Nikki: Summer Sea Breeze/Memory

## Chapter 1: My Journal

Opening
The world is a pivoting prism, dispersing the most insignificant light into a full spectrum of rainbow.
Everything I see and experience is imbued with unique beauty.
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June 29
Found a super nice diary and bought it on the spot!
Will fill it with snippets of my life, and random inspirations.
Should be fun to read when I become a real designer...
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July 3
Great news! Mom's taking me to the beach!
Always wanted to see the sea. Gonna sunbathe on the fine sands and read a new book!
Oh right and ice cream and seagulls and sea turtles and sea lions and seahorses...
Can't wait! Ten days to go. Want to hit the road tomorrow morning.
July 4
Too excited yesterday. Forgot the trip's real purpose.
Actually it's not a vacation. Mom's taking me to a beach fashion project, led by a super famous designer.
Yeah...nervous, and even more so anticipating. Will see some high fashion. Maybe make some myself?
July 12
Dreamed of a shiny little octopus, like a big jelly, waving at me.
"Hi, Nikki, wanna visit my home?" asked the jelly-like octopus.
A man with a chef hat, spatula in hand, appeared before I could respond.
The octopus cried out: "I don't want to be made into octopus balls!" and hopped into the sea.
Must be obsessed with the beach trip.
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## Chapter 2: At the Seaside

July 14
The! Seaside!
The sun was already setting when we made it to the hotel. Mom's been busy. I watched the sea from afar.
The sunset is pink! Oh, I mean the glow, not the sun itself.
Nobody on the beach, except for a graceful lady wearing a sun hat.
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July 15
Went to Mom's studio as her assistant of the day.
Lots of responsibility!
The studio staff are nice. A lady asked me what I want to do when I grow up.
I want to be like Mom, an awesome designer.
Shame I didn't see the fabulous designer they all talk about.
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July 18
A whole day spent on the beach!
Lovely sunshine. The sea's cool and clear, with little fish swimming around. Found many pretty shells.
Sea salt cheese ice cream! The taste of summer.
Saw the sun hat lady again, sitting in a beach chair watching the sea. Don't know what she's thinking.
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July 22
Never knew the studio was so busy until I got some hands-on experience.
Feeling happy and fulfilled though, kind of like one step closer to my dream.
I want to design my own swimsuit, as the "homework" to this internship.
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August 2
Completed swimsuit design last night.
Should be happy about it, but...
Took the design to the studio for peer input.
Lots of visitors showing their own work today.
Each one was splendid. Some are beyond my wildest dreams.
And my design is...so boring.
How can I be better at this?
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August 9
Mom said I should look for ideas in real life
I'm spending this whole week on the beach.
But the sea is the same every day. So is the beach.
Tried all the ice cream flavors. Had enough of sea salt cheese.
And the sun hat lady, she's there every day!
Watching something,? Or waiting for someone?
Sun, sea, beach, lady. Like a painting, static...
Can't find any inspiration!
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## Chapter 3: World in My Eyes

August 10
Dreamed of the octopus again last night.
It was wearing a huge sun hat, crawling ashore, slowly.
"Hey, Nikki, you don't look too happy."
"I want to be an architect, building nice houses under the sea. The chef sees me as only octopus balls though. I wasn't so happy either."
Then it went back to the sea. Shiny, like a diving star.
...Sun hat-wearing octopus. Have I been seeing that lady too much?
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August 11
The lady talked!
I sat next to her, trying to figure out what she's watching.
She smiled and greeted me first.
Said she's watching the sea, which changes by the second.
I was confused. She promised to show me a different sea tomorrow.
How can the sea be...different?
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August 12
Met the lady at the promised spot. Cloudy day. Sea is like dark blue velvet.
Sky cleared. Sea brightened up, like a blue crystal.
The sea is like green silk in a small bay.
The most amazing sight from a dune nearby.
NOW THE SEA LOOKS LIKE CREAM, for real, under the sun!
The lady told me about the sea at night. Stars eerily close to a dark green sea, with shiny jellyfishes swimming around.
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Never thought the sea, very plain and simple, could have so many different appearances!
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August 14
The lady told me to go find my own world.
I can't concentrate like she does, but there is overlooked beauty when I focus.
Each wave washing against the beach makes a different outline. All those colors in splashing water.
Ice cream store makes juice sorbet. Ice cubes sparkle like gems under the sun.
Each footprint is unique. I can tell the difference between men, women, and kids.
There are signs of crabs walking on the beach. Even found hermit crabs under a rock!
...
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Everything we overlook, take for granted, has its unique charm.
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August 22
11:35 PM now. Finally finished the swimsuit!
Completely redesigned since watching the sea with the lady. Made sample in Mom's studio.
I put the flowing sunshine on the jacket, and sealed the ever-changing sea into the sunglasses.
Ice cream and cubes as hair jewelry...and that shiny octopus in my dream.
A large sun hat. Can't leave that out.
This is the spirit of the sea, as I see it.
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Finally, I found my own style, a reflection of the world I see.
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August 23
Been waiting at the beach. The lady wasn't there.
Wanted to show her my design.
She said she's a designer, too. Must be busy working.
Wait. She couldn't be that legendary designer, could she?
Very likely. She looks like an awesome designer, with eyes for hidden beauty.
Will ask Mom tomorrow!
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## Chapter 4: My Own Design

August 25
Saw the renowned designer today.
A lady wearing dark clothes, graceful, even her perfume smells of haute design.
Not THAT lady, though.
Turns out real life doesn't have so many coincidences to offer, after all.
Forgot to ask the sun hat lady's name.
Will I ever see her again?
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September 1
Time flies. The project wraps up tomorrow.
Don't want to go...
Goodbye, sea!
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September 25
Received the magazine featuring the beach project, with a page showing every designer's work.
Wasn't expecting to see my swimsuit in a corner, marked as "Designer: Nikki"!
Not the most prominent spot, but good enough to be my lifetime souvenir.
Saw a gorgeous blue dress in the magazine.
Layers of silk, in shades of blue, a gradient, like the mysteries of the tranquil sea.
Plus pink decorations.
I know this must be from the sun hat lady.
This is her soul, a unique reflection of the world in her eyes.
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May 4
The diary didn't stop. An adventure of beauty continues:
The fluffy feeling of a kitty brushing past me.
The sweetness of cappuccino foam.
Puddles rippling in a downpour. Petrichor, the pleasant smell after rainfall. Petals, washed almost translucent by raindrops.
...
These are my designs.
My observation of overlooked beauty will continue, no matter where I am.
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June 5
It's getting warm. Momo put away his heavy cloak. No need for quilts at night. Trees turning green, with cicadas calling.
Summer again, before you know it.
A gentle night breeze, like waves at the sea back then, caressing my feet.
Want to visit the sea again.
Might find something different this time, or different people.
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