The entire shack was in need of repairs. This fact he knew, and was resigned to it. Unfortunately, his job kept him busy as long as there was daylight, sometimes longer. Who can make repairs during twilight, or before dawn? Nevertheless, he needed to make renovations before the changing of the seasons, when drafts and leaks would become an issue.

The mongrel, Murl, appeared from behind the house, his pale-colored claws clicking lightly on the veranda, a covered deck that ran along the front and sides of the shack that was in a little better shape than the building. He wagged his flag-like tail sedately and yawned; though the dim quality of the day made telling time difficult, the dog's body knew full well that it was still early morning.

It was Réeliei's favorite time of the day.

He grinned at his canine companion and they began their morning stroll along the water's edge before heading down to the docks.

He looked back at the shack once, noting how small and forlorn it appeared, nestled in a dune among hearty trees and salt-tolerant grasses. He remembered how everyone used to pitch in to remodel the house. Because he lived there alone, and had that rough, homemade look to it, the boys in the village had often used it as a clubhouse.

And why hadn't he objected? An orphan loves company. He caught himself wishing for that life to come back. Some of his friends were still around, the presence of recent patches on the roof and siding attested to that. But most had found themselves growing up, getting married, and providing for new families. They began taking their places in the social hierarchy more seriously, which had separated many childhood friends irrevocably.

"Well I'm in a wistful mood today, aren't I boy?"

Murl gazed up at the boy questioningly, wagging his tail. Ray scratched him behind an ear and they continued on down the beach.

He thought about how he had found Murl, the morning after a particularly violent storm. Ray had been huddled, sleepless, in a back corner throughout the night, listening to the howling of the wind, the screaming trees grating their angry branches on the shingles. Once, something heavy had hit an outer wall, but evidence of its existence had vanished by dawn.

Emerging from his shack had solidified the reality of the horror of a beach littered with the bodies of fish and shellfish, kelp, driftwood. For a while, he simply wandered around on the long wide track of beach near his house. It helped to breathe the crisp, salty air, to feel the lapping of waves against his ankles. It had also piqued his interest to see crabs skittering along in the grass, trying to make it back to the sea, sea birds picking at carrion. There were piles of kelp and stones, shells and the like, scattered about. He would lift an object to find some little creature huddled there, limpets or a snail perhaps, anemone, and starfish.

Then, he had heard a whimpering amongst a pile of kelp and a dark, wavy mass of something. He remembered wondering whether it was human hair, or a mop, or something else, but only fleetingly as he rushed forward to discover the source of the sound. He pulled the kelp away and the mass of fur began to wiggle as the whining creature was exposed to the chill morning breeze.

"A puppy!" He had exclaimed, bending down to gather the sausage-shaped pup into his arms.

"I kept you for two weeks, wondering if someone missed you," he said now to the dog trotting along beside him. "No one inquired after you at the docks, no mother dog came looking for her son. You and I are alike, Murl. We're both orphans. We have a strong bond."

Murl glanced up at the boy as if in agreement. His tail wagged wildly, and he jumped suddenly as if a sand flea had bitten him at the base of his tail. He raced off down the beach, leaving the boy to follow -- barking, but can you catch me?

Ray laughed and tore off after him.

¤ ¤ ¤

Réeliei was not actually heading toward the docks. There was a place where he and Jödaan liked to go to have a little peace and quiet, a widening of the beach into the sparse forest formed by a few jutting rocks and fluctuating tides. Sometimes they met there before work started, so they could walk to the docks together. Today, Joe had specifically asked him to come.

It did not seem like a strange request until he heard voices from behind the trees. One he knew all too well; it was unmistakably Jödaan's. The other Ray thought he recognized, but could not be sure about.

Murl cocked his head, then with a sharp bark, galloped on ahead to meet Joe. A flurry of yaps pierced Ray's ears as they ricocheted off stone. The dog must have been jumping up and down with his excitement to greet Jödaan. It was always like this. Grinning, Ray continued on, but stopped abruptly when he heard urgent words. He didn't know what to do…

"Down, Murl! Good boy." More joyful yapping ensued.

A gasp, followed by harsh whispering, "Oh, no, he's here already?"

"Quick, put your shirt on. Yes, he's coming. Mu-rl…! Geez, dog… Oh come here, you're a mess--"

"I'll fix it later."

"You sure? Oh you should go, I think I heard something!"

Ray grimaced; he'd stepped on a twig. Oh well, might as well go… He heard the words, "I'll see you later," with such emphasis, a mixture of reluctance and desire, then a soft rustling of bushes. And thus Réeliei had appeared as the mystery boy had disappeared. "Who was that? My, do you look smug!"

Jödaan was currently brandishing, like a new sword he simply had to show, the biggest smile Ray had seen in quite some time. He was also wearing the greatest amount of sand he had seen on anyone, just short of a toddler wading in and out of the shallows. Reluctantly, Joe tore his gaze away from the woods and grinned coyly at Ray. "I can't tell you that."

Réeliei was absently brushing the sand from Joe's shoulders. Even he had the sense enough not to arrive at the docks in such a state. Work-related grime was another story entirely. "Oh?"

"Yeah … he doesn't want anybody to know." Joe started off toward the surf, Murl leading the way. He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a corrupting force."

Ray snickered knowingly; Joe had only been half-joking. "I see. Well he might be shy about it now, but it looks like he's looking forward to tomorrow, or later on today perhaps?"

"Yeah," he said distractedly, wistfully.

Ray stopped short and took a hold of his friend's arm. "What's wrong, Joe?"

"Don't you ever…" he trailed off, failing to finish his thought. Ray had begun to think his friend had lost the subject somewhere in his musings and was about to grab a stick to throw for Murl when Joe finally spoke up. "Don't y' ever get … I wouldn't say bored, but… Don't 'cha ever just feel dissatisfied with your life? I mean, day-in and day-out we haul fish. We'd be doing the same thing, covered head-to-toe with fish scales, smellin' ripe enough to attract the birds for miles, until our dying day."

"What, does your friend want to take you off somewhere?" Ray jabbed him in the ribs.

"What?" Joe looked at him in surprise for a moment. "No, no … I wasn't thinking about him at all." He smiled. "He's fun, a lot of fun, but … no… I was thinking about someone else, actually. So."

"Well…" He described his thoughts to his friend as they moved parallel to the waves. Their feet were sometimes behind them, sometimes awash with them as they walked. To Réeliei it was always as if they were walking on the line between land and sea. Murl, who came from the sea, on one side of me … Jödaan on the other.

"But there is another line," he said, looking out to sea. "It runs along the horizon…"

"…Between here and the sky."

Ray nodded and looked back at Joe. "So we've been thinking the same thing."

The boys looked up at the sky, which today was grey and bleak. Yet even in the blanket of clouds there was an unending quality had never been possible on the land; the ground always stopped at their feet. The sea was the only place that seemed to go on forever, but even that was interrupted by land. And the mountains could reach for the sky, stretching their craggy peaks all they wanted, but they could never touch the sky!

Joe nodded as well. "That's why I wanted to meet with you today, we, er, just kind of lost track of time!" He laughed with embarrassment, then cleared his throat. "I talked with the foreman yesterday when you weren't looking, and he said it's okay. Do you … wanna cross the line with me?"

Réeliei grinned. "You bet."

¤ ¤ ¤

"So, ah… who did you mean earlier when you said you were 'thinking about someone else?'"

"Ray." Jödaan was shocked. "Do you really have to ask?"

"You still have a thing for him?"

Silence.

"Joe?" Ray hung back. "No way!"

¤ ¤ ¤