Chapter 1
The heat was relentless and oppressive. The sun blazed down from a cloudless sky, and the air felt thick and heavy. It’s late afternoon and despite the sizzling summer, the beach of clean golden sand that could be seen in the distance was crowded with holidaymakers.
Romantic couples stroll along the shoreline barefoot and hand in hand, occasionally stopping to snap a memory photo and pick up a sea shell.
Caleb wanted to be alone and far from the town where so many people were pissing him off. On top of that, this heat was unbearable and made him irritated even more.
-When all of it will end? When I am gonna find salvation from all the problems?
This is what the man was thinking while seeing the beach-goers and those who were swimming for refreshment.
Caleb was not in the mood for any activity, so he walked a little while and sat on a bench, from where he could marvel at the whole beach and the ocean, like a painter who is encompassing the view in front of him with his eyesight. The only difference was that Caleb was not a painter and never used colors on a canvas.
The man felt a bit relaxed, feeling the warmth of the day under his feet. He was wearing a simple white linen shirt, its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his trousers were rolled up as well in an attempt to cool himself. Strangly, but Caleb forgot to put on his hat and this resulted in a slight headache. His hair was sandy-blond and was tousled by the wind that appeared from time to time.
The man removed his sandals and his feet were touching the ground. But no matter what he was doing, the heat and the temperature were merciless not only on him but on all who decided to have activities outdoors.
Two kids were playing badminton nearby. They were a little noisy and their running to catch the feather was pounding straightly to Caleb’s mind. The kids were having fun without noticing the man on the bench. Their laughter and primal emotions somehow irritated Caleb and after a minute he opened his mouth:
-Hey, children, could you play a little quieter? I do not feel okay!
-We are sorry, sir!-replied they in one voice. We will go to play badminton somewhere else.
-Alright. By the way, where are your parents?
-Why do you want to know?-asked him back one of the little players.
-Just like that! It’s extremely hot on the beach. Someone should take care of you and look at what are you doing.
-Do not worry, sir!-replied the second kid, they are nearby. They went to buy us an ice cream and will come back really soon.
-Good. You can go now.
The last thing Caleb saw, before taking a short nap, here on the bench, were the kids’ backs while running to find another place for their badminton game.
The man could take a nap now, unbothered and completely alone. All of the beach-goers and ocean adventurers were far in the distance. The surfers were making tricks in the waves and the others were either reading something, building sand castles, or even burying themselves in the sand.
An hour later something changed. A gust of wind blew by, carrying a strange, sweet scent. Caleb was asleep on the bench but his nose captured the essence of the scent and his mind registered it. It was unlike anything he had ever smelled before, and it filled the air with a strange kind of magic. He breathed the scent deeply and that exercise of the lungs made him even calmer.
-What is that?-Caleb thought, feeling lazy to open his eyes from the sweet nap.
The scent didn’t stop overwhelming him, second after second, minute after minute. The man could not resist anymore and slowly but surely opened his eyes.
He looked around, but could not see anything out of the ordinary. There was only the sand, the waves, the sun, and the people on the beach. But Caleb knew that something strange and even powerful was happening. He knows this for sure, he could not explain it to himself, but his intuition never betrayed him in his life so far.
Caleb stretched his hands and yawned. After that, he felt invigorated and decided to stand up. He followed the scent, walking step by step in an unknown direction and the scent not for a single moment didn’t disappear from the air. The man hadn’t noticed it at first place when arrived on the beach, but he could feel the magic permeating every inch of this area. Somehow Caleb felt lighter, as if his feet were barely touching the surface. Also, he forgot about all his worries and the dark thoughts that had been stuck in his mind for the last couple of days. Was it because of the scent? Where it was coming from anyway? Who is doing all this magic?
Caleb wanted to find all the answers and he had nothing left to do but to follow the scent and to keep walking.
. . .
