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interested and started asking questions. I never thought I was different before then. I thought everybody was like that.’
    ‘Wow. I’ve never heard of it.’
    He shrugs. ‘There’s heaps of stuff on the net. There are different types too. Lots of people get colours from letters and numbers, but some people get colours from music. And it doesn’t just have to be colours. Some people taste stuff or smell things.’
    ‘God, that’s really interesting. Is it just colours for you?’
    He nods.
    ‘Do they get in the way?’
    ‘Not really. Most of the time they’re just there. Like when that teacher wrote Wednesday on the board in purple, I could see it was purple, just, in my head there was green.’ He splashes the water with his hands. ‘Sometimes it gets in the way, but that’s with people.’
    ‘You get colours from people too?’
    He nods. ‘Usually only people I know. Like, I wouldn’t normally pick up something from someone I don’t know.’
    There’s something deliberate about the way he says this and suddenly I realise that’s why he was staring at me. I want to ask him which colour he’s getting from me, but the way he’s acting suggests it isn’t great.
    There’s an awkward silence, him staring steadfastly at the horizon. Then his face lightens and he smiles.
    ‘I’ll tell you a good one. There’s this girl I like. Lara. I really like her, hey. I don’t know if it’s because she’s hot or whatever, or because of what I get from her. She gives me all this honey … warm … light stuff. It just makes me feel really good. You know how sun comes through leaves? That’s how the light’s like, but wavy. Sort of. The light’s like … like …’
    ‘Is it like the light patterns in water?’ I ask, trying to be helpful because I’ve got a feeling he’ll keep going all day to describe it just right.
    He blinks, looks down at the sunlight’s netting stretched over the sand at the bottom of the water. ‘That’s it. That’s exactly it. Honey water with light through it. Except – no. It’s more like warm air, not water.’
    ‘Okay, so honey-warm air with light patterns through it.’
    ‘Yeah.’ He nods, deadly serious.
    I smile. ‘That’s great. I think you’re lucky.’
    ‘But I haven’t finished.’
    ‘Sorry.’
    ‘What I found out was, I don’t even have to be around her. I cut her picture out of our class photo and when I look at it I get the same feelings. And if someone says her name I get them too. So if I want to feel good, I take out the picture and say her name a few times.’
    ‘Who needs drugs?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘That’s cool.’
    Then he refocuses on me and frowns. There’s wariness in his voice when he asks, ‘What’s your name?’
    ‘Carla. Carly, I mean. That’s what most people call me.’
    He nods. ‘I’m like that. My name’s Daniel, but I’m Danny.’
    There’s a lull in the swell and in our conversation. We sit in silence for maybe two minutes.
    Then he says, ‘I’m going to catch one in now. See you later.’
    ‘Bye, Danny.’
    After he paddles off, I realise that it’s the first time I’ve talked to someone at the break. Other people watching us would have thought we knew each other, just like the crows and other regulars know each other.

5
    sugar
    Marty crouches down so he can see through the window and dings the bell five times in succession. I’m standing at the end of the pass where I’ve got the mixer set up with the dough hook attachment on it. I’m making a batch of biscotti and I’ve just added lemon zest. The Official Franchise Recipes folder is lying open on the bench and I check the biscotti ingredients again, finding my place with a floury finger. I’m following the recipe because I haven’t made it many times. There are confidentiality clauses on every page in the folder.
    When I don’t pay him any attention, Marty dings the bell twice more. ‘ Pssst .’
    ‘ What ? What do you want?’
    He remains hunched down,