#mykas

1  Watching a meteor shower

“Well? Are you coming?”

Mykas rolled their eyes, stretching languidly over the broad, flat rock they had claimed as a day bed and curling an arm behind their head. “What’s with you and the surface, anyway? Can it really be that interesting?”

Kalique gave Mykas a withering look and tapped the sole of their boot with her trident. “Would you just trust me? Come on. When have I ever let you down?” She feigned a pout, the same she had used since they were children. The one Mykas could never deny.

With a pointedly dramatic sigh, Mykas rolled off the rock and onto their feet. “Never,” they replied with a grin. “Show me the way.” Kalique returned the expression, giggling with childlike glee as she kicked off from the sandy ground and up into the water. Removing their boots, Mykas followed close behind. Up and up and up, along the edge of the sleeping reef and past the array of bizarre fish that only showed themselves when the water was dark. Upward they swam, until, with a soft splash, they broke the surface.

“…Oh,” Mykas murmured.

It was the first time they had ever seen a moonless night sky, and the stars scattered across the heavens were brighter than they could have imagined. After a few moments of stunned silence, they tilted their head to look at Kalique. “Fair enough.”

Kalique’s eyes sparkled. “Just wait.”

Mykas lifted a brow but turned their gaze upward once again, leaning back until their body broke the surface. A ripple of water told them Kalique had done the same, and she crossed an ankle over Mykas’ to prevent them from floating away from each other. They waited.

When the first streak of light crossed the sky, Mykas gasped in spite of themselves. “What was that?!”

“What I wanted to show you,” Kalique responded with smug satisfaction.

As the pair watched, another pinprick of light shot across the sky and winked out on the horizon. Then another, and another. It seemed to Mykas as if the sky was falling. More and more lights streaked across their vision, each one twinkling as it soared past.

“What is it?”

“The scientific term is a meteor shower,” Kalique answered matter-of-factly. “But I hear the surface folk call them ‘shooting stars’.”

Mykas huffed a soft laugh. “Of course they do.” They considered for a moment. “I like it.”

“Yeah.” Kalique rippled the water with a nod. “Me too.”