The Proximity Of Stars

Chapter 1

1

21st Century, Planet Earth

St. Anastasia Island

Summertime

It was nearing sunset when the sky slowly turned amber. Brian could see two seagulls wafting on the golden horizon. The island seemed rather cozy for the two young and hopeful lads who just wanted to unwind a bit before entering into the world of hard work, family life and eventually, kids.

Having graduated from Oxbridge with flying colors, both Brian and his best friend, Gary, were willing to experience something new, unfamiliar and fascinating. Gary was the wilder one, far more adventurous than Brian, who was generally regarded as a profound thinker.

In fact, he was renowned, or rather, notorious, for constantly having his head in the clouds – the so-called “philosopher” not only in their posh college, but also the entire varsity.

Right after their graduation ball, these two young men had to fly several thousand miles in order to come to this tiny, yet splendid and surreal patch of land, right off the coast of Southeastern Europe.

Little did they know what lay ahead of them. So full of dreams, enthusiasm, and naiveté, they were ill-prepared to go on to the next stage of their existence.

Brian got up from the hot sand and took a look at the magnificent sunset. Just then, he noticed something rather unusual for this sleepy island.

“Gary, could you come over here for a second?” he asked his travel companion.

“Are you afraid of the dark or what?” Gary replied in his typical jovial style, as he approached Brian, standing right next to the water of the Black Sea.

“Oh, Brian, stop philosophizing so much and grab a can of beer, or one of your favorite glasses of wine!” Gary teased.

“Bro, I'm tellin' ya, I was just wondering if we're gonna like the local cuisine here, when I heard an odd kinda sound from—er, like—”

Suddenly, he stopped in mid-sentence.

In came a soft, chirpy, somewhat flirtatious female greeting: “Hey, guys, are you two having fun?”

“Good evening, alien beauty. How the heck did you manage to get here, in this secluded place?” Gary responded quickly, eyeing her up and down, appreciatively.

Gary’s mood started to improve significantly. “Never mind, that doesn't really matter right now, does it, Brian?” He turned to the girl. “Anyways, now that you are here one way or another, would you like to share a drink with us and keep us company?”

“You are so-oo pushy, you naughty young man,” replied the stranger, giggling, “Let me first introduce myself properly. My name's Brenda, and that, over there by the beach, is my best friend Alice.”

Much to their amazement, none of the guys had yet sensed the presence of Alice––until that instant.

Brisk and eager introductions ensued between the boys and the girls, with Gary, himself, literally exploding with excitement and delight.

Prior to the ladies' arrival, he had been feeling cold, lonely, and slightly bored with the prospect of spending a quiet and uneventful night in his friend's unassuming company. But then came this delightful surprise.

“We went on a cruise today, starting off from the city of Burgas first thing in the morning,” Brenda said. “Accidentally, we spotted this nice little islet and immediately wanted to check it out. Because we thought there might be a tavern or at least a café on this beach or something, our desire to explore further didn't diminish, so we went on to—”

Gary interrupted her with a smirk. “Oh, Brenda, hm, er, please be our guests for tonight. We are really nice guys, very smart, intelligent and hospitable.”

While he went on smoothly talking to the gals, Gary motioned for them to follow him into the villa, where dinner had already been properly prepared by the kitchen staff, now gone for the night.

“All right then, ladies, do feel at home and enjoy your meal. Bon appetit! There's plenty of food for all of us here,” he said. “Besides, we've got a fully stocked fridge as well, not to mention the minibar, which has also been completely restocked recently.”

While reaching out to light the candles on the large dinner table, Gary beamed.

“Hey, Brian, could you now put some lovely music on, please?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure mate, of course, just a moment,” Brian replied courteously. Yet his face and voice indicated otherwise, as if he were concealing his true feelings so he didn’t spoil his friend’s potentially romantic evening.

The Moon's pallid face had just shown up on the skyline. With the close proximity of Mars shining brightly, and the gentle ripples of water splashing against the fine golden sand, the entire scene looked incredible.