The tide had pulled back, leaving the beach wide and wet. Lio and Kae dug with their hands near the shoreline until their fingers hit something hard.
A yellow tin. They pried it open — a folded paper inside, listing ten summer adventures. The wind flipped it wide. 'Let's start today,' said Lio. Kae was already grabbing his bag.
The borrowed board bounced against their knees as they waded in. The first wave hit sideways and Lio stumbled. The second one whooshed over Kae, painting him in white foam.
On the third try, both feet found the board. Knees bent. Arms out. Two wobbly seconds — then splash, tangle, and giggles in the water.
Mrs. Chen's driveway made the perfect court. Clank. Miss. The ball rolled right into her petunia bed — and then rolled back out on its own.
'Did you see that?' whispered Kae. Lio held his breath, aimed, and shot. Swish. They collided in a high-five, and the list in Kae's pocket rustled.
They carried the cricket gear along the bush trail. The path narrowed. The trees closed overhead. Then — crack! — a branch fell straight across their path.
A bright orange butterfly landed on the broken wood, wings opening once, twice — then fluttered forward, hovering just ahead like a living arrow.
They followed it around the obstacle, pushing through ferns and low branches, until the trees opened and a clearing burst with wildflowers in every colour.
Dusk had settled when they sat down. The list lay between them on the trail — seven checked, three still blank.
Kae folded the paper carefully and slipped it into his pocket. He didn't look back at the blank lines.
Lio bumped his shoulder against Kae's. Somewhere behind them in the bush, a bird called out — or maybe it was a fox. Something they would never quite name.