The warm sea

Naomi disembarked the boat with countless other young wanderers, backpackers and tourists having reached their destination, Lobreen.

She held her wide brimmed straw hat firmly onto her head and swung her large backpack over one shoulder and her small backpack carried protectively on her front and walked down the makeshift ramp entering into the chaos of a busy port.

Her ears were filled with the sound of men touting for business for their hostels and taxi services. Having already booked her ride and accommodation, Naomi walked slowly through the crowds and spotted her name, 'Miss Naomi' handwritten onto a piece of paper held up by a young man with a friendly face, his eyes darting across the crowd looking for his customer.

Naomi walked up the man and introduced herself, "Nice to meet you Naomi" the man said in a well-rehearsed but enthusiastic voice, "Welcome to Lobreen, I am Panit, I will take you to your accommodation at Long Beach"

Naomi allowed Panit to take her large backpack and watched as he threw it into the bed of his beaten up pickup truck, she declined his offer to take her small bag containing her computer and other valuables and climbed into the front seat next to him.

She looked out of the open window and allowed herself to relax, she was finally here on the small Island of Lobreen in South East Asia. To her left they were passing dense Jungle, hostels and shops and to her right was the ocean, the view broken by tall trees and wooden built restaurants.

Naomi had been dreaming about escaping to this island for months every night as her head hit the pillow, her mind would drift to this magical place that she had visited once before 3 years ago but had never forgotten.

The Island was not on the main tourist track and still had its natural beauty and those who lived here had a more relaxed pace of life compared to surrounding islands.

After a 10 minute drive, Panit took a right turn off the main road and headed down a sandy dirt track lined with unkept palm trees and small bushes. They pulled up outside of a small modern bungalow.

"This is you" Panit said pointing and smiling towards the Building and climbed hurriedly out of the drivers seat to grab his passengers bag out of the back.

Naomi paid and thanked Panit, took his business card and watched as he drove off down the track, no doubt back off to the port to pick up his next customer.

Naomi hung her bags from her arms and walked her last few steps towards the front door of her new place for the next few months. Her new landlord had already told her the key would be under the smallest flower pot to the right of the door. Naomi looked at the collection of 3 White plant pots and sure enough she found the key under the smallest pot.

Walking into her new home, Naomi was flooded with happiness at her decision to up and leave her life back in England. Her new home was compact but wonderful and full of light. She entered into a short hallway and straight into an open plan living room and kitchen partly furnished with the basics. She dropped her bags down onto the hard marble tiles and walked through into her small but beautiful bedroom and into her en-suite bathroom.

Naomi thought back to her bedroom at her family home to which she had been confined to during the pandemic where thoughts of Island life in South East Asia had consumed her.

At her first opportunity after lockdown was lifted, she had made arrangements to make her thoughts a reality. She quit her job in a retail store, although she was sad to go and they were sad to see her leave, she knew it was time. She was 30 years old and needed to do this for herself.

She didn't miss that sad little bedroom now and she knew she never would.

Smiling to herself at the freedom she had finally accomplished for herself, Naomi opened the double doors in her bedroom leading to her very own garden and couldn't wait to start exploring her surroundings.

It was late afternoon, still hot and humid when Naomi walked out onto her patio barefoot. She had unpacked her belongings and taken a well needed shower.

Her garden was privately lined all the way around with palms and small bushes, just as the track had been leading to the bungalow. She noticed a narrow opening between 2 palms.

Naomi walked through the gap which became a sandy pathway. The pathway was windy but short and she had only been walking for 2 minutes when the path opened up.

Naomi gasped and her eyes filled with tears, to her amazement she had reach the ocean. She had no idea her new home was just meters from this incredible sight.

She picked up her pace, jogging and then running into the bath temperature water. She ran her hands through it and could see clearly to the bottom. She walked out further and further, yet the water was still only knee height which was good because she was not dressed for swimming.

Naomi span slowly on the spot at least 30 meters from shore and took in her surroundings, breathing in the warm air.

She decided to walk back towards her new home ready to send a few messages to her friends to tell them she had arrived safely. She took a few steps forward when she stepped on something flat and smooth, initially she lifted her leg up quickly shocked at what she may have stepped on. After making sure it wasn't a strange sea creature she bent down and saw it was a notebook partially buried into the sea bed.

Naomi reached down disturbing the sand and pulled it free. The little black notebook was smooth to the touch but the pages, being completely submerged, were swollen and fused together. She carried the notebook back up the short pathway, curious about what could be inside and put in onto the warm patio slab outside of her bedroom to dry out.

After such a long journey Naomi ate some leftover snacks that she had bought at the airport, sent her messages and went to sleep blissfully in her new home.

The next morning Naomi woke up at 1pm, still tired and hungry she got dressed into some denim shorts and a baggy light blue T-shirt and walked up the track to the main road. She passed restaurants and bike rental shops and headed to a small supermarket she had passed on the journey in with Panit.

Naomi bought her supplies and decided to rent a push bike with a basket from one of the rental shops on her way home. She put her supplies in the basket and took a right turn back down the track to her little home, "This is my life now" she laughed to herself as she approached her bungalow and she couldn't remember the last time she felt this level of happiness.

She parked her bike up next to the plant pots and went into the house. After making some lunch she decided to change into a bikini and walk down to her very own beach. She grabbed her towel and sun lotion and stepped out onto her patio. She looked down at the notebook she had rescued last night and saw that it had dried out well in the intense sun. She picked it up and took it with her to the beach.

Naomi laid out her towel and sat down looking out to see, the colours were beautiful, the heat was therapeutic , she could feel it reaching into her bones and drawing out any sadness left inside of her after such a long period of depression caused by Lockdown.

Naomi could see a few other people further down the long beach to her left and right which comforted her, she wouldn't want alone time forever and would make friends but for now was happy with her own company. She rolled over onto her front and picked up the little black notebook.

She peeled apart a few of the pages easily and to her surprise the handwriting on those pages were legible. She flicked through what she was realising was a journal of a Man on his travels. Most pages were completely fused together and lost but 5 or 6 pages were saved.

She read about a few of the places the Man went and the group of friends he had met, she saw the beer labels and what resembled tickets he had stuck in and towards the end, he described living in a house that resembled the one she now lived in . She turned to the last page, a passage, smudged but readable.

'This must have been the happiest time of my life and I am so sad to head back to reality. A part of myself will forever be here on Lobreen. I have therefore decided to leave my memories here in this warm sea that has brought me so much joy, down the windy pathway from my home and vow to come back some day. Matthew'

Naomi turned over and sat up realising that this journal belonged to one of the previous tenants of the home she was now living in, she ran her fingers along the smudged sentences. It was wonderful to know that that this Man, Matthew, had such a wonderful time here on Lobreen, in her new home.

She stood up carrying the Notebook in her left hand, she walked out into the shallow sea, marvelling at its temperature once again, "as you wish Matthew" she said and dropped the little black notebook back into the warm sea where Matthew had wanted it to be left and watched as it hit the sea bed lifting sand on impact.

She turned back to towards her towel, she looked past her towel and towards the trees hiding her little home. She breathed in the clear air and walked the shore with nothing but a feeling of happiness and freedom inside of her.