i've been thinking and i have more ideas heh all this is a reach!!!! entertainment purposes!!
thought of hourglass because of the time passing, something related to walking on the sand/dunes as it takes three times as long to walk on sand (and sometimes it burns) and the dunes make you slip several times until you reach the top. or something like that the footprints disappear as you walk??
also thought of the echoes of seashells, it could be a good metaphor for when your (other people's?) words haunt you.
then something with "walking the plank" maybe? if i go to the pirate side, or with the sea breeze/wind (like dreams or wishes that were "blown away by the wind"). or same concept but with tides/waves (washed away by them).
my last bet is that he will use dawn/sunshine/sunset/golden/daylight/twilight/sunbeam. extremely general i know but "a little brighter" is quite general too 😭
loved @larrybears idea of mermaids/sea creatures and their legends as well