The last remaining days of Summer were moulding together in a golden, idyllic blur. I had first arrived at my farm at the beginning of Spring, the season of beginnings and growth. Everything was so new back then. I was fearful of every little mistake I made because I was certain that if I made one wrong move everything would be over; I would have to pack up my dreams and surrender to my father's expectations for me. I made so many precious memories in Spring, I had days were I felt so amazed and happy by everything, but when I reflect back I still remember that feeling of anxiety and uncertainty being woven throughout my memories of Spring.

During the Summer months I had become more settled, I had a routine for my work on the farm and I was beginning to create friendships and a life outside of it too. If Spring was the season of uncertainty, Summer was the season of beginning to believe in myself and my capabilities. Now, as the final days of Summer approached, I yearned for Summer to remain for a little longer.

I was nervous about the arrival of Autumn. Autumn would bring less light to nurture my crops. It was more likely to rain, meaning that I would be prevented from working outside for long. I would have to plant crops that I was unfamiliar with. Summer was my comfort zone and a new season was outside of it. The idea of starting a new season from the beginning all over again filled my stomach with butterflies as it loomed closer. Still, I knew I had to face my nerves straight on. I'd always think about how much my father would disapprove of me with I did something wrong as a farmer, but a lot of this fear of failure was because I didn't want to let myself down. I was pursing this dream for myself, for the young girl who wanted this to be her future. I had to get used to the new conditions for each season I was facing because that was part of being a farmer. The only person really stopping me from succeeding was myself.

This week I had harvested the final bounty of the fruits and vegetables I had been growing this season, shipping most of them off to gain a profit. The crops that I didn't ship I kept to gift to my fellow villagers and use in my cooking 'experiments' when I wasn't eating my meals at the Garden Grill.

A positive of moving away from home to live on my own meant that I could eat out and avoid keeping as much as I wanted. There wasn't anyone to tell me that I couldn't eat Carrie's candied sweet potatoes for multiple days in a row (they were addictive). It was also nice to have friends who I could meet at the Grill and talk to, whether it was talking about flowers with Lisette or watching Wayne and Brad tease Ford. I liked feeling like I was part of a friendship group. Eating out all the time was starting to add up, however, and if I wanted to be able to afford a new barn from Ludus then I knew I'd save more money cooking some of my own meals. Dessie liked helping me to cook new dishes and I enjoyed having her company, even if I had to remind her to not be so generous with the amount of spices and ingredients she'd add to our attempts at certain dishes.

Uncle Frank invited me over for a meal once a week too, I enjoyed those moments where I could get to know more about my relative and get advice from him on to how to prepare my farm for the Autumn months. I was growing close to my Uncle and it was comforting to know I had a family member here when the rest of my family were so far away.

Heat dominated the day once the sun had fully risen in the sky by mid-day, meaning that I would have to wake up before dawn to get all the work I needed to get done on the farm before it became impossible to work through the scorching heat. I had plans to clear more of the wood laying around on my farm to save as building material that Ludus would need to build more farm buildings and to clear space so I could plan more crops. Swinging an axe around when you're drenched in sweat is a little tricky though, so I wasn't working at the pace I hoped I would be.

My animals seemed to love grazing outside and sunbathing as the day warmed, especially the latest addition to my farm, Pippa, a chick who has recently hatched. Dessie had claimed Pippa as her new best friend and you would often find Pippa being carried or following Dessie around the farm. Dessie has even tried to make her chick companion a 'super special friendship flower crown' to wear but Pippa decided to eat it to show her affection for her friend instead.

I wandered idly through the tropical town of Lulukoko, pausing every few minutes to admire and smell the fragrances from the distinct flowers that bloomed on the ground. No wonder Lisette loves coming here, I thought to myself as I imagined my florist fiend basking in the ocean of colourful and exotic flowers that bloomed in this town.

When I first glimpsed the sandy beaches and vibrant atmosphere of Lulukoko, I thought the town was magical. Having the time during the hot summer afternoons to appreciate the beauty of this place confirmed my first impressions even more. This place was magical.

I wondered whether Lulukoko would remain in an eternal state of Summer when the Autumn came, or if the flowers I adored would slowly die as winter approached and the bright blue sky would be haunted by rain clouds and darkness until nature reawakened in Spring.

I hoped for the former.

I hoped there'd be a tropical haven that I could return to when the weather on my own farm was melancholic and warm my soul.

If that wouldn't be the case then perhaps it was wrong of me to assume that beauty could only be found in the bright, summer blessed parts of the world. I'm sure Autumn and Winter would bring its own form of beauty.

I drunk in the colours, the aromas and the busy atmosphere of Lulukoko's market place like an elixir as I weaved my way through the crowds of villagers haggling over the exotic goods that this town offered. One stall that I bought from frequently, offered mouth-watering fruits. Whenever I walked past that stall it was impossible not to buy one of the ripe and juicy looking mangos they sold and snack on it as I returned back to my farm. Usually, I devoured it within seconds and often wished that I bought a second one to satisfy my immediate craving for more. I was chatting with Caolila, the owner of the fruit stall, and weighing up whether I should buy a coconut to attempt to make coconut curry when I got back to the farm when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Aloha Nami!" greeted a voice from behind me.

I placed down the coconut I had been inspecting during my deliberations and turned to face the owner of the voice, Ludus.

"Aloha Ludus," I smiled back at him, "It's good to see you. How's it going?"

"Pretty good, mahalo. Actually, Nami, I was hoping I'd see you today. Nana wants me to take a look at the boats we have docked up on the beach and see if they need fixing and redecorating for the Slight Festival. I was wondering if you'd be able to help me." Ludus smiled sheepishly and scraped the back of his head, "Nana said I should ask for your help since you're used to moving things around on your farm. The twins insist you have a creative aura too. Would you be able to help me?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his last comment, "I have a creative aura? I'm flattered but I can't say that I'm very talented. I'd be happy to help though, I'd be lost without your help building on my farm so I owe you. It'll be fun."

Ludus' face lit up, "You will? Mahalo Nami. I can show you where the boats are kept on the beach, then we'll see how much paint and what repairs we need. There was a big storm at the beginning of the year and we haven't checked on the boats since, so I'm not sure what to expect." He gestured for me to follow him. I waved goodbye to Caolita and fell in pace beside Ludus.

"What is the Sealight festival?" I asked as we walked towards the beach, "I've never heard of it before."

Ludus stopped in his tracks, "Nana hasn't explained it to you yet? I'm surprised, it's one of her favourite festivals here." Ludus smirked slightly, then continued walking beside me, "The Sealight festival is a festival that takes place here in Lulukoko. During the festival, the residents ask a member of the opposite sex to row out into the bay on a boat and watch the light bugs hover over the water. It's beautiful, you definitely have to come. I'll be your date." Ludus elbowed my side playfully.

I laughed, "Okay, deal. You better not capsize the boat though, I can't swim!"

Ludus raised an eyebrow, "You city dwellers hardly know anything! Here in Lulukoko we're practically thrown into the water and forced to learn how to swim as soon as our mother's give birth to us. You'll have to learn, you haven't experienced this town until you've gone swimming in the ocean."

"Very tempting but I don't think anyone would have the patience to teach me, I have a feeling it'll be a very long progress for this city girl."

"Maybe I will capsize our boat during the festival… Sometimes the best way to teach someone something is to throw them right into it."

"Ludus!" I shoved him lightly, "That's evil. I'll drown and then my poor animals will starve. Bella the cow will hunt you down and avenge me."

Ludus grinned, "Right you've convinced me, I don't want to anger the bovine."

After a short walk from the market place, Ludus guided me down to the beach. It was mostly unoccupied by people, most likely because it was approaching the time that everywhere closed for the afternoon siesta now that the weather had gotten so hot. I didn't mind that the beach was practically empty though, I was appreciative of the quietness of the beach and the unobscured view of the crystal blue sea and golden sand.

Ludus gestured towards several moss-covered boats stacked up in the corner of the beach, "They're looking a bit rough right now, we'll see which ones need small repairs or can be fixed with some paint and which ones will need to be rebuilt."

I nodded quietly and moved to lift up one end a boat closest to me, whilst Ludus moved to lift up the other, "Have you ever built a boat before?"

"Of course, I built some of the boats we're looking at now with some of the other villagers. As long as it's designed well then they're pretty easy to make."

"I think you're really talented, being able to design buildings and build them yourself. I remember trying to make a wooden money box as part of a school project back in high school, we had to measure and cut the wood ourselves but mine came out really crooked. The parts didn't fit together properly so I had to use lots of glue and hope for the best. I didn't bother to bring it home to show my parents."

Ludus chuckled and winked, "Practice makes perfect, Nami. Sometimes I cut material too short and have to start again, it's okay to make mistakes. I'm sure if you had more experience you could make a really impressive money box."

"I think I'll stick with the farming for now, if it fails then maybe I'll ask you to help me perfect my money box craft and I'll make a business selling my wonky creations."

We carried the boat to a clear patch of sand, giving us enough space to inspect and move it around without anything getting in the way. I began dusting the boat off with a rag that Ludus produced from his bag and handed to me.

"Mahalo for helping me with this, Nami. It's nice to have company whilst doing this and Nana said that you'd be good at helping me paint these boats. She wants us to paint the boats so they have different scenes from Lulukoko on them, she says they'd look nice on the water if they're not just plain."

"Do you usually do creative projects yourself? I know you've said before that you're thinking of making clothes for your stall."

Ludus nodded quietly, then gestured for us to move another boat. This time there was a large hole in it, and the planks of wood weren't secured properly. We moved it to a different section of the beach, ready to break up the material and recycle it.

"I usually have a sewing project or two going on. Recently I've gotten into making quilts. Iluka says the idea of a guy making his own quilts it weird though. Do you think it's weird, Nami?"

I shook my head, "I don't think it's weird. If it's something you enjoy doing then you shouldn't listen to what Iluka thinks. I know it's pretty hot here, but if you started to sell quilts then I'm sure the villagers from Westown would buy them, especially since it's going to get cold soon."

"Yeah, you're right. I have lots of fun thinking up new patterns, maybe I'll think about making some for my stall."

After a while, Ludus and I finished arranging the boats into two groups. Ones that needed cleaning and some light repairs, but could still be used and painted for the Sealight Festival, and boats that had been damaged beyond repair during the storm and would have to be broken down and recycled.

"I'm going to go and get some of my tools and some paint, you stay here and rest Nami. I won't be long. We'll try to get what we can today, then we'll continue another day." Ludus said as he squeezed my shoulder then left to fetch the supplies we'd need.

I laid back on the sand, slipping my shoes off and feeling the warmth between my toes. When I closed my eyes, I heard Dessie appear beside me.

"Ludus is so dreamy," Dessie sighed.

I giggled, "If he was able to see you then he'd be asking you to help him with all of these boats. I bet you could just fix these all up in an instance."

Dessie pouted, "I would, he'd be so impressed by my magic. Maybe I'll make a sandcastle for him to impress him. He won't know I made it, but he'll still admire my creation."

Dessie began scooping up sand into a pile. I closed my eyes for a few moments and listened to the sound of Dessie humming to herself and the ocean. When I opened my eyes moments later, Dessie's mount of sand has been transformed into an extravagant and intricate sandcastle that towers over her. Each brick is carefully carved, as if she built the castle piece by piece. A giant window frames the tallest spire. I squint and look closely into the window. I could have sworn I saw tiny figure inside but it must have been my imagination.

"Dessie… This is… Oh my good-"

I'm cut off by a cloud of black smoke that materialises above the castle, I turn to Dessie in confusion, wondering if this smoke is something she's created intentionally. I turn back to the smoke, it's growing bigger. As I look closer, it figure of a girl begins to form within the smoke and seconds later the girl crashes down to the sand, landing on Dessie's sandcastle and flattening it.

"Hello, peasants." Witchie spat, as she dusts the sand off of herself and fixes her eyes with mine.