The sunrise diluted the darkness and rekindled the cloaked island to vivid green. The brown-skinned man called Aereus woke once a sunray grazed his broad nose through a crack in the thatched hut. His supple raven locks, decorated with miniature beige shells, paired well with his brown eyes. A few stubborn stars lingered in the sky and refused to give up their dimming reign of the heavens. Aereus shooed them with his hands as if he could smother the sparks. He hated the isolated iciness of night. The beach would disappear under dusky water as the tide slithered closer to his hut and intimidated his fire. The faster the night fled, the happier he would be. Aereus stood atop his restoration bed of pink rose petals to let the downpour of sunlight illuminate his skin with a soft amber glow. He nuzzled the intimate luster as if it were lips to kiss or hands to keep.

The coconut palms waved greetings from suspended branches, rustled to him in their indigenous tongue, and swayed their heads in the wind to act as shade wherever their master strolled. The fresh banana leaves hanging above his knees coiled around his hips with entwined stalks. Aereus pressed the coin-sized sapphire diamond he wore around his neck that hung from a durable evergreen vine. It was a majestic treasure that his mother boasted long ago she formed alone belowground, yet the gem sparkled with an intense light that summoned spirits of not only land but also the sea. 

He walked the cleared path that led through the lush forest. Along the way, various fruit-bearing trees offered him papaya, pineapple, or bananas. Aereus approached a mango tree and plucked two of the low-hanging fruits for his own. He put his back on the trunk and bit the thin buttery skin as syrupy juice filled his mouth. Squinting his eyes, he tilted his head back to behold the canopy of foliage that sealed off beams of sunlight. His tongue brushed a tender dimple on the fruit, which resembled a naked navel. Aereus raised his free hand and pinned it to the chest of the stable tree as he slowed down his sucking of the tantalizing flesh. The fervid rush drew his elevated hand to his energized erection, which emerged from the garment of leaves. Every bite he tasted stirred more lust. The juice trickled down his neck as he stroked himself. His curled toes grasped stiff grass that rose at his feet.

Aereus ran his tongue across the stem of the mango, where he had snapped it from the tree, as he fiddled with his hardened nipple. He could feel an excitement building in him. The mango pulp disappeared, leaving only the oval pit. He sucked each side while imagining a physical body present next to him. A sudden release of exhilaration poured from him, and he inhaled the crisp, warm wind. The heat engulfed everything, then dispersed everywhere as Aereus peered down at the white fluid that spilled from his penis. He wiped himself with a nearby leaf and then adjusted his covering to conceal his nakedness again. Aereus hurled the consumed mango pit through the air away from the roots of its mother tree. 

Once back at shore, Aereus stored the second mango in his hut for a later meal. He then toted his sharp stone spear in hand towards the allure of the open black ocean as white sand powdered his feet. Approaching the sea, he raised the diamond over his head. Once the sunlight glanced at its brilliance, three white-beaked dolphins sprang from the vastness. Aereus waved as they somersaulted into the water and swarmed a school of tuna into separating. The agile dolphins flung their fins and fanned the frightened fish near the shoreline. 

He waded into the ocean and scanned to find the best time to engage. When the moment was right, he dispatched a determined thrust and speared two consecutively in the shallow water. After a brief celebration, Aereus retrieved the spear and dragged off the iridescent tuna. He thanked the dolphins with handclaps, and they clicked in response. As the pod fed on the remaining cornered prey, Aereus gripped his catch by their tails and ventured back toward his dwelling.

In the distance, there was something strange on the shore — a curled golden animal on the edge of the water. He was sure it was not there before. The midday sun stared at the deserted soul as the sand held the mass still in its soaked arms. The inflowing sea waves glazed the glossy olive skin. As Aereus approached the body, he noticed the similar facial features of the creature that resembled his own.

The young man appeared otherworldly and ageless. Aereus marveled at the unexplained presence, and his stomach fluttered as he studied the outsider, surrounded by a tremendous bloom of frothy sea-foam. The sea displaced the sand under Aereus’ feet as he fell to his knees. He leaned in, contemplating the smooth chest, muscular thighs, and reposing manhood. The man had high cheekbones and curly golden hair to his shoulders. His eyes were closed. They hid pearls that Aereus wanted to appraise. He touched the eyelid. Suddenly, they flung open on their own.