The small town that Aaron lived in is parted into two sides by the big river. On one side is Wallbridge school and on the other is Daisygrange school, the school Aaron attends.

The river is a crucial part to the town of Menida and when there weren't pollen and small insects that had mistaken the colorful surface for a leaf floating on its surface, it was Aaron and his friends.

The very second the red bar of his analog thermometer started to climb above 77°, Aaron was out the house, spending long afternoons at the small hut his friend group had built in the forest, getting brutal sunburns that made his skin peel, eating fruit and drinking lemonade or the occasional beer while blasting his playlist that Gerard had dedicated to this place.

Now, in July, with school done for the year and no other worries beside what swimming trunks to wear and whether to go by bike or skateboard.

His two close friends were chilling on the blanket next to him, the tall, ginger, Riley, dragging on his watermelon flavored vape for the nth time today, earning a distasteful look from Gerard, who was popping frozen grapes into his mouth, occasionally plucking the stems off and placing them down on the root next to his elbow for "the ants to take"

It was dawning already, the sound of their spot's playlist mixing with the increasingly loud chirping of the crickets around them.

And then he heard it; a small splash, then several others near the shore they were sitting at.

Aaron, Gerard and Riley lean forward to try and take a peek from out underneath the trees, eyes focused on the river.

He couldn't quite tell what was making these sounds, until you appeared between the leaves just above the water's surface, with a golden retriever puppy doggy paddling along side you.

He tilts his head, watching you from sat outside of the boys’ hut. He nudges his bestfriends sides, gesturing them to stay quiet before throwing a stone at the water beside you, not to hit you, just to ward you off.