Moonglass

you’re starting out in a new place, at least you’d have something to be, so you don’t end up just lost in the crowd, because there’s nothing worse than being alone while everyone else is part of something.” She moved her hand from my shoulder down to my arm and squeezed again. “Come on, Anna. It’ll be fun.” I decided I was entertained by Ashley. My friends and I were nice people, but I didn’t think any of us would have befriended a perfect stranger so breezily. And with such seemingly good intentions that came out so, so wrong.
    It was strange, but also kind of nice, considering. She did have a point about the lost-in-the-crowd thing. I had a feeling she probably made friends with people pretty easily, and that could be a good thing for me too, since I’d always been a little on the reserved side. She probably had offended a lot of people too, but maybe they all just overlooked it, as I was finding it surprisingly easy to do. She seemed genuinely oblivious to the fact that anything she said could be potentially insulting, and for some reason that made it kind of forgivable.
    “Maybe I will,” I said, already resigned to what I was about to say. “Join the team, I mean.” She squealed and hugged me, which again seemed strange and not, at the same time. As she started to lay out a plan for what it would be good to wear to the first morning practice, the crawling man passed us, and I saw on his sweat-soaked T-shirt a single word. REPENT. Ashley interrupted herself midsentence.
    “Isn’t he sad? He does that every Sunday. Everyone call s him ‘the crystal Crawler.’ My dad thinks he’s just some old crazy, but I think he must feel really bad about something and he’s doing his punishment, or repenitance, or whatever.”
    “You mean ‘penance’?”
    “I guess. I don’t know. I’m not Catholic.” We both watched as he crawled slowly on, seemingly oblivious to the kids darting in and out of the water in front of him. His calves were balled up tight, and the muscles shook with the effort of each step. I wanted someone to go take his arm and help him up.
    “How far does he crawl?”
    “I think he does the whole beach. He does it all day. usually, after breakfast on Sundays, my dad goes back home to work and I stay down here awhile. I was here all day last weekend, and I saw him go by three times.” She looked at her watch. “Anyway, we’re supposed to meet at school tomorrow at seven thirty for our first practice. I’ve already met the coach. Do you have a ride?”
    “Tomorrow?” I hadn’t expected to have to subject myself to her perkiness so soon. I wasn’t even sure I’d actually agreed. Ashley was looking at me expectantly. “Yeah, I guess.” I watched the hunched figure for one more long moment, then turned back to her, resigned. “I’ll be there.”
    “Good.” She smiled. Her phone rang. “Oh, hang on a sec.” She rummaged in her bag, around her little dog, like he was just another item in there. He didn’t seem to mind. She pulled out a bright pink phone with a crystal-encrusted A on it, and I almost laughed out loud. Of course . “You’re already there?
    Yeah, okay, I’ll be right up. I’m coming right now…. I’m walking up there. The air is on, right? It’s getting hot. Okay. Okay . Bye.” She tucked the phone back into her purse and smiled.
    “Someone picking you up?” I asked.
    “Yeah. I gotta go, but I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, Anna. And don’t eat breakfast before we run. That way your body will burn whatever you eat today, you know?”
    I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing, then forced a bright sunshiny smile to match hers. “Thanks. I’ll try to remember that.” She smiled and gave her shoulders a quick shrug. “No prob.” With that she turned and made her way through the sand to the trail, surprisingly quick for a girl in heels. When she got to it, she stopped and reached down to dig some sand out from her shoe, then waved happily. “See ya!”
    I waved back, then turned once again to go home. This had to be a joke. And now I was joining the cross-country team? Possibly a whole bunch of Ashleys? Tomorrow? So much for settling in.
    I kicked a rock and watched as it bumped over the wet sand, coming to rest just as the crystal Crawler put his hand beside it. He looked up, and our eyes met. His didn’t look crazy at all. They were stark blue and somber. And resolved.
    For a brief second I thought about kneeling