1. Nordhaven

Can you see the clear sea, too?

She lived by the sea but hated sand. She was the only green-skinned person in the area but it didn’t bother her. She was here to swim.

Surrounded by friendly couples, waving to her hello in orange, blue, and red—she was not interested in getting to know them.

Instead, she was preoccupied by the way the sand hurt her feet at each step, roasting her skin until it burned purple. Even with sandals, a single speck of sand could make her stop from pain. This was some kind of allergy she was not yet ready to admit. And anyway, the second she got in the water, all her irritations melted away.

She could float for hours, but was worried that someone would be worried about her. Not her family of course—they were too far away. But one of those long-legged lifeguards in big yellow tents—God forbid! Every time they saw her, walking slowly on the sand, they gave her this look like she was the first green person they had ever met. This makes it easier for her to walk towards the water.

At some point, turning purple and lounging in the sea was growing old. She had successfully turned down the advances from every colour of the rainbow, except green of course. She had already abandoned that colour.

Her neighbours’ waving grew hollow. They were thinking, too: what was she even doing here?

Her family had asked her to stay: politely, curtly, cautious of being too insistent—all typical of their culture. But she didn’t feel green at all. And what was the point of staying among same-ness if you didn’t feel the same at all?

So she went on: feeling pain, then peace—continuing to go back to the water, where all colours turned clear.

Until one day, she met a yellow woman dressed decisively in green.