Hōkū Kai on White Sand

On a bed of rippled white sand, a cushion star rests in the dancing light — plump, red, and patterned with a fine mesh like woven netting. The sun draws bright ripples across its five arms.

Hōkū kai means star of the sea, and it earns the name. Slow and patient, it crosses the sand a few inches at a time, wearing the shape of the sky on the floor of the ocean.