"Hi? Anyone here?" Ginger called leaning over the abandoned reception desk of the small hotel a few miles from the Pathfinder base, on a whim she'd decided to stay here for the last three days of her leave.
"Yeah man, just a moment," someone called from the back.
Ginger waited for a few moments as the sounds of giggling and shuffling got louder.
"You here for the surf?" The tall Imjohpo said blinking his large eyes.
Ginger had never seen one of the Imjohpo before, one of the races that humanity had a good relationship with, they were always tall, apart from having dark red skin and slightly distorted features they looked very human. This one wore nothing, but some board shorts slung low about his hips, Ginger noticing his well sculpted physique. His long hair falling in a pony tail down his back.
"What's surf?" Ginger asked.
"Surf is life, man," he explained, nodding wisely.
A shorter human stepped out to the reception area, "For true bro," he said high fiving the Imjohpo.
"Ok well no, I just wanna chill her for three days is that ok?" she asked.
"Yeah man stay as long as you like, it's all cool," the human said smiling warmly at her, he too was wearing nothing but board shorts, his shoulder length blond hair loose.
"Great, do you want me to pay or something?" Ginger asked as the two of them stood looking at her.
"Yeah, totally, we should do that yeah," the Imjohpo said slowly.
"Yeah, gotta pay," his human companion added.
"Are you guys high?" Ginger asked.
"Yeah, high as fuck," the human said, the Imjohpo giggled.
"Ok," Ginger giggled, "should I come back later then?"
"Nah, we can work this out, I'm sure if we all concentrate," the Imjohpo said looking under the counter.
"Is it there?" his friend asked.
"Man, I can't see it, do you think it came to life and walked off to get something to eat?"
"Yeah, could be bro, the other thing did that."
Shaking her head Ginger lifted the flap and came round, the credit machine was sitting on a shelf under the desk, both of the guys were looking at it, but they were obviously so high they missed it.
"This thing?" she said holding it up.
"Yeah, man, that's totally it," the tall Imjohpo said smiling.
"Do you think its hungry?" the human said.
"It's probably ok," Ginger said, "How much is three nights?"
"This seems so wrong, like nights and days they're all free," the Imjohpo said wandering off.
"Man, he always does this," the human said shaking his head.
"Does what?" Ginger asked watching them.
"He gets all metaphysical and shit when he's high."
"Great, so how much?" Ginger said running out of patience with them.
"I can't do this right now, look here's a key, just go do your thing, I gotta go listen to things," the human said wandering off handing Ginger a key.
Taking the key Ginger wandered off to find her room, eventually she found he'd given her the key to a little room overlooking the beach, it looked wonderful and the sound of the waves was soothing.
Changing out of her uniform Ginger put her sun dress and brunette wig on and walked out onto the beach, the sand felt warm and relaxing under her feet, she smiled seeing the two guys from earlier both laying in the sand, the human playing with some pebbles and the Imjohpo staring out to sea.
"Hi Guys," she said walking up to them.
"Oh man, fuck, do you want a room too?" the Imjohpo said despondently.
"Why is it so fucking busy today?" the human said stacking one pebble on top of the other.
"No, it's me from earlier, you guys gave me a room already."
"Wow are you like two people or something?" the human said in awe.
"Nah, I just changed my clothes," Ginger said laughing.
"Why do you always wear clothes?" the Imjohpo said looking at Ginger.
"Shoble's got a thing for human girls," the human laughed pushing him with his foot. Shoble paled rapidly looking away from Ginger.
"Man, that's totally not cool," Shoble said shaking his head. Ginger shook her head sighing loudly.
"Don't worry, he's cool, he just got his kink, ya know, I'm Tom," he said waving.
"Great, I'm Ginger, so what is there to do round here?"
"Surf," Shoble said nodding to the sea.
"Yeah, come with us, we'll be right when the surf comes in," Tom said returning to his pebbles.
"I don't know how to surf," Ginger said.
"It's easy, you just be one with the sea and let the power take its course," Shoble said softly gazing out to the waves.
Leaving them to it Ginger walked down to the sea letting the waves gently break over her toes wondering what surf was. Walking back to the room she sat on the sand as the tide changed, the waves started getting bigger as the afternoon wore on.
She watched, fascinated, as suddenly the two guys jumped up grabbed boards and dashed down to the surf, the paddled-out diving under the bigger waves.
They sat on the boards chatting animatedly pointing this way and that looking up at the sun squinting and holding fingers up in the air, Ginger wondered what the hell they were doing.
Suddenly Tom whooped and lay flat on the board, his arms a blur as he paddled furiously, suddenly a wave caught the board and he jumped to his feet.
Ginger watched in amazement as the board accelerated down the wave and Tom wove the board up and down the crest, finally the board catching and flipping him over the back.
She gasped wondering if he was alright when his head popped up suddenly and he climbed back onto the board and paddle back out to Shoble.
The two of them surfed for hours neither making any move towards the shore until the light began to fade; they rode the last wave in lazily letting the boards come to a rest in the shallows. Ginger walked down to talk to them.
"Wow, that was pretty amazing," she said.
"Yeah, good sets today," Shoble said towelling his large head.
"Yeah for true," Tom said picking up his own towel.
"Do I know you?" Shoble asked Ginger.
"Yeah you tried to check me in a few hours ago," she laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, the machine came to life, I remember," he said waving his finger at Ginger.
"Something like that, so where can I get something to eat?" she asked.
"Nothin' round here really," Tom shrugged.
