The shore is not just a beautiful place to collect shells, but also a peaceful place to walk in the morning, especially with someone by your side.

I turned to my companion, someone whom I spent the better and bitter days of 4 years here with. Truth be told, she’s the reason why I moved here. Long-distance relationships tend to make people yearn for something more physical and intimate, and so I decided to live closer to the love of my life. It was the best decision I ever made, and I’m yet to regret it.

I held her hand upon my own, a source of warmth on this cold morning.

“How were their studies?” I asked.

Yen let out a sigh,“As usual.“

I cheered her up,“ They are still children, don’t worry.”

“I know, it’s just...”

“Come on, they are still young.”

“Still.”

“No, we will not talk about that.“

I dragged her towards a hut before she could utter additional words. We sat together, so close that our warmth radiated through our skin. I wrapped my arm around her waist and received a small smile from her.

She looked towards the rising sun, “It is colder today.”

I pulled her closer, “It is hard to notice.”

“You’re so corny, stop it.”

I let out a chuckle, extending my hand to feel the breeze through my skin. It is indeed slightly colder today. Tourists won’t notice the difference, but for someone who has lived here for 4 years of my life, it is a naturally developed sense.

After some complaints from her, I let her be

“Will the weather be okay?” I asked.

“It will probably rain” she replied.

“Will that be good?”

“Are rains good?”

“It depends, often yes and sometimes no.”

I turned to her, curious “For you, what is it?”

“It brings out new life” she replied.

I laughed, “We really are talking about random things now.”

She laughed at that, “I don’t have any more topics to talk about."

I sighed, “Same.”

I rubbed my chin, shooting her a wink. “We can make one.”

That got a laugh out of her. “Oh, shut up!”

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We spent the hours of the morning that way, sitting there and watching the sun rise, shining the beach with soft heat. Eventually, Yen had to leave for her schedule with her friends. As much as I love having her with me, we both have our personal life and I am in no way privileged to control it.

“You’re in for dinner!?” I shouted at her fleeting figure.

“I’ll think about it!” She replied, though her voice was dampened by the distance.

I can’t help but envy her sometimes. She has some magic to instantly make friends with people, unlike me. That is good though. At least I don’t have to worry about her being lonely.

I stretched my arms, yawning as I walked away from the hut and onto the sandy beach. The waves rolled between my toes and brought sand with them, some of which found themselves stuck between my feet and slippers. Nothing that can’t be removed by washing my feet on the same waves, but they are unpleasant to feel while walking.

Something poked from the sand, brought out by the waves overturning the sands. Bumpy and riddled with holes, it was unearthed. Picking it up, its surface rubbed on my skin; bumpy and slippery. Upon closer inspection, it closely resembles oyster shells layered on top of each other. Maybe it is indeed an oyster shell, but I definitely will have to report it if it is. We don’t have oysters growing here. I put the shell-thing in a plastic net bag I carry with me.

Hours passed, and I filled half of my net bag with corals and shells, each hand-picked and carefully selected by me, not just any random shell or coral.

The tide eventually rose higher than my comfort and I returned to the hut to rest from the intense rays of the sun. Looking outside, tourists are flocking the place, perhaps due to the online advertisements of fine white sand, but nevertheless, they feed the economy. I can’t help but feel envious of their white skin, mine is already tanned from my daily exposure to the sun, but still I don’t regret it.

Swimming, they smile with joy on their faces, some even yelling for their friends and families to join them. Other than that, there are also those spending their time lying on the beach or even creating sand castles. It is a cheerful sight if only not for the trash they leave behind. In the end, we are all just tourist attractions to them, a zoo without cages.

This scenery does remind me of something. What if you can only show the Earth through 100 pictures? What Earth will you create and what memories will you leave behind? That is the Golden Record, a record of humanity through a hundred pictures, now floating in space for a life to discover. I wonder what they will think of us through those pictures? How will they envision Earth to be? Huh, I guess I’ll never know.

I returned home and stashed my day’s collection in a labeled box. I will sort it out later, but for now I will rest. Softly collapsing on the sofa, my skin shivered upon contact with the maintained coldness of my home. Air conditioner is a worthwhile investment, especially in tropical countries and in summer.

Pictures are framed on my wall, hung peacefully on a background of white. One shows a village upon a cliff on shore, and a younger me waving towards the camera. That was my first visit to this place, when this quaint little place was not a tourist destination.

Another shows a happy family and Yen laughing with them, a celebration that happened a year ago, perhaps the newest in my collection of pictures. I remember Yen getting drunk dead that night and I had to carry her to my room, which she proceeded to vomit on. How nightmarish it was to wash and clean that bed when morning came.

I let out a chuckle, happy little memories they are. Now they hang on my wall to be forever remembered, after all they deserved to be remembered. In the future, they will hold stories that I’ll be able to tell to our future children and, if we’re lucky, grandchildren.

I opened a hidden compartment below the pictures and within sat a small red box adorned with wooden roses. I did everything by hand, it helped to add additional sentiment to the piece, though the most important part was inside. Tomorrow will be a special day.

Well, I wonder what I should cook for dinner.