akrasiel

“Ooh, how about this, Kako?” Nili thrust a scrap of amber cloth at me. “If I embroider that in white, you’ll look all shimmery.” “You’d lose me on the lake.” I waved at the sun-struck cove where we lounged with our friends, cooking breakfast and preparing for the day’s work. Shafts of golden light cut through puffy clouds and glittered in the morning mist. Cottonwoods with yellowing leaves shaded the beach, dripping dew into puddles with tiny plinks. I went on sharpening my fish knife. Every autumn Nili sewed me new shirts and leggings, and every autumn we argued about it. She insisted that bright berry dyes would complement my colouring — brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin. I wanted something dark for tromping around the muddy rainforest. After I refused her fifth choice, Nili shoved swatches back into her fabric bag. “I don’t know why I care,” she huffed. “You’ll outgrow them anyway.” “Sorry. Should I stop wearing clothes?” “That’ll get Canoe Boy’s attention.” She

“Ooh, how about this, Kako?” Nili thrust a scrap of amber cloth at me. “If I embroider that in white, you’ll look all shimmery.” “You’d lose me on the lake.” I waved at the sun-struck cove where we lounged with our friends, cooking breakfast and preparing for the day’s work. Shafts of golden light cut through puffy clouds and glittered in the morning mist. Cottonwoods with yellowing leaves shaded the beach, dripping dew into puddles with tiny plinks. I went on sharpening my fish knife. Every autumn Nili sewed me new shirts and leggings, and every autumn we argued about it. She insisted that bright berry dyes would complement my colouring — brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin. I wanted something dark for tromping around the muddy rainforest. After I refused her fifth choice, Nili shoved swatches back into her fabric bag. “I don’t know why I care,” she huffed. “You’ll outgrow them anyway.” “Sorry. Should I stop wearing clothes?” “That’ll get Canoe Boy’s attention.” She