Wind blew the sand off the ground, making circles that seemed to dance. Up and down the wind took the sand wherever it desired. It used the sand to create designs in the air. Some of them exploded into big and dramatic scenes, while others remained small and content. With its mighty power, the wind ruled the beach.
The dull sky painted a perfect background for this empty beach. Barely peeking through the thick clouds the sun showed its face. Its eyes spotlighted the ocean giving it tiny golden sparkles. Those sparkles seemed to fade when a lonely woman walked by.
The New England beach held a story of hers. Love and passion wrote in the beach's pages. But heartache and unfairness ripped the pages up. Even the seagulls knew the story. They cried with her as she kept walking along. Their cries could be heard from miles away. They never let her forget her lost love.
The sand between her toes became like tiny razor blades giving her pain with each step. And with each step came tears.
For the most part the beach looked empty. Her only company was the sporadic green grass that waved 'hello' to her. She watched the thousands of pale strands move with the wind. They worried about nothing. She wished she could be like the playful grass. But it became eminent that her pain wouldn't let her.
She walked straight towards a washed up piece of driftwood. Before it became the ocean's supper it must have been a majestic tree. Its body towered above her. With each step the tree seemed to grow more and more massive in size. It made the beach its new home. The sand around the bottom of it gathered around closely and wouldn't let it go. Her fingers gently caressed its grooves. Little splinters broke off from the wood. They were weak and useless. Once her fingers reached a broken branch, her hand wrapped around it tightly. The dry, rough wood cut into her hand. Pained, she released her grip. Yet, she started to read the brail wood again. It also knew the story. Tears filled her eyes as she rested her head on the log. Her eyes stared straight ahead. Years of abuse cut into the tree's brown black skin. She couldn't stand looking anymore. Knees crashing into the ground, she fell.
The ocean spit in her face. It knew her pain and yet still laughed. Inhaling, she stood up. Salty air stung her lungs. He was there. She felt his presence. He was in the wind, the sand, even the sky. Without a doubt he was there. He came close and wrapped his arms around her as if to say,
'I'm sorry for leaving you.'
He led her down the beach. Only one set of footprints left their mark in the sand. They stopped in front of the ocean. The water reached their feet. It was ice cold. A horrible pain shot up her spine and she tried to turn around. He stopped her. Instead of letting her remain in pain he needed to teach her how to live with past memories. She heard his voice whisper,
'Look into the ocean.' He said. 'It's not mocking you. It is reaching out to you. The waves jump and leap to come comfort you.' She raised her head slightly and looked. Foolishness. She thought. The wind screamed and blew strongly at that idea.
They kept walking along the shoreline. He pointed out certain pieces of shells. She knelt down and picked up three. They had all come from the same shell.
'Broken. Of course.' She murmured. His hands wrapped around hers. He helped her flip them over. Stunning metallic colors decorated the underside of each piece.
'Even though they are broken now, their beauty is still left over.' His words rang in her head. Dropping the shells she stood up. Stubbornly she tried to walk away from him. He ran to catch up. Then the sky turned even more dark and miserable.
How is that beautiful? She questioned him. He directed her eyes towards the horizon.
'Look hard.' he said. She rolled her eyes, and then blinked. All of a sudden her eyes focused on a glimmer of light fighting through the clouds.
'There. See?' His low voice spoke. 'As time goes on, that glimmer will grow into a huge ball of light. It will soon warm and comfort your soul.'
Silently she turned around and walked away. She was alone now. The beach stood still. The wind disappeared. Holding its breath it awaited her next move. The blue sapphire waves hushed. Once more she breathed in the salty air. This time it didn't sting her lungs. It healed them. She slowly exhaled. As she did, the clouds parted. That deep golden yellow color started to cover the desolate beach. It wasn't bright and shiny. It was more of a dull glow. Even so, she knew it was enough. Warmness kissed her cheekbones and the wind returned. Playing with her hair the wind carried on mischievously. A quite laugh left her lips. Even though pain cut into her heart, beauty remained. Eventually her wounds would heal.
She left the beach that day never to return. But the aged beach still kept her story. Everyone who visits it hears the story of her love lost.