Consoulia Chronicles: Booting Up [~ read description]

Chapter 5: Life

"It's always nice to come here when it quiets down. Iris was beaming at the citizens living their daily lives at the beachfront, taking in the smell of coffee shops as she and Clover traveled with fishing rods slung on their shoulders. Iris had been riding in the back of a wagon since she still couldn't walk. The wagon carried a box of live worms. Joining them were paper bags of snacks consisting of chips, plastic-boxed cupcakes, boxed cookies, and a pair of folding chairs.

Turned out that after the incident, Iris had made sure to get the laundry done after placing Clover on the couch with the retro gaming magazine on her head. She cleaned up the ice and snow by turning up the heating and opened some windows to let the summer heat in. She passed off the residual wetness of the floors and furniture to carrying multiple glasses of ice water to help her cool off, but having spilled them, she created a mess. 

She had to convince Clover that what had happened was a bad dream. 

With that behind them, Iris's beaming turned to curiosity as she turned to her guardian. "Why not come here every day? The salty breeze feels great and the food smells amazing and the sunshine is so warm. So where are we going first, Clover?" 

The eldest of the duo looked around at the vast collection of shops and venues until her eyes landed on a small business. The scent of bacon wafted out into the road, beckoning passersby to succumb to greasy temptation; it didn't help that eggs awaited them too. Furthermore, there was a ceiling menu of breakfast options. 

"Over there!" Clover grabbed Iris's hand and led them across the street to the shops. The line extended to the sidewalk, consisting of impatient customers shifting their weight, checking their phones, and talking amongst each other. "I think we ought to make ourselves comfortable," Clover conceded. 

It was just five minutes, but it felt like an hour to the duo. Despite watching cars zip by and gazing at floating clouds passing overhead, nothing could fulfill their hunger or make them any less impatient. They had finally grabbed their breakfast burritos and traveled to the pier. 

"Oh, I think I see the beach!" Iris sang. 

They made their way over to the pier, their fishing rods dipped in the ocean waiting for their bites. "Now this is what I call a satisfying lunch. The sun is shining, a cool sea breeze, and the sound of birds singing is just beautiful." Clover fished out two folding chairs from the wagon, placing one for Iris before setting out hers. 

"If only she were here to see this." Iris mused whilst looking up at the cloud-dotted, cerulean sky.

Clover swallowed and cleared her throat. "Your grandmother, right?" 

"I'm worried," Iris's eyes welled up with tears, yet her voice remained solid and composed for as full of grief as it was. "I wonder if she's okay." Clover didn't have much to offer in the moment, so she kept quiet to listen. "We promised we'd get out and make it to the same place together, yet I'm all alone. 

"You can't blame yourself, Iris, I'm sure she's okay. For what it's worth, you've got me and Zander."

Iris smiled at her reassurance, but her smile faded the more she thought about her grandmother. "If I had just listened to grandma, maybe we'd be together." Clover turned to Iris and held her close. Memories of the exploding facility, being chased by gunmen, being flung out into space - all real memories passing by her mind only to make her quietly sob in Clover's arms. The contrast between then and the cerulean skies and gentle waves lapping the beach and the warmth of Clover's arms were so stark that she was just waiting to wake up any moment. Any moment now. 

It was approximately an hour since they cast their hooks into the ocean's wavy surface. "Got any bites yet?"

Clover reeled in her line. The worm was still writhing on the hook with no fish in sight. "Nah, Iris, what about you?"