(Viewpoint: Chetan)
The noise returns before the light.
Not brutal.
Not violent.
Right… there.
The falling water.
Regular.
Constant.
I'm not moving.
Not right away.
My body feels heavy, I have the impression that my mind is coming and going.
Anchor.
As if he refused to come back.
Then something bothers me.
Pressure against my forehead.
Heat.
I frown slightly.
Breathe.
And open your eyes.
Vague.
Blue.
Too bright.
I squint.
The sky.
Again.
That irritating blue again.
Flawless.
I remain motionless for a few seconds.
Then the sensation returns.
My head.
Supported.
I turn my eyes slightly.
Eugene.
Her chest rises and falls slowly.
Regularly.
I stay like this, doing nothing, thinking nothing, just… there.
The wind blows gently over the sand.
Lifts a few grains.
Nothing more.
I slowly straighten up.
My muscles are aching.
But less than before.
I feel much better.
I ran a hand over my face, damp, I was sweating, my hand was cold and my chest was tight.
I remain seated.
His gaze was fixed on the water, watching the waves overlap as if nothing had ever existed before.
I clench my jaw slightly.
Then I get up.
The sand gives way beneath my feet.
Hot.
Again.
The sun is much higher than before.
I look around.
Instinct.
Always check.
Always anticipate.
A habit when you live at the bottom of the pit
Eugene is still asleep.
Elongate.
Arms slightly apart.
Vulnerable.
I look away.
Then
I'm looking for it.
Rome.
My gaze glides along the shore, and finds it.
Same distance.
Exactly.
Just like yesterday.
Sat.
Straight back.
Gaze turned towards the horizon.
He didn't move.
Or…
I didn't see it.
I remain standing.
To fix it.
Just a moment.
His shoulders barely rise.
I walk to the water's edge.
Look at my hand.
Then the surface.
I crouch down.
Plunge your fingers in.
Slowly.
The cold rises immediately.
Clair.
Net.
Real.
I just stay like that and sit down.
Legs stretched out, waiting for the water to crash over them
I started drawing lines in the sand.
Without really thinking about it.
– I'm very hungry
The sun is getting hotter.
The light becomes softer.
The sound of water fills everything.
The wind picks up slightly, bringing a salty smell.
I straighten up slightly.
I rest my elbows on my knees, looking at my still empty hands.
That makes me even hungrier
I felt footsteps approaching me, before I even turned around he was already by my side.
– Eugene?
He placed his hand on my shoulder and settled down in the sand, watching the waves with me.
"This is the first time I've felt 'hunger,' it's not that painful," murmured Eugene.
I didn't even have the strength to get angry, after all we didn't grow up in the same world to have the same values.
What was I expecting?
He looked at me with that forced expression
Of mice
And shared pain
– I'm going to catch those things that move in the water