“SAY SO LONG TO MY DOLL.”

The low music of the shifting sands, gently flowing and ebbing, and the neat tinkering sounds he could hear from his hands filled his ears pleasantly. Harvey didn’t hate times like this, when he could immerse himself in doing something alone.

He put the casing over the circuit board that he had reconstructed and screwed it into place. The rusty screws gave small, high-pitched screeches as they sunk in—speaking of miracles, he wasn’t convinced that the biggest miracle of all wasn’t the fact that not a single part of the radio had gone missing in all that insane mess.

As his thoughts drifted pointlessly like this, he enjoyed the quiet for a moment longer before fixing the last screw in place.

He turned the radio upright and switched on the power. There was an instant of static, but after that, nothing.

What? It didn’t work…?

Doubting his own skill a little, he tried turning up the volume. Just then…

“Are you stupid?!”

“Wah!”

The shout suddenly sprang from the speaker at full volume, sending him sprawling backward, and he came dangerously close to falling off the sand barrier he had been sitting on. Flailing his airborne feet, he panicked and scrambled to find the concrete with his toes, just managing to avoid toppling over.

He sighed in relief and glared down at the radio on his lap.

“That was close! What the hell?”

“You just couldn’t get your act together and make up your mind, and that’s why these crazy guys come from behind and—” The voice from the speaker accosted him, sounding pretty crazy itself, but halfway through, the Corporal must have finally realized that the situation had changed, and he cut himself off.

“…Where’s the stairs? Where’s the guy who attacked us?” he spouted, dazed, after a few seconds of terribly disappointed silence. Harvey felt the weight of the exhaustion he’d accumulated recently finally come to a head, and let out a deep sigh.

“That was over long ago…”

“What? What the hell is going on? Are we already at port? What happened on the ship? Explain yourself, damn it, Herbie!”

“Give me a break. I’ll tell you later,” he grumbled wearily; he didn’t even have the energy to correct the radio about his name. So on top of Kieli, now he had to explain everything from the beginning to the Corporal, too? If his prosthetic arm had had a mouth, Harvey would have let it recount everything for him.

“What about Kieli? She feeling better?”

“Oh, yeah.” That was over long ago, too.

“I don’t see her. Where is she?”

“She’ll be here soon enough…,” he muttered, then added, under his breath so that the radio couldn’t hear, “I think…”

He gazed to his left, along the barrier that bordered the coastline; in the distance, he could see the white cape of South-hairo port projecting into the ocean. He could just make out a few large tankers anchored there, but he couldn’t tell which was The Sand Mole’s Seventh Son. Aside from the single railroad that led from the port to the towns inland, and the paved roads used by the Church’s trucks, there was nothing to be seen but a dry stretch of land interrupted by a few forlorn shrubs here and there.

Harvey had walked along the ocean for a while, away from the towns, and sat absentmindedly on the breakers. The ebbing sand caressed the sides of his shoes as he slung them over the ocean.

The sun had sunken low while Harvey immersed himself in the radio’s repairs. In this fleeting instant, the drab scenery, nothing but a wall of monochromatic haze, became a tapestry, a mysterious, indescribable gradation of various shades. The line of atmosphere along the horizon where ocean and sky blended together was dyed a rusty orange, and from there it gradually turned to a grayish blue as it ascended.

Considering how much longer he’d linger there, Harvey placed his umpteenth cigarette between his lips and lit it. He’d really done a number on his lungs, so whenever he inhaled smoke, he ended up coughing violently, but, for some reason, he forced himself to smoke anyway; maybe as an admonition to himself not to trust people so much.

I guess there was one girl who said she wanted me to at least trust her.

Patter patter patter…

Light footsteps approached, treading the concrete.

He looked up and turned to the harbor; he could see a small silhouette approaching through the thin haze that was dyed the color of sunset. She held a doll under her arm, and her shoulder bag bounced against her lower back as she ran across the barrier.

Still sitting, he waited, angling just his face toward her; she stopped a little before she reached him. Maybe she had been running the whole time; the blood had rushed to her cheeks, and she was winded.

“I-I thought you’d really left…,” was all she said, in a hoarse voice, before trying to catch her breath in earnest; he regarded her with an expression even he thought must have looked dumb. Perhaps his lack of response made her uneasy; a cloud suddenly fell over Kieli’s face, and she added, “Um, I can still go with you, right…? I was thinking that even if you say no, I’ll just follow you anyway…”

She studied the Undying for an answer; he held her gaze and considered his response, but in the end, “…Do what you want,” was all he said, and he looked casually away.

I thought she really might not come…, he brooded, then let out a wry laugh of self-derision. What made him ever doubt?

“If you’re coming, let’s go.” He picked up his backpack and the radio and started to get up.

“Ah, please, wait a second.” Still breathing heavily, Kieli sounded as if she’d forgotten something, and crouched down. Half standing, Harvey watched her blankly.

Kieli primped the doll in her hands and, taking a last look, reached down and gently released it into the ocean.

The doll fell with a light splish atop the sand and began drifting away from the coastline.

“Are you sure? It’s all you have to remember her by.”

“I’m sure,” Kieli murmured, her voice soft but resolute, as she held her knees and watched the doll recede. “I have you now, Harvey,” she added lightly; Harvey blinked involuntarily and considered the girl beside him. Her black eyes took on a quiet, profound aspect as she focused on the sea before her.

…Well, whatever, thought the Undying, turning to watch the ocean with her.

A blue-gray curtain gradually fell over the copper-colored horizon far in the distance.

As if reluctant to part, the doll kept her glass eyes fixed in their direction as she vanished against the distant field of darkening sand.