“It was huge Mum, you should have seen the size of that thing!”

  Ever smiled while pulling the branch away from the crackling fireplace. Sticking his tongue out to the side in concentration, he carefully sandwiched the darkened, gooey marshmallow between the chocolate and Graham crackers, pulling it off.

  ^Please can I have some?^ Mimi whined, standing up as tall as her little legs would allow to sniff the s’more.

  “No Mimi,” Zoe said firmly, picking up the dachshund and putting her on her lap. “Not unless you want to end up like that furball.”

  Nika glared at Mimi, his eyes barely opened a sliver. Like all the things that he liked, he very quickly claimed Nyx’s lap as his own territory. Tonight, the fabric of the goddess’ dress had more colour than usual, with auroras rippling and glowing gently across it.

  “Wait.” Ever stared at his girlfriend. “Did you just understand what Mimi said just now?”

  She nodded, mouth full of s’more.

  “Really?”

  She shook her head, swallowing. “I’ve spent a long time listening to and observing animals. Dog sees human food, dog wants human food. Doesn’t take a genius.”

  Ever pursed his lips, half because Zoe had messed with him but also half because the next marshmallow he was pulling off fell onto the ground.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “So what exactly did this whale want?” Nyx asked.

  “You’ll have to ask the real animal whisperer.” Zoe looked pointedly at Ever, while she scratched the back of Mimi’s right ear. “All I could hear were ghostly whale sounds.”

  “It was lonely,” Ever said, transfixed by the fire. “It said, ‘I’ve been alone forever’.”

  The fire crackled and popped, blushing shades of orange and red as everyone stared at it.

  “That reminds me of a story I heard of a whale somewhere near America,” Zoe murmured. “It was apparently a cross between a blue and a fin whale, so its call was at a much higher frequency than either could recognise. It would swim all over, calling out for friends that didn’t know what it was saying. So it would keep on swimming, trying to find someone, anyone, who could understand it.”

  “Did it ever find anyone?” Ever asked.

  “Don’t know,” Zoe shrugged. “Maybe that whale and the one we saw are one and the same.”

  Ever watched the firewood pulse in the hearth. Was the poor soul doomed to roam the seas forever, searching for a friend it would never have? Maybe he could come back and visit it ever so often to keep it company. As the only being who could communicate with it now, he felt that he owed it that much.

  “If humans could choose to live forever, do you think they would?”

  Ever and Zoe looked at the goddess of the night.

  “Some humans are obsessed with this idea,” Zoe said. “They’ll spend millions of dollars trying to find pills and pumps that will slow down their aging. Waste of money. Nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes.”

  Nyx caught Ever’s gaze. He felt her open a telepathic connection with him but no words flowed across, almost as if she decided he wasn't quite ready for the words she had in mind.