California, 6:23 AM.
The Tides of the Pacific Ocean ground California's first ray of morning light into flecks of gold, which seeped into the farm through the gaps in the worn wooden boardwalk. Outside the old garage, wind chimes and seagull cries collided in crisp echoes.
Jason pushed open the garage door and stepped out, droplets of condensed morning mist clinging to his hair and eyelashes. His boots trod along the edge of the muddy ridge between fields. When he saw the string of raccoon tracks, he could not help but curse.
"Dick! Dick! Look at the mess you made." Jason pointed at the tracks and turned back to shout, "I told you the car wasn't fixed yet and couldn't be driven, but you insisted on driving it. You even smashed the fence, letting raccoons in. They must've eaten all the ingredients I prepared for the ice cream maker!"
Dick was holding a shovel covered in mud, digging yesterday's car-crushed fence out of the dirt. Hearing Jason shout, he tossed the shovel aside and tugged up his pants. As he lowered his head to tie the rope belt around his waist, he said, "My mistake for trusting your car repair skills too much, all right?"
"You trusted me too soon," Jason said. "I told you it needed one more night, but you wouldn't listen! We could've had delicious ice cream today..."
"All right, quit whining." Dick cut him off. "Who knows whether that ancient hand-cranked ice cream maker even works? We need to fix the car first."
Tim's shout came from inside the garage. "It can start now! Come take a look!"
The two hurried inside. Tim was pushing open the car door and climbing out. Seeing the mud stuck to their ankles, he made a disgusted face and quickly