands is crouched and looking and my fishing box:

- that's mine!

I shout while shorting the distance between us. He gets up and stares at me, an unamused expression on his face:- you should be more careful with your stuff, bro.

I stand at his side and put my hand on his shoulder, leaning on him to catch my breath. This action doesn't seem to bother him at all and he scoffs at me:

- you okay? Need a backrub?

His sarcastic tone makes me look at him in the eyes and reply with a similar tone:

- no, I'm fine. Thanks for keeping an eye on my stuff.

He shrugs and mouths 'whatever' before turning his back and starting to walk away. I look at his surfboard:

- you're gonna surf here?

- that's the plan.

He says, not even looking at me. I grab my things and head back towards Beau and his boat, glancing occasionally at my back to see the surf guy walking towards the sea. Beau is standing exactly where I left him, still staring at nothing. I wave to catch his attention, but his eyes are fixated towards the horizon, where the sun starts to touch the sea. I plant myself by his side and wait to see how long he can stay like that, but after almost a minute I get tired:

- I'm back.

He snaps back to reality and looks at me, his care-free smile back at his face:

- hey man! Where did you go?

As I'm about to answer, he cuts me:

- anyway, you wanna tag along on some fishing tomorrow? I think it's gonna be sunny and perfect for going out on my boat.

I tilt my head, shooting a puzzled look towards him. Why does this complete stranger seem so eager to go fishing with me, in the middle of the ocean even!

- you're... Not gonna kill me, right?

He stares blankly at me, blinking many times, mouth hanging open:

- I... What?

- haha, nevermind! Just a joke. You really wanna go fishing with me, ay?

He smiles and averts his gaze to the ground while scratching the back of his head:

- well, to be honest, I just miss fishing with someone. Ever since I moved here, none of the local fishermen seem to want to be friends or just go fishing together. I figured that since you're new here, maybe it would be different. Sorry if I was a little bit pushy about it.

I smile and pat his shoulder:

- hey man, no worries! I get what you mean. People in here seem to be skittish about us "outsiders". And yeah, we can go fishing tomorrow. I wanna see what does the ocean around here has to offer.

- oh you're gonna love it! The waters on this part are very generous! It's no wonder that there are so many fishermen around here and that some even are moving in.

He winks at me. I tip my hat and wink back, but a sudden weight on my head catches me off guard. With a loud squawk, his seagull perches on my head, nesting cozily on my hat. Beau chuckles:

- this is my partner, Buddy! I think he likes you!

He reaches above my head and pets the bird, that makes quiet chirping noises.

I reach up my head and feel my fingers brush against the fluffy feathers of Buddy:

- well, nice to meet you too, Buddy.

As the sun sets, I walk back towards town, waving goodbye to Beau, who stands on his boat, Buddy perched on his head. Even though it is my second day here, the town already looks less foreign. It is quite small. You can see all the buildings when standing in front of the Salty Sardine. I can see some smoke coming from among the trees, showing that there are some houses a little farther from town, just like mine. The Salty Sardine has the outdoor lights on as the sky darkens and many patrons come in and out. I walk in front of it, peeking inside as I go. The place looks lively, with people eating and drinking.

As my eyes pass by a pool table, I notice a familiar face. Arno is there, cue in hand, preparing his next shot. I consider coming in to talk to him, but suddenly on my field of view comes Nereid. He leans against the pool table, smirking, eyes glued on Arno. As he hits the ball, the men around the table all exclaim in excitement, praising Arno. Nereid goes around the table and throws his arms around Arno's neck, clinging at him with a mischievous smile. Arno doesn't seem very fazed by it, but I can see his hand wrap around Nereid's waist. I shake my head and walk away.

My house still looks abandoned when you see it from the outside... I unlock the door and step inside, dropping my stuff. A shower will do me wonders.

What a day!

credits

Lea