Between the palms, the island is dotted with tiny luxury resorts, each with their own differently-shaped palapas shading their own differently-beige sunbeds on the same white sand. One tourist lounges on each sunbed. The tourists are all tattoos and sunglasses, from places like Hamburg and London and New York. The sea is striped dark teal and neon from the shallows to the horizon. Wooden pylons, the final remains of a pier, lean into the waves, perpendicular to the stripes. One bird lounges on each pylon: a giant gray pelican, whose long neck curves like the hook of a cane, matte black frigatebirds, small white gulls. People and birds peer at the neon sea.
Are these birds at work or on vacation? Do they have a choice?