The Serenade of Seagull's Bay - part 1a

The Serenade of Seagull's Bay
part 1a

The longer Lucien sat there on the beach and watched the waves of the Pacific Ocean ebb and flow, he let his mind go over his incredible journey to how he got there. First, a metal machine called a "car" carried him to a place called an "airport", which was full of flying machines "airplanes" that were much bigger than cars and had wings that did not flap. The airplane carried him over the sea, which gave him the chance to see the ocean in a way he never thought possible - from above. And the view of the clouds was nothing more than spectacular. He remembered how long a trip it was, how Rachel tried to cuddle up on his shoulder and sleep, but then Alyssa kicked the back of her chair so hard she woke up madder than any warrior he'd ever seen in his days on the battlefield. Even though he had hoped it would be over then, it wasn't! The group had to reach yet another sea to find the place called home. The town, Seagull's Bay. Lucien found himself in a hub full of things he'd never seen before, and he certainly felt out of place most of the time. Having never seen moving pictures or machines that wash clothes automatically, he saw that the world had left him behind. If it hadn't been for Rachel, he didn't think he would have handled it so well.

He looked down at the watch Rachel gave him. He remembered having to learn to read it. He didn't like having to use the watch to tell time. Lucien was used to taking in his surroundings and finding the position of the sun in the sky, but Seagull's Bay was a place that always had more clouds than sun. It rained more in the year he'd been living there than it rained the entire time he lived in Treble Castle. He was sure of it!

"Oi!" a voice called from the distance. Lucien hoped it wasn't a stranger. He wasn't very popular among the residents of Seagull's Bay. "Lucien!"

Lucien turned around to see that it was his younger twin, running up to him. Florence jumped over the nearby picnic table, doing the splits while in midair over it, and landed right next to him. "Brother, you've been showing off quite a bit lately," he grunted.

"Oh, lay off," Florence said, shrugging. "Now what in the world are you doing out here in the cold by yourself? It's quite rare to see you without Rachel hanging off some part of you."

"She has lessons to attend," Lucien replied. "I'm supposed to meet her soon, but I don't want to wait over there on school grounds." He looked at his brother, who was positively beaming. "You look like you've discovered hidden treasure. What is that devilish smile for?"

Florence frowned for just a second. "I smile, and you think I'm up to no good? Since when did you think so little of me?" he asked, nudging Lucien's arm. "Truthfully, I'm excited because Aria and I will be starting something new very soon. I love the idea of doing something new with my life. We'll be doing this thing called yoga. Supposed to help us feel better in all sorts of ways." He went back to smiling, turning to look out at the ocean again. "Have you thought about doing something new?"

Lucien nodded. "I spent my entire life in servitude, it's difficult to decide what I'd like to do with myself. Rachel has been studying quite a bit. Learning how to make new art. She is so driven."

"But here, we can do the same! We can do things, you know, for ourselves. Sure, Aria wants to do this couple's yoga, but I started playing some sports. I have a garden, just like back home, too." Florence said, picking up a handful of sand from the ground. "There are some things I can't shake off. We went through so much that I can't forget. But the future is open, brother." He put his hand on Lucien's shoulder. "It's like an entirely new world! It's so hard to take in sometimes, but..."

"Have you heard from Karoly or Severin?"

"Nah, those two are always busy, you know how they are."

"Yeah. Karoly must want to learn how all of this technology works. They called him an inventor back home. The things we've seen here are so alien to me. I still don't understand how a refrigerator works! But it keeps food fresh and cold! There's so little from our time left that I do believe we've been left behind." Lucien said sort of sadly. He sighed. "I didn't want to die." He looked down at his watch again. "It's that time again. Time to see my paint splattered princess with pencils tucked behind her ears. Haha."

"Damn," Florence said. "You sound downright overjoyed."

"Oh, you know how I can be, little brother." Lucien picked himself up off the bench and turned to leave. "Tell Aria I send my greetings."

"But of course."