FICTION | THE WATCHESS | PART 6

The Outdoor Gym

Watery Wednesdays, #15: 7-13 September 2023

Image by the author, then edited with Canva

Welcome to Watery Wednesdays!

In April 2023, Alec Zarenkiewicz threw down a creative gauntlet: to pick any topic and write about it every day for a year.

That’s right — an entire year!

I’m keeping things simple, dedicating daily lines to a broad topic (water), and sharing them weekly.

This time, we’re returning to The Watchess, an ongoing mystery-fantasy set in and around an island villa — but oh no! Julia’s beach kiosk has been damaged.

Can a bit of exercise help her through her feelings?

7/9/2023

Further along from the kiosk, a series of outdoor gym stations lined the coastal walkway. There were steppers, suspended off the ground, a waist twister, and something you sat on to pull yourself up on it.

8/9/2023

The choice was Julia’s. She picked a hand-and-foot pedal station. One of the double stations, it allowed them to exercise together.

‘Cool,’ said Milo, as he settled onto the saddle. ‘Just like a real bicycle.’

9/9/2023

Julia simply scoffed. She saw him start before her, moving each limb at a lazy lento pace.

This only sent another jet of fury flaring up within her body. She pedalled at a far more even allegro and glowered in the kiosk’s direction, determined to ignore everything and everyone.

10/9/2023

Until, at last, she felt calmer.

Julia slowed, breathing heavily, then brought herself back to the outside world, only to find Milo smiling stupidly out to sea. She followed his gaze, but there was nothing over there except the morning sunbathers laying out their towels.

‘What are you looking at?’

‘Just the water,’ he replied. ‘I love how deep the blue is on days like these. It reminds me how lucky we are to live here.’

11/9/2023

‘Yeah, and find your shop showered in sand,’ said Julia.

Milo swallowed. ‘What’s your plan about that? I think we could shift it ourselves, easily.’

‘I want to report it first, take photos — but sure. That sounds like something we can do. You got a shovel?’

12/9/2023

‘I’ll have to run home for it,’ Milo replied, ‘but yeah.’

‘Great. We can start after siesta.’ Julia removed her hands from their pedals and straightened up on the saddle. She sighed with contentment. ‘Thanks, Milo.’

‘No problem. I guess it’s all part of the job — er. Not that it should be, of course.’

13/9/2023

‘Of course.’ Julia gave a wry smile. ‘I still think you should work here full time. I — wait.’ She peered at him. ‘You said something turned up in the pool this morning — not at the pool. In the pool. Right?’

‘Right.’ Milo grinned, and in that moment, Julia knew he’d been hanging onto this all morning.

‘Well, what, then?’ she asked. ‘What happened?’

Summarize