"I'm pretty used to gray, from back home." Into the water went Jim's last pebble, and then he was sifting through the sand for more. "And rocks, and sharp cliffs. Here is kind of like Montressor, that way, but with way more water. Besides, the whole first week I was there was cold. We were in some place with these... really hairy guys with horns on their helmets. And all this last week it's just been rain and dark."

He smiled a little.

"But it's nice, even if the weather is kind of awful. I mean... that fresh start. Back home, Hawkins is just the name people call if they want a refill on their purp juice. But anywhere else... It can be whatever I make of it, right?"