Chapter 9 – From the sky to the sea

“I’m telling you; it was an act of war. It went out of its way to shit on me… literally,” I insisted. I couldn’t believe she wasn’t taking this seriously. “I swear to you. It sat down provocatively next to my plate. Then it danced around my water glass before locking eyes with me. It looked deep into my soul before spreading its wings, taking to the sky and pooping right into my eye. This was personal!” I declared determined while I watched how the smirk on her face slowly made way for a bright smile. I cleared my throat. “Anyway, pigeons are pure evil. If they’re not the Devil’s incarnate themselves, they’re probably his mistresses. They look stupid. But I’m telling you, that’s just to lead us on. They are pure evil. You can see it in their soulless little eyes,” though I reconsidered. “Actually no, you can’t see anything in those empty eyes.” Ava huffed out a laugh and shot me an incredulous look. “You are such a drama queen. Those poor little pigeons were probably thinking the exact same thing about you.” I scoffed, “Oh please. Have you seen my eyes, actually looked into them? They are not like pigeons’ – fiery-red and pitch-black like the darkest night. They are the very opposite. My eyes are very comfortable to look into. They’re the colour of salted caramel. And who doesn’t like salted caramel?” I asked, a self-assured smile playing around my lips. “I don’t like salted caramel. I much prefer chocolate.” “What in the world? Alright, I hereby declare this starting friendship to be ended with immediate effect. What kind of crazy person doesn’t like salted caramel?” “This crazy person. Apropos food… how was it? I mean you went to Flying Dinner and all you have talked about so far was the little pigeons you aggravated, even though they probably just wanted to share this special moment with you.” “Now you’re defending the enemy? Alright, we’re done here. See you next week!” Shaking my head in disbelief, I started to turn around. “Wait! I have another great activity for you.” I feared the worst. She was beaming with anticipation. “Yes! A boat ride. I’ve done some research, and you can actually book nice boat trips on the river that runs through the city. I mean it sounded a bit touristy, but I’ve always wanted to go on a boat ride,” she explained. I scratched my jaw. “Huh… I’ve actually already done that.” Her gaze flew to me, and her eyes went wide. “Really?! What’s it like?” “Who’d have thought! There’s actually something I’ve done that you haven’t.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and looked up to her, somehow feeling very satisfied with myself. “Urgh, I get it.” She rolled her eyes at me. “Just… tell me what it’s like… please.” “It’s hard to describe. It’s just a special kind of feeling. It feels thrilling, exciting and calming all at once. It feels like time falls away. Not just stops but falls away completely.” I paused. “Do you ever… Do you ever have days when your brain is just overloaded with so many different thoughts that you almost can’t bear it? Feeling like your brain might explode from all the noise inside your head?” I sighed deeply. “It all goes quiet when you’re on the water. It all falls away. It feels like being reborn in a way. It’s just you and the waves. It doesn’t even matter if other people are around. The water floats away all your troubles, concerns and negative thoughts. The fresh air fills your lungs not only with oxygen but also with life. For a tiny fraction of a moment, you feel like nothing is wrong in your life. Like nothing can go wrong in your life. Like everything is how it is meant to be. And it’s okay.”