Late Night Serenading

[Lennon Abernathy]

Lennon was always grateful when his shift ended. Not because he hated his job, however. But because he enjoyed being able to go along the boardwalk and sing to his heart's content. He often set up along the busiest part of the boardwalk with a hat below his feet and simply sang into the nighttime skies. It wasn't about earning a bunch of coin but simply sharing with others the sound of his voice and his, often times, custom songs.

That night was no different from any other night though he'd charmed his hat to follow him around this time. He wasn't content with simply standing around in one spot on the boardwalk. He was feeling a great deal more energetic and spontaneous. So instead of standing still, he wandered along the boardwalk singing his melodic songs as he went. He even dared to swoop in closer to an unsuspecting patron to sing a chorus directly to them before being on his way. He'd leave them with a smile on his face before continuing along his way. He continued on with the trend, fully enjoying himself as he went.

  

[Meryasek Moriarty]

It had been a month—over a month!—since Yaz had seen Eilis. It was the longest they had been apart in months. Yaz hated it. He had been sorely tempted to sleep with another woman, just to spite Eilis, but then he realized that it wasn't her fault. Life happens. Work happens. Things… happen! Still, it didn't keep Yaz for being, overall, in a foul mood. So he decided to distract himself and take a holiday.

He had been hearing about this Sanditon Resort and, although he couldn't afford it, he decided to go anyway. Sneaking on to the property want the easiest thing. In fact, it wasn't easy at all; he almost didn't manage it. But fortunately there were plenty of upper class snobs to create enough of a distraction that he was able to slip by certain employees undetected.

The day passed with Yaz sneaking around and slipping by employees, managers, and whoever else would ruin his fun. Eventually, he hid away in the resort's small zoo until closing, in which he slipped out, gaining a new friend to take home to Rocky, Burl, and Paji. It wasn't one of the animals on display. It was only a meager otter that seemed to have been drawn away from the ocean by the promising smell of food. The creature seemed to be weak, tired, and extraordinarily lost. As oysters were out of season, Yaz managed to purchase some raw shrimp, which was ridiculously overpriced for being raw, and persuaded the water mammal to eat a little.

Now the otter was snuggled up contentedly against Yaz’s chest as he wandered the boardwalk. It was seeming to be a quiet night until Yaz heard someone singing. Curious, he followed the voice until he came upon the source. Yaz stood for a moment to listen, but suddenly felt the wayward creature rustle under his coat. The otter popped its head out from Yaz's coat and began to “sing” loudly and, Yaz thought, a little off key.