September 8, 2020

What used to be the beach was now a reservoir used for supplying coal plants with water. We stepped over the platforms floating over the surprisingly clear water. It was clean enough that we could actually see the machinery under the water to our left. On our right was a row of shacks made out of driftwood, some of them still hanging surfboards from when the place was inhabited. I recalled to my friends how my last school had nearly relocated to this spot.

We got settled down inside the far end of a mostly-empty concrete building. The walls were painted white with accents of blue and yellow. Someone had arranged a table and some chairs before bringing out the food. We sat down and began eating when someone offered me some alcohol. I told him that I felt drowsy enough already - and it was true, I felt like I was about to fall over.

–

We were playing a variant of Othello which had special pieces that allowed one to capture entire rows without needing to encircle the opponent. There was also a rule that allowed a player to claim their opponent’s most recently played piece. Throughout the game I kept forgetting about the last rule, but it didn’t seem to impact my performance much.

I looked out the door to my left and saw a group of four people sitting and chatting in the garden. There was a light drizzle but they didn’t seem to mind. “That looks nice”, I thought.