Pearl pink and pale yellow reflected in her wet eyes with every step she took. The salty smell of fish and chips and seawater drifted around like the boats on the still water.

It was just the three of them. Sister. Brother. Mother. Like it had been for seven years. The colours in the sky were mixing, changing. And so were they.

He watched as the plane left a crisp white path on the blue banner. They were about to welcome a strange face into their circle. Strange eyes. Strange hands. Even though they were adults, they felt like children.

Seven years echoed in her thoughts. Seven. Now a new love had washed into her life, into her children’s lives. It was time to open the door to someone new. She never imagined she would feel ready. But she did.

As the afternoon fell away, they sat staring silently at the shimmering, rolling waves.

Pearl pink and pale yellow reflected in her wet eyes. Why couldn’t these colours stay like this forever?