Dock: Nick and OPEN
Nick had never seen a place like this before. White sand, crystal clear water, flowers blooming despite it being almost winter, and warm humid air. Heat seeped into his bones as he lay under the sun at the end of the dock. The wooden structure extended far out from the island to reach water that was deep enough for boats and Nick had walked along the length of it with his swim trunks and a towel.
A soft tropical breeze ruffled his hair as Nick turned onto his stomach and sighed. He could see through the emerald water to the bottom and watched fish meander by. The motion of the gentle waves moving under the dock gave the illusion of floating and Nick rode that feeling, smiling to himself. When he returned to Romania, he wouldn't see something like this again, but he would always summon up this memory and replay it in his mind. Even deep in the chilling Transylvania winters, he would remember this feeling and it would keep him warm.
And speaking of summoning. There was someone else who deserved to share in the experience. Nick spoke a few words and that dark tattoo on his arm moved and shifted, the shape of the black dog racing towards his fingertips to take a flying leap into the real world - straight into the tropical water. Nick laughed as the dog splashed and swam with happy barks, red eyes ablaze with hellfire.