Short Story

She stood on the beach letting the icy water wash over her feet with each wave that came in. The waves roared like thunder as they rolled in and out, carrying the smell of salt and sandalwood with it. The sun had yet to rise over the bay, making the water look dark and a little less than friendly in the early hours of the morning. A large group of seagulls screeched as they searched nearby tidepools for their breakfast, dropping shells from soaring heights and onto the rocks below.

The early morning breeze was warm as it blew her long raven black hair out behind her, giving her goosebumps as it brushed across her olive skin. Underfoot, the sand felt gritty and a little bit gravelly as it moved with each wave that washed over her now numb feet, The sun eventually rose over the water, turning it into a painting of reds, yellows, blues, and greens. The air began to warm as the summer heat had begun to set in. Rays of sunlight heated the sand to unbearable temperatures wherever they hit, making it nearly impossible to walk on it without wearing shoes.

She had always loved the beach, even as a child. She had lived here her whole life and now that she had to leave it, she feared that she would never see it again. But she also wondered what it would be like where she was going to next. She wondered what this next phase of life would have in store for her.

She would miss the constant sound of the waves at all hours of the day, she knew that for sure. But what she would miss the most were the smells of sea salt and sandalwood when she woke up every morning. The scents had become so familiar to her that she knew that she would never forget them, but she would definitely miss them. She would miss the warmth of the sun, and the feeling of sand underfoot.

And what about the friends she had made here; Mark, Leila, Jonathan, and Clarke. Would she ever see them again? With the amount of miles that would be put between them, she doubted it. Would they miss her as much as she was going to miss them? How would they stay in contact?

She thought about the possibility of mailing letters to each other, or maybe emails and phone calls. But then again, she had never been all that tech savvy when it came to computers or phones.

She took the time to stop and take one last walk through the house. All the furniture was covered in white cloth, and the walls were bare of all paintings and pictures that had been hung there before. She had made sure to have everything she was bringing with her packed in the truck the night before, knowing that she would not have the time to do it today with everything else she would have to do along the way to where she needed to go. It was sad for her to have to say goodbye to the pace she had spent her entire life, but deep down she was excited to see what this new place was going to be like. She wondered if her parents had known people where she was going, and maybe that was why she was being sent there. Or maybe she had family that would be there waiting for her to arrive.

She took one last look back at the house before jumping into the truck, and knew that one thing was for certain. This place had always been her home, and always would be.