The wind is still blowing strongly, but Kongpob remains frozen on the shore. Was it just a dream?

"Kong!"

He wakes up from his trance when M calls his name. He blinks repeatedly before facing his best friend.

"Where have you been?" M asks. "The hazers are looking for you. They reminded us not to stay on the beach when it's already late!"

Kongpob wants to tell M about what he saw, about the merman, but M will surely just laugh at him. "I'm sorry," that's all Kongpob says.

"The others are still searching for you. Let's go find them before going back."

Pocketing the blue-green stone from the merman, Kongpob nods, and then they start moving. While walking on the sand, Kongpob keeps on glancing back at the beach, wishing he would see the creature again.

After finding Tew and Oak, they go straight to the resort's dining area where everyone is gathered. It's the final night of their stay at the resort, so the hazers allow them to drink, as long as they are under their supervision and won't go to the beach anymore.

"Prae, I have a question," Maprang says. "You're damn so beautiful, but why don't you have a boyfriend yet?"

Praepailin, a little drunk now, faces her friend. "Why I don't have a boyfriend?"

"I think Prae and Kongpob are a good match," Oak butts in unnecessarily.

Kongpob rolls his eyes. He's a little drunk now to care about his encounter with the creature earlier.

"Many people are shipping you two, you know? What do you think?" Oak continues.

"Honestly speaking," Praepailin starts, "I... I don't like men."

"What?" Maprang's eyes are wide.

"I said, I. Don't. Like. Men."

Everyone at the table is surprised. Praepailin is the reigning Star of the university, and to learn that she's lesbian is completely unexpected.

"Well," Tew, a little too drunk, joins the conversation. "That's good because... I'll have more chance with men, then... not the straight ones of course."

Their eyes that are wide open because of Praepailin's revelation grow wider.

"Tew, you're gay?" M loudly asks. Kongpob elbows him for him to lower his voice. Tew, suddenly aware of what he has said, nods before bowing his head.

"Ahem." Kongpob fakes a cough. "Given that they both came out now. I might as well-"

Kongpob's statement gets cut when everyone from their table stands and goes to the veranda of the dining area.

"What's happening?"

Everyone's eyes are on the lead hazing team who are all at the beach.

"I thought no one is allowed to be there during this time?" Oak sarcastically asks.

No one minds his question as everyone is focused on what their four hazers are doing there. They seem to be praying as their heads are bowed.

Then, they raise their bottles, as if they are offering a toast to someone at the sea.

"Look at those weirdos," Oak says before Tew elbows him.

Everybody rushes back to their respective tables when they see the hazers face them and take their steps back to the dining area.

"Kong, you were saying something earlier," M says. "What is it?"

Kongpob doesn't feel like proceeding with his announcement now. Thoughts about the creature came back into his mind when he caught a glimpse of the ocean again. The strange act of their seniors also adds.

"Uh... I already forgot it. Let's... nevermind."

M closes his lips as he nods.

They all continue their night, seemingly forgetting about the scene they witnessed. Kongpob, however, can't help but be curious.

 

 

~

Off the coast of Nonthaburi, on a rock island in its gulf, the merman reaches his "home." That's if one can call a small caved rock with a wooden crate full of small metal objects, mostly scraps, a home. He, himself, doesn't even call it home. He's not there most of the time anyway.

His name is Arthit. Somehow, he's thankful he remembers it... and everything. He thought when that night happened, he would eventually forget his life. But no, he retained everything, at least his memories of it. Mostly, however, he dreads he remembers.

"Stupid ing rock!" He mutters as he struggles to lift his body on it.

The gear in his left palm has already left marks because of his grip while swimming. He massages them softly before taking a good look at the gear.

"59," Arthit whispers as he reads the number on it. The grumpiness on his face suddenly becomes replaced by a sad smile.

Taking control of himself again, he scavenges his crate for a thing that can keep the new item he fetched, banging everything but carefully placing them near so they won't fall into the water. He settles with a metal sunglasses case and places the gear inside.

After putting the case back into the crate, Arthit glances back at where he came from.

The coast cannot be seen from his place. But he's sure they are still there. 

 

 

~

On the bus going back to Bangkok, Kongpob is panicking because he feels like he left something. 

"The stone!" He yells.

Almost everyone on the bus hears him and gives him a look.

He's sure he put the stone in his pocket last night, but he's unsure if he packed it with his things. It's not in his shorts' pockets and not in his bag's pocket.

Actually, he's not sure if the stone is special or has any value. He just wants to keep it because it's from a mythical creature he himself met.

"Kong, are you alright?" M asks from the other side of the bus.

"I'm sorry. I think I just left something."

"Are you sure you left it? What is it?" May wants to help.

Kongpob wants to tell her that he lost his stone, but she and their other friends will surely ask what's special about that stone, and he isn't ready to tell them that, not in this moving bus on an uneven road that already sent three of his classmates to vomiting.

"It's nothing important," he says as he rummages the main compartment of his backpack.

He finds the shorts he was wearing last night. Hoping it's still in there, he pulls the shorts from his bag. Then he hears something dropped. He looks at the source of the sound, and he sees the stone rolling towards the front of the bus. It stops at the foot of their head hazer, Knot, who doesn't fail to notice it.

Knot picks it up and examines it closely. Though marbled with white, it's a bit shiny, and it looks like a precious gem. Kongpob appears at his side, eyeing the stone.

"Is this yours?" Knot asks him.

"Yes, P'Knot."

Knot takes a look at it again before handing it to Kongpob. "Go back to your seat now."

"Thank you, P'," Kongpob says before heading back to his place.

When he's about to reach his seat, one of the wheels of the bus dips into a deep hole, shaking everyone in it, including Kongpob who's still standing at the moment. He loses his balance and falls on the person on his side. His fingers lose grip of the stone, and it drops into the half-full cup of water the person is holding.

"I'm sorry," Kongpob bows his head apologetically. "Are you okay?"

"It's okay, Nong Kongpob," Tutah tells him, patting his shoulder.

"Let me get that, P'." He fishes his stone from the cup. "I'll replace your water."

 

 

~

At the same moment, at the part of the gulf that is on the side of the road the bus just passed through, the merman suddenly appears.

He looks around, questioning what's happening.

"The I'm doing here?"