Summer 43, X008

Marge is still upset about the whole beach incident, but tomorrow is her birthday, and the three of us are hoping we can make things right.

For birthdays, our tradition is to get the best food. It started as a friendly competition to see who could pick the most impressive dish, but Marge and Haley always seemed to win—both in quality and quantity. I used to wonder how they managed to afford such luxurious meals, but now it’s clear—they’re the rich types.

The three of us were trying to come up with the best way to make up with her. For half an hour, we couldn’t think of anything. Then Hank suggested we stick with the usual food plan, but this time buy dishes that relate to the beach. And not only that—he said we could arrange the food to spell “We’re sorry.”

At first, I thought it was a ridiculous idea and almost dismissed it. But then Daelan suddenly yelled, “You’re a genius!” I flinched at his sudden outburst. Still, with both of them so eager, I couldn’t really argue. So, I reluctantly agreed, but only on the condition that I’d contribute money, not help with the food. I had my own plan in mind, just in case things went wrong.

It’s to use the things I’ve been collecting that I found on the beach—these weird little bits from the sand. They kind of look like snail shells, but not exactly. I just call them shells anyway.

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One of them was small and smooth, shaped like a tiny oval bean, with a shiny surface. What caught my eye was the crack down one side—it didn’t look broken, more like it was meant to be that way. It felt so smooth.

Another one was heavier than I thought it’d be. It was rounded, almost like a little bowl, with grooves all over. It was mostly white, but around the edges, there was this faint bluish-purple tint, like the colors had faded but were still holding on.

I also found a broken shell, lying in the sand. Inside, there was a small, round thing, shiny and smooth. At first, I thought it was just a rock, but it didn’t feel rough like one. It was soft to the touch, almost too perfect to be real. It was about the size of a nut, and it had a soft glow, like it was catching the light in a way I’d never seen.

I’m going to do my best to turn these into accessories. Before the whole passing-out debacle, I’d seen stalls selling things like this but without the round object. And before Daelan handed me that poisonous piece of fish, I was collecting them out of sheer curiosity, keeping them in my satchel alongside my diary and pencil.

Girls like accessories right? Because I've seen mostly girls flock over that stall. Hopefully it work.

We also asked Haley to make sure Marge shows up, but we didn’t tell her the details—just that there would be a surprise for Marge.

End