One summer at our family’s beach, Bennett and Imogen convinced me to swim out with them, further than we had before. Lawrence was too busy to go with us, and Agatha too sickly. For many summers it was the three of us, always together. My siblings jumped in and I followed. We got further and further out until our teeth were chattering.The water was colder there than it was closer to the beach, our breath was ragged in our lungs with shivers. We all started laughing, panicky breathes. What were we thinking? There were kelpies out this far! Oh Vespera, don’t mention kelpies! We pushed and scrambled as we tried to swim back. ‘If I get killed by a kelpie, tell them I went down swinging!’ Bennett shouted, I could hear how tired he was in his voice. ‘Sure you don't want a love story? A kelpie came and swept you off your feet?’ Imogen said with a laugh. We came onto shore, shivering uncontrollably, dangerously but still we were laughing. My mother found us, quietly scolded us about our inappropriate behavior before bringing us inside our summer home.
It seemed hysterically funny to be so cold and so tired. We huddled under blankets our parents kept putting over us to warm up. ‘Falling in love with a kelpie! What a joke!’ My brother had laughed.
I stayed on the main shore with Lawrence while the rest of my family went to the summer house for the season. I had some more work to do with my cartography and was preparing for an archery competition. Still, it did not mean I could not enjoy the ocean views. I take my bow down the water today, string an arrow, aim, let it go. It lands dead center in the trunk of a tree.“Perfect shot,” I say. I normally not so arrogant, but believing to be by myself—
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