The Waves Are Ours

4- A Whole New World

Michael pushed at the floating objects in his bowl. Ashton had said to eat them and that they were breakfast, but he wasn't so sure. They smelt strange and dry besides the white water like substance that they floated in. He was pretty sure Ashton had called it milk. He looked at Ashton helplessly.

"You eat them, Michael. With the spoon." Ashton explained, before demonstrating with his own. He made it look easy, as if they were nothing. He supposed if he asked Ashton to eat oysters or seaweed, he would probably have the same reaction.

Michael stared at the bowl and the spoon. He scooped the tiniest amount onto it and plugged his nose. He put it straight into his mouth and swallowed.

A moment later his eyes lit up, it was good. "Mm-this--- good- ---Ashton." He spoke through mouthfuls.

Ashton laughed, "Geez if you think that's good. Just wait until you try something like pasta or ice-cream. Or something even better like Pizza. The guys and I were talking about getting some later."

"Pizza?" Michael questioned, wondering what something with such a strange name could taste like.

"It's a surprise." Ashton smiled knowingly, "You'll find out what it is soon enough."

Michael nodded. If pizza was even better than this, he couldn't wait to try it. Same with this pasta or ice-cream. He frowned, maybe, he was enjoying this being on land thing a little too much, they had such amazing food up here. seaweed and oysters suddenly seemed quite boring. One point to the land people he thought.

Calum had already left, but Ashton had promised he'd be back soon. From what Ashton had told him, the two went out surfing together almost every morning together. They'd been in different grades at school but had become friends a few years ago. Both were finished school. Calum was about the same age as Michael.

It was currently a thing the land people called summer holidays, where many of the humans had time off. Ashton had also explained that this weekend there was going to be a massive festival on the beach that both Calum and he had some part in helping to organise. Michael was excited, he'd seen many of the humans' festivals from the ocean before, where white tents would line the sand and there would be music. As well as those bright sparkly things that humans let off into the sky that made loud bangs. Michael had feared them originally but when he'd seen the beautiful colours, they produced he wasn't scared at all. Perhaps, if he was still here by then he'd finally get to see them from land as the humans did.

Suddenly, the whole table began to shake, and Michael jumped backwards, almost falling off the chair. A light tone began to fill the air. Ashton looked concerned grabbing the flat black object off the bench as it flashed with a bright light. The noise and the shaking stopped as he talked to it. "Hello?"

Michael watched as Ashton talked. It seemed he was talking to another human on it. How strange. He looked for wires or some sort of magical power source. Humans didn't have magic, but the device was operating somehow. They were discussing something about one of the performers cancelling out, but Michael was more fascinated by the object itself.

"So, you can talk to other people with that?" Michael asked when Ashton had put the object back on the table. He was fascinated by Ashton's communication device.

Ashton nodded. "It's called a mobile phone. Everyone who has a phone has a number, and if they answer you can talk to them."

"Whoa, that's so cool." Michael gasped.

"Do they teach you anything in the ocean?" Ashton laughs. "I would've thought mobile phones would be something even you'd know about."

Michael looked down into the bowl. "Well we're not supposed to ever be on land, so no one knows."