Discoveries | TMR | Three

5:9

The Harbour feels suspended in time. The sun rides high and bright above the water, turning the surface into a shimmer that forces everyone to squint, but the usual noise is absent. No hammering of repairs, no shouts across the pier. Just the cry of gulls and the creak of boats against their moorings.

Adeline sits cross-legged on the deck of Jeff's boat, a battered old Ludo board balanced between her and Chuck. The corners are scuffed, the dice faintly chipped, but Chuck handles it all with the utmost seriousness, eyes narrowed as he shakes the cup and lets the die clatter across the board.

She never would have expected this to be the thing that put her mind at ease - pushing little counters around a faded board game with a child. Yet it soothes her. The rules are simple, the choices clear. No blurred lines, no deceit to untangle, no looming dread pressing at her ribs. Just red, blue, green, yellow - four pieces each, a race to home.

Chuck whoops when he rolls a six, grinning wide as he frees another counter from his base. He moves it with exaggerated care, flicking a glance at her as if daring her to challenge the inevitability of his win.

Adeline huffs through her nose, feigning irritation, though a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. For a moment, the knot in her chest loosens, and she allows herself to pretend that the world beyond this sunlit deck does not exist.

Down the few rickety steps behind them, Lily moves about the galley with soft clatters of crockery, filling the silence more than breaking it. The door has been kept open to allow fresh air to flow gently through the small room, and while she can't quite see him, Adeline can still hear the faint rhythm of Jeff's breathing - another subtle, yet unwavering factor to her current calmness.

Adeline glances back to the board just in time to see Chuck's counter land squarely on hers.

"Out you go," he declares with relish, tapping her piece off the path and back to base.

She stares at him, mock scandalised. "You did that on purpose."

"That's the game," he says, shrugging with all the authority of a seasoned champion.

Her lips twitch, amusement slipping through despite herself. Maybe it was foolish to let herself feel safe, but for now she clings to it anyway.

Chuck's last counter slides neatly into the centre square, and he throws both arms in the air with a triumphant shout. "Yes! That's four in a row!"

Adeline shakes her head slowly, feigning dismay. "Four in a row, is it? I think you've made your point."

"Another one?" he asks eagerly, already reaching for the die again.

She lifts a brow at him, lips twitching. "Another one? Chuck, you've wiped the floor with me four times. I think it's time we pick something else before my pride disappears completely."

He huffs, his grin dimming just enough to show his disappointment. "But I was on a roll."

"You still are," she assures, nudging the board gently with her knuckle. "And that's why you should leave it there before you start giving me too much of a complex."

He makes a show of sighing, shoulders slumping, but the moment she starts stacking the little coloured counters back into their faded box, he perks up again. "Alright, but only if I can find something good."

Before she can reply, he's already scrambling to his feet, ungraciously tumbling from the edge of the boat, then darting across the pier and up towards the offices in search of another game. His footsteps clatter loud against the wooden boards, then fade as he vanishes around the corner at the end.