Kuto awoke to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, casting a pink and orange glow across the sky. Kuto stood up and stretched, taking in a deep breath of salty air. It was going to be another beautiful day in paradise.
He walked down to the water’s edge and dipped his toes in, sighing with contentment as he felt the coolness of the water on his skin. He waded out until he was waist deep, then dived into a wave and came up laughing. It felt good to be alive!
He splashed around for awhile before swimming out to where he could stand on a sandbar and look back at the island he called home. It wasn’t much, just a small speck of land in the middle of nowhere, but it was all Kuto had ever known or cared about.
He watched as the sun gradually rose higher in the sky, painting everything with its golden light. Soon it would be time for him to head back home and start his chores for the day but for now, he just wanted to enjoy this momentary peace and quiet.”