We huddled into the car like we did at the beginning of every summer. Every June the first since I could remember, the four of us piled into the car: Mom, Dad, Aron and I, plus the dog, Tosunnie, so there really wasn’t much room. The sleeping bags always blocked the rear view, so I suspected that we’d packed more than enough. We’d had to have; we’d stay there for months at a time. The small cabin we stayed in wasn’t bad, but it didn’t always smell the best, either. It usually smelled fine after we’d been living in it for a couple days, but that first whiff was always the most rancid. It wasn’t bad, the island. I actually liked it a lot. I really missed my friends most of the time, but it wasn’t the worst place in the world; I’d just rather have been somewhere else.

            I expected this time to be a little different, though. Mom had told us that the family that owned the cabin close to ours (and by close, I mean a good two mile walk away) were coming to spend the summer. They hadn’t done that in years. I never really cared to know why. I was happy that I’d have someone to talk to now, at least. They had a big family: a daughter, two sons and a dog whose name I had forgotten. I vaguely remember playing with their children those many years ago. I was sure they were different now than they were then; it’d been a good ten years since I had seen them. At least I’d have something to do other than laying in my creaky bed, staring at my cell phone and hoping and praying to catch a signal.

            I didn’t even have to glance over my shoulder to know that Aron was asleep already. It was like him to sleep wherever we went. I was surprised he wasn’t diagnosed with a sleeping disorder by then. It would be another three hours before we reached the port and boarded the boat that we tugged along behind the tiny car. I really liked Jeju. It was never too hot or too cold, and I loved the breeze that would pour off of the ocean surrounding us.