Two boys, alike and undying, from borderless Illyrial, where we [de]lay our post- anthropocene: Julian and Vern are equally lost and differently, tenderly, iridescentpearls; one in the deep sea and the other by the sandy shores, encroaching. Julian, an unlikely passenger aboard an undersea ship with no destination and captained by a madman, seeks to unfold the past by throwing himself into new liaisons with beautiful men and creatures. Still learning how to swim, Vern kicks frantically against the undertow of his misfortunes as he alchemizes his desires. Despite taking separate voyages, their meeting soon becomes inevitable. Past The Shallows and into The Below, what begins as a tenuous meeting of opposites quickly becomes a lovers' pact.Aboard the Clarel, all is not as it seems. Adrian captains the ship, oblivious to all except the needs of his crew, accompanied by an ache he has known for as long as he can remember. Dimitri, his steadfast navigator, draws detailed maps to every place they could ever voyageall except one.As the four newfound crewmates navigate murky waters and each other, they quickly enter in a race against time to help both Julian and Vern return to where they were born. For both boys, the lyrical journey is as metaphorical as it is lived. Deep oceans filled with long-lost memories call to them, carried by the tide in a siren cry of a kingdom they might once have called home.But where is home? And how are they to get there without a map?West Ambrose is a scrivener and performing artist.
