"Love, which quickly takes a gentle heart, captured him for my fair shape. Love, which does not allow one not to love back, took me for him. Love led us to a single death."

Enoch spat these words with anger as he read them from his daughter's notebook. "She has the nerve to stay and chase after meaningless boys. For what reason does she write this nonsense? Poetry... What has poetry ever done for me?"

Harold sneaked a peek through the crumpled pages, trying to mask his struggle with reading. He lingered on each word longer than usual, attempting to fool the other workers into thinking he had read the poem, before tossing the notebook aside. "It's just a silly thing, Enoch. She's young and childish. She'll get bored of it and come to her senses, working to provide for the family."

"It's from the Divine Comedy, and it is far from silly," a rough voice echoed around the crates on the dock, drawing their attention.

Their eyes pierced the boy's soul, judging him for his differing opinion. The boy, however, looked at them with pity, thinking that a life without literature and art was not worth living. An existence where the only joy was coming home from loading crates all day was no life at all.

Enoch stood up and walked confidently toward him, making the boy feel ashamed. He lowered his eyes, studying his old shoes. "You should focus on those crates you're carrying, Ethan. Maybe Mr. Lacks will come today and teach you a lesson for slacking off."

Mr. Lacks... the infamous Conrad Lacks. He owned the dock, the ships, the waters, and most importantly, the souls of his workers. Those who refused to be tamed would be subdued through what he called proper education.

Conrad was a staunch believer in education, though for him it often meant violence. He fed and paid his workers well, but at the cost of severe beatings. Everyone feared Lacks, and at times it seemed even the lifeless crates were wary of his arrival.

Enoch's gaze,as heavy as the crates surrounding them,pierced Ethan's fragile heart.
"You may think that rimes and words are a refuge for your soul but they won't save you from this nightmare of a dock."

Ethan clenched his fist and tried to calm himself down.It was not worth it.He knew better than to challenge Enoch in front of other workers.Instead he lowered his gaze and continued to lift some crates with a crafted,wary motion

Harold sensed the tension lingerie în the air and shouted
"Let the poor boy go.He'll learn soon what it means hard work."

Before Enoch could respond the dark,tall figure of Mr.Lacks appeared in the distance walking through the dock with his long cane.The workers straightened up,intensifying the rhythm of their work.
His presence cast a long shadow over the tired workers, each step full of authority and a subtle threat. His tailored suit,draped over his tall frame like a cape over a strict king. A silver-tipped cane, polished to a mirror shine, tapped against the weathered boards with a rhythmic cadence that echoed his control.

His eyes scanned the workers, missing nothing. When he reached Enoch and Harold, he stopped.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Lacks said, his voice smooth but laced with an underlying threat. "Is there a problem here?"

"No, Mr. Lacks," Enoch replied quickly. "Just ensuring the boys know their place."

Lacks nodded, satisfied. His gaze shifted to Ethan, who was struggling with an oversized crate. "Ethan, is it?"

Ethan nodded, avoiding Lacks' piercing eyes. "Yes, sir."

"You enjoy reading, I hear."

Ethan hesitated, unsure if honesty would bring more trouble. "Yes, sir."

Lacks smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Reading is fine, boy, but I think you should learn a bit about your work here.Put your hands on this crate here,dear Ethan"

Ethan's blue eyes glimmered with rage,he wanted to take that crane and smash it on Lacks's smirking face,but he remembered why was he there for.His sister's face invaded his mind while he gently placed his hands on the cool wooden surface.The rough wind carresed his skin as he anticipated the pain his hands were about to suffer.
He closed his eyes as Lacks lifted his brown cane,gathering all his strenght before the blow.
But the pain never came....Ethan opened his eyes to the sight of a small rosy hand covering the cane.Lacks' daughter, a young woman with an air of authority, stood there, her grip firm on the cane. She had the same piercing eyes as her father, but there was a softness in her gaze that Lacks lacked.
"Well,daddy,no need to punish him for such a mundane thing.Let's go and see this week's profit,shall we?"
Lacks eyes squinted and his face hardened for a moment but he reginei his composure
"You see, Ethan," Lacks began, his voice silky smooth yet laced with menace, "this dock,as everything in life,runs on order, discipline, and respect. We don't tolerate distractions." He paused, letting the words sink in, before continuing. "Your books won't fill these crates or keep the dock running smoothly. Hard work and obedience will.One wrong move, and you'll find out just how quickly things can go wrong around here," Lacks whispered, his voice sending a chill down Ethan's spine.
"Very well,Arizona,let's attend the important matters"
Eliza released the cane, her eyes briefly meeting Ethan's. Time seemed to slow as their gazes locked. Ethan was captivated by the depth in her eyes, a mix of strength and compassion that seemed to see right through him.
Deep in his heart Ethan felt a sharp pain,he looked at her with the same envy and anger that he felt for her father.He saw in her everything he lost,all the pain he had to endure.She disgusted him.
That day though,when their eyes met for that brief second everything had changed. Arizona's act of mercy and her brief, knowing glance had ignited something deep within him.That fire managed somehow to estinguish some of the hatred he had for her.
As Lacks turned to leave, motioning for her to follow, Eliza hesitated for just a second, giving Ethan a small, almost imperceptible nod of reassurance,like she knew somehow about the battle that was happening in Ethan's mind.
Ethan managed a nod, still dazed. "Thank you," he whispered to Arizona's distant form, though she was too far to hear or maybe she would never want to hear him.
"That was a close one,lass"Enoch whispered but Ethan heard only his raspy voice not understanding his words.
He stood rooted to the spot, his heart racing. He never knew if was from the adrenaline of nearly being hit with the cane or because of her dark eyes that rumbled trough his broken soul.The rough world of the dock seemed to fade away, replaced by the vivid memory of Arizona's face. He watched her retreating figure,with a mixture of curiosity and mystery,at her amber hair covering her ivory shoulders,shielding them from the harsh rays of sun.

As he continued his work, the memory of her smile lingered, fueling his resolve. In the harsh world of the dock, that fleeting connection with Arizona gave him a reason to hope and dream beyond the confines of his labor. Just as he was settling back into his routine, Arizona turned back, her eyes scanning the sea of workers with a quiet intensity.

Ethan felt the weight of her gaze before he saw her, a warm sensation spreading through his chest. When their eyes met, everything around him seemed to blur into insignificance. The clatter of crates and shouts of workers faded into a distant hum.

Arizona's amber hair shimmered in the sunlight, catching the rays and reflecting them in a halo of warmth that contrasted starkly with the grimy, shadowed dock. Her eyes, a striking deep brown, softened as they settled on him, filled with an understanding that spoke volumes more than words ever could.

For a heartbeat, time stretched between them. The delicate arch of her brow, the slight parting of her lips as if she were about to say something, and the way her hand hovered in the air as though caught between reaching out and holding back—each detail engraved deeply  into Ethan's mind.
But that brief moment was cut short by the anger that flooded him fast,she would never understand the darkness that surrounded the dock,all the broken dreams shattered like the tides that break at shore.She is a golden girl that could never fell how he feels everyday,even though it may be a glimpse of kindness în her.Hate tried  replacing the warm feeling he felt in his stomach before that,but it seemed that this time hate was not going to win this fight.

Arizona turned back, her form slowly blending into the distance, but the connection remained, a tether that drew a faint line of hope across Ethan's weary heart.

Ethan inhaled deeply, the air filling his lungs with renewed purpose. He picked up the next crate, the weight of it suddenly feeling less burdensome. Each movement was deliberate, as if he were choreographing a silent melody.
Around him, the dock continued its relentless pace, oblivious to the quiet revolution stirring in Ethan's soul. The rough texture of the crates against his hands felt almost reassuring now, grounding him to a reality that was no longer as suffocating as before. The sun dipped lower, casting long, golden shadows, and Ethan worked with a rhythm that matched the beating of his heart, steady and full of promise.

Every so often, he would catch himself glancing towards the direction where Arizona had disappeared, feeling a strange sense of anticipation.
The dock was no longer just a place of broken dreams and hate; it had become a stage for a new chapter, one where his dreams could quietly begin to take root. And as the day drew to a close, Ethan knew that the connection he had felt with Arizona, however brief, had planted a seed of change that he was determined to nurture.