Lei was right. The town looked abandoned now that everyone has decided to stay indoors. It felt eerie, seeing a town bustling with activity the day before only to be turned dead silent the next. It’s like I’m in a ghost town. And I would have fully convinced myself that I was actually in one had it not been for Heartfire’s tribute walking next to me.
“The stalls and other festival decorations are gone. It’s like yesterday never happened at all.”
“The people clean up fast here.” Lei replied.
“I wish I can say the same in my city.”
Marker’s line piqued Lei’s interest. “That’s the first time you ever mentioned where you’re from. You said you were Equestrian, yes? Where in Equestria exactly?”
“Manehattan.”
“I know that place! So you live there, huh?”
“Yes.”
“So what’s it like living in a big city?” Lei asked, she was getting excited.
“It’s loud, very crowded, and everything’s expensive. Not like here.”
“You know, I’ve dreamed of leaving the island once. Visit another country, experience city living and all that stuff.” She gave out a small sigh before continuing. “Too bad that’s no longer a possibility, right?” She laughed, but it sounded hollow.
“Can I ask you another question?” Marker said. “It’s a bit more personal compared to the others.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“You seem awfully calm for someone who’s about to die. Why is that?”
Lei grinned at Marker’s question. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t always this positive regarding my fate. I went through a pretty depressive period for a while. I felt hopeless and I don’t want to do anything except cry all day. I don’t want to die yet, but it’s something that I have no control over now. And then I realized something…whether if I laugh or cry my eyes out, I’m still going to die at the end anyway. So I’d rather pick the most sensible thing for my case and chose to be happy instead. I am going to die eventually so why not make the most of it while I’m still here? Being miserable is pointless at this…point.” She scratched her and smiled at her alliteration at the end.
Marker laughed softly at Lei’s answer. “Well that’s one way to look at it.”
“You know since it’s my last day and all. Can I ask you for a favor?”
I just realized that today was Lei’s last day before she was about to fulfill her role as tribute. It hit me like a brick wall. I tried to hide my emotions as best as I could so that I wouldn’t worry her.
“Sure. Anything.”
“Take me to the beach?” Lei’s request was plain and simple, but couldn’t help but wonder about the intentions going on behind that simple phrase.
“The beach?”
“You turned down my invitation last time.” Lei reminded him. “I was hoping you wouldn’t this time around.”
“What offer?” Marker asked, he sounded a bit lost.
“To walk with me the other night. You rejected my offer back then, coldly too if I remembered correctly.”
“Oh yeah. I just thought it was inappropriate at that time.”
Lei tilted her head and smiled. “Oh?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that really the reason behind it?”
“Of course.” John said, doubling down.
“And not anything else?” Lei said as she slightly leaned in towards John.
“Yes.”
Lei giggled at John’s reaction off-screen. “You’re turning red.”
“Look are we going to do this or not?”
“Let’s do this.” As she began to strut away.
“One question,” Marker asked, stopping Lei in her tracks. “How are we going to get to the beach?”
“Oh that’s easy.” Lei said while giving Marker her signature sly smirk.
The screen then cut to a first-person view of a rather wild carriage ride. The carriage’s wheels made rowdy galloping noises from the rough terrain that it was traversing on. Overall it was a terribly bumpy ride. The camera couldn’t even maintain a focused shot for more than one second. The screen then turned to look at the driver of the carriage, who of course was Lei.
“Are you qualified to do this!?” He called to her loudly, despite sitting next to each other. “Do you even have a license!?”
“If I say yes will you feel at ease?” Lei replied. Her voice was surprisingly calm, it was like she’s already done this before.
“No!”
Lei laughed at Marker’s panicked answer. “That’s what I thought.”
A typical carriage ride from town to the beach usually takes at least forty-five minutes. In the hooves of a competent rider, that is. But if you’re riding with Lei, the duration of the trip and the life expectancy of the passengers were greatly reduced to fifty percent.
The scene then cut to a view of the beach. The carriage was resting under the shade of the palm trees nearby, away from the blistering rays of heat that came from the afternoon sun.
“By Celestia!” Marker frantically gestured a hand at the carriage that they just gotten off of. “You almost wrecked that thing!”
“Ah, but there’s that word, ‘almost.’” Lei quipped, much to Marker’s annoyance.
“I’m too agitated to argue with you right now.” Marker said as the camera screen took on a lower view, which indicated that its user was currently sitting down.
“Agitated? Teach me what it means later, but to the beach first!” Lei said as she jogged towards the water.
“Wait up.” Marker groaned as he got back up and followed Lei.
Lei hastily tossed her horseshoes at the side she approached the shallow part of the beach. She stepped into the water with her bare hooves. She then closed her eyes and let out a hum of satisfaction. “It feels nice.” Lei said, clearly savoring the sensation she was currently feeling.
“Sure looks like it.”
Lei turned to look at Marker. “Join me? You promised.”
“Sure, why not?” Marker complied as he also removed his hoofwear, although he did sort out his stuff more neatly compared to Lei. And with that, the two proceeded to take a leisurely stroll on the beach.
“It feels really nice, isn’t it?” Lei looked at Marker with an earnest smile. “The warmth of the sun on your shoulders, the rushing waves underneath your hooves? The salty scent of the breeze that screams home? It does make you feel at peace, doesn’t it?”
“Yes it does.” Marker agreed.
Lei laid her entire body down on the beach. The waves were quick to soak her up, but she didn’t mind. In fact, she appeared to enjoy it. “I wish I can stay like this forever.” She then let out a drawn out sigh as she closed her eyes.
“You’ll get sunburned.” Marker flatly said.
Marker’s line earned a hearty laugh out of Lei. “I think I’m beyond caring about things like that.”
“If you say so.”
Lei opened her eyes and stared at Marker. “Say, can I ask you a question?”
“I should be the one asking that, but sure. Lay one on me.”
“Will you come to the sacrifice tomorrow?”
I’ve seen this question coming from a mile away. And even then, I’m still not prepared to answer it. I know, I know. It’s about her, not about me. Everything should be for her, for her happiness, for her well-being. She must have everything life could offer in this brief period of time that she’s alive. She deserves it, it’s the least she could have. Now, where should I place myself in this situation? I want to put myself in a position where she would be fully satisfied. But that kind of thing is only up for her to say. So I’m just going to do just that.
“Do you want me to?” Marker replied.
Lei looked at the sky for a moment then closed her eyes again.
“No. I cherish the memories we had here on this island, even though it’s only short-lived. I don’t want it to be tarnished by seeing you all worried about my untimely demise tomorrow. My heart just could not take it.”
“I see.”
“Can I ask you another favor?”
“Anything.”
“I’m going to count to ten with my eyes closed. After I finished counting I’m going to open my eyes. And I want you gone by then. Can you do that for me? Can you help me preserve these small but treasured moments down to my last breath?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. Alright, here goes.”
I quickly grabbed my things before Lei could say count her first number. I quickly ran away as fast as I could. I ran as far as my legs could carry me. Probably by the time she finished counting, I was already out of the beach. I did everything that I could do to fulfill my final promise to her. Once I arrived at the dirt road that lead back to town, I put my shoes back on and marched tirelessly back to my quarters.