✎ eternities:jennet_waite [tempest]

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====== Jennet Waite - Eternity ======

Not so very long ago, not so far from this place, a young man was making his way down the track that led to the little cove that nestled tight between the high cliffs. And as he went he whistled a half-forgotten tune, and he wondered whether honeysuckle was poisonous, and his name was Ljuba Koci - but none of that really matters. What matters is that he was about to meet someone truly remarkable.

When he reached the end of the path and the beach spread out before him, he took off his shoes and socks and stepped onto the warm sand, and then he was struck with the idea of rolling up his trousers and sploshing around in the waves for a little while. So that is exactly what he did, and you'll be glad to hear that he left his little tupperware lunch box nice and safe on the rocks before he went to the water's edge.

And he made his way along the beach, enjoying the soft feeling of the sand between his toes and the way it ran away with the waves. And as he went, he picked up fronds of carrageen and sea lettuce, bladderwrack and dulse, thinking what a fine dinner he could make of them. And above his head, the seabirds shrieked, and at his feet, the sea spread away and away to the far horizon.

There was a particularly large clump of seaweed draped over a rock at the far end of the bay, except that, no - as Ljuba came closer he realised that it wasn't a clump of seaweed at all but some kind of coat. And it looked so soft that he reached out and patted it, and - //yes// - it really was as warm and cosy as he had thought. And //then// he thought what a fine thing it would be to wrap around himself when he went to sleep at night, so he picked it up and tucked it under his arm so as not to get it all tangled up with the bladderwrack.

"//Give that back!//"

Well needless to say, Ljuba was not at all used to being talked to by rocks, so he backed away hastily, almost tripping over the trailing coat as he did so.

"That's mine," said the rock.

"Oh," he replied. And then, "I had no idea."

At this, a hand appeared atop the rock, and then another, and then a head raised itself up to peer at him with big dark eyes. It was the head of a young woman who must have been hiding behind the rock. She was rather raggedy and dishevelled, her hair tangled about her shoulders in a fashion that marked it out as the kind of hair that, if it //had// ever seen a brush, had almost certainly eaten it.

"It's my skin," she told him, all sullen.

He stared at her. "Are you sure?" After all, she certainly seemed to have all her own skin.

"Yes," she said. "I need it if I ever want to go back to my family."

Well, this did not help resolve matters. He turned the coat over in his hands, noting again how wonderfully soft it was. "What's your name?"

She made the sort of face that said she might need some time to think about this, and then she said, "Rhoda, I think. //No// - Jennet!"

"My name's Ljuba," he said. "It's nice to meet you. Oh, but I don't suppose your GPS implant is working? I haven't been able to access my map overlay since the crash. Actually, none of us have even been able to connect to the nearest hub - we're getting no signal at all!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she sniffed. And then, "can I have my skin back now?"

"Oh! Sorry...." He had quite forgotten he was holding it! With a nervous smile, he laid the coat back down on the rock in front of her.

Jennet snatched it away from his hand without taking her big dark eyes off him... and then ducked behind the rock once more.

"I'm really very sorry," he said again. "Would you like some grilled salmon? I brought some with me for lunch."

She came out from behind the rock then, the coat loosely draped about her shoulders. "I'm going back to my family now," she announced, stepping into the waves.

"//Wait//," he cried, rather alarmed to see her acting so strangely. "Why don't you come back with me, to see //my// family? They're good people!"

Oh, but she flashed a smile at him and said, "Maybe they are, but they're not my people. Not any more."

She was up to her waist in water now, so he had to shout to be heard over the crashing of the waves. "But we could help one another! This island really is the very strangest of places! Isn't there anything you need to survive?"

At this, she turned and called after him: "Books! Bring me books!" And then she was gone.

He tried looking out for her again and again as he pottered around in the rock pools. Once or twice, he thought he saw her swimming alongside him, her dark hair streaming behind her... but no - it was just a seal, sleek and silky, playing in the waters of the cove.

After a little while, he made his way back along the beach to the place where he had left his shoes and socks - and he kicked the sand off his feet as he stretched out on the warm rocks and reached for his little tupperware lunch box -

- but alas! The lid had somehow come off, and his lunch, his delicious grilled salmon, it was all gone!

And poor Ljuba sighed and looked out to sea. This island really was the very strangest of places.
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