I started that summer by opening my door and immediately shutting it. I then turned to Laslow, who was eating from his freshly-filled bowl.
"Laslow, no going outside today, alright?" I pleaded. "Holy SHIT, for the love of Yoba, don't go outside today! You will die."
He finished eating, turned around to face me, and sat down. He gave me a look that said "Aight, but you better not go out there, either."
And I didn't. The heat was that atrocious.
The next day, though, was a lot better. Still a little hotter than I would have liked it, but not to where I feared for the life of anyone who stepped foot outside.
As I passed the clinic, a familiar voice said "Hey!"
I looked around until I saw Maru walking toward me with a smile on her face. She'd just come from the mountain, it looked like.
"Hey!" I responded. "How's it going?"
"Pretty good!" Maru answered with a smile. "I caught some fish from the lake and immediately got some awesome ideas!"
"Ooh, like what?" I asked.
"I want to study the material in snail shells, for one," she said. "I want to see if they conduct electricity, for instance. I can't figure out how to prevent one of my works-in-progress from overheating, and it may sound like I'm grasping at straws, but… if nothing else, I'm curious."
"Hey, nothing wrong with curiosity," I said. "I wish I had that kind of knowledge. Wouldn't snail shells be considered an organic thing, though? I wonder if that changes anything. Always seemed to me like organic things are way more fragile than artificial things."
"That's true," said Maru. "But you'd be surprised how strong some organic things can be. Hair, for instance; one strand can hold three ounces, and a whole head of it can support 12 tons!"
"Wait, really?" I marveled. I subconsciously reached for my own hair, thinking about the fact that it could hold 12 tons, and it was just acting as an aesthetic part of me.
"Seriously!" said Maru.
"That's wicked," I said.
"Agreed," said Maru. "So, what are you up to?"
"I was going to head to the beach to fish," I said. "But it's a bit hot today, so I may do it by the river, where I can sit under a tree."
"Good call," nodded Maru.
"Did you feel how hot it was yesterday?" I asked. "I was pleading with my cat not to go outside because I feared for his life."
"It was horrible yesterday, yeah," Maru agreed. "I'm so glad it's nicer today."
"Agreed," I nodded.
A few seconds of silence went by. I scanned what I could see of the river, and my eyes fell on the perfect tree to sit under.
"Would you mind if I came with you?" asked Maru. "I need a break."
"Oh, I wouldn't mind at all!" I answered. "Fishing's more fun when you've got someone to talk to!"
"Cool!" said Maru.
She followed me as I made my way over to the tree by the river. We both sat down under the shade, which was every bit as blissful as I hoped it would be. I dropped my line into the water in front of me.
A few moments went by before I noticed that Maru's demeanor had changed a bit. She was staring down at the water, with a sort of forlorn look on her face.
"Er, forgive me if this is a bit forward," I said. "But is there anything wrong? You seem a bit down."
"Hm?" said Maru, looking at me. "Oh, no, nothing too serious. It's just… well…" She sighed. "Sebastian hardly ever talks to me. I wonder if he even likes me at all. It's sad. I want to have a brother, but… he doesn't act like one."
I didn't know what to say to that. I tended to be very honest with people, but the first thought my mind went to was "What if he genuinely does have something against you?" I couldn't just… say that, could I?"
"This may seem like a dumb question, but have you tried talking to him?" I asked.
"Many times," said Maru. "He just… says what he needs to say to me, and nothing else. That very often translates to one-word answers. And, of course, he never initiates the conversation."
"Hm," I said. "That is rough."
"Yeah…" said Maru.
"…Well…" I said. "Of course, this would be something you wouldn't want to do until you're ready, but… maybe you could talk to him… specifically about this."
"You think?" asked Maru.
"Maybe," I said. "Sit him down, be like 'Hey, tell me if I've got the wrong idea, but… I feel like you don't like me,' or something to that effect. Then, ask him how he feels and be understanding even if you may not agree or if he has something misunderstood."
"You may be right," said Maru. "That'll be hard, but… it may be the right answer. Thanks."
"I may be wrong, too," I shrugged, finally feeling a tug on my line. "But it's worth a shot."
I reeled in a rainbow trout, and had to admire it a bit. I didn't think I'd reeled one of these in before.
"Ooh, a rainbow trout!" said Maru. "Did you know these things will eat just about anything they can get their teeth into? They'll even eat crustaceans and other fish!"
"Woah, that's a big eater if I've ever seen one," I said, looking at this poor guy's stomach and wondering what sorts of things he'd eaten in his lifetime.
"Yeah," said Maru.
She looked at her watch. I caught a glimpse of it and wondered if she'd built it herself; it looked a little more… advanced than something that you'd find at even the bougiest jewelry store.
"I should be heading back," she said. "Mom usually makes dinner around this time."
"Thanks for hanging out with me today," I smiled.
"Thanks for letting me!" she said, standing up. "I'll see you around!"
"Yeah, see you!" I waved as she walked away.
I couldn't imagine how it felt, to be disliked by a sibling the way Sebastian seemed to dislike Maru. I desperately hoped the two could work their differences out.
Author's note: Yes, I Googled both the hair thing and the rainbow trout thing. But they're both seriously interesting.