—Yeah.
—Life is great, Thomas said.
—Maybe I’m not drunk enough.
—C’mon, stop whining.
Thomas handed him the bottle. Jon leaned his head back and looked for the Big Dipper as he drank.
—I can see two, he said. He pointed with the bottle. A small one up here and a bigger one there.
—No way, Thomas said.
Jon pointed again.
—God damn, you’re right.
Thomas glanced from one to the other.
—Maybe we should go inside and wake up the others. Tell them we’ve made an astronomical discovery.
—I think Charlotte wants to sleep, Jon said.
—Isn’t Vivian just fucking beautiful.
—Yeah, Jon said. She’s pretty amazing. You’re really lucky.
—Everything’s just a matter of luck. It’s all chance.
—Yes, Jon said.
—Charlotte is beautiful too. She’s a really nice girl.
Thomas stood and pulled his T-shirt over his head.
—C’mon, he said. Let’s go swimming.
He unzipped his pants and pulled them down all the way to his shoes. Then he sat down on the boat and untied his laces. A moment later he stood naked before Jon.
—Don’t you think it’s too cold?
—Not at all. It’s never been warmer.
—And don’t you think you’re too drunk?
—Hell no.
Thomas turned and ran toward the sea. Jon could see Thomas’ body standing out white against the dark water. Thomas ran until the darkness reached his knees. A ways out, the water was shallow. A splash. After that Jon saw Thomas in glimpses, a foot, a white arm, the upper part of his back. Then there was only the sound left, the rhythmic strokes and now and then a splash from his feet. Then even the sounds fell silent, drowned out by the beating of the waves and by Jon’s own breathing.
A moment later Jon got up and walked down to the water. Rocks and shells bit into his feet. He stared into the darkness. The moon gave the sea a thin, flickering sheen of light. Below the surface the water was dark, and seemed darker than usual because the lights played tricks with his eyes.
Some time passed.
Then he called out,
—Thomas.
—Thomas! he called out even louder.
—Thomas, he called out a third time.
All the way out by the third sandbank, an arm appeared.
—C’mon! There’s…The wind carried the last part of the sentence away.
—What? Jon shouted.
—Come on out here. There’s phosphor.
Jon pulled off his jeans. He shrugged off his white T-shirt, then his underwear. They landed on top of the pile a few feet from the water.
The water was surprisingly warm, even a bit warmer than the air. Jon saw a swarm of small, glowing particles at his feet; he bent down, and scooped up a handful of water, letting it fall. The phosphor flashed briefly, then fell into the darkness. He squatted down and drove his hand through the water; it took on a green sheen and looked bigger. He pulled it up and then put it back in again. Then he stood, took a couple steps, and began to run. He ran until he couldn’t anymore, and then let himself fall headfirst into the water, dived and crawled with long, calm strokes. For each stroke he turned his head, taking in air from the left and breathing out to the right.