I slowly dragged my eyes open to a blinding whiteness, the sound of waves tumbling over one another rushed through my skull, stimulating each nerve in my body. I fumbled with the thousands of grains of sand as my eyes adjusted to a deserted beach. Fragments of the previous night wrestled in my brain. I remembered his sickening face, it haunted my wrecked mind. He stole a piece of me, left me empty in places.

Before I told them to, my feet were plunging into the sinking sand. I could sense each piece gnawing at my skin. Panic took over. I was racing the wind down to the shore, flying over the silky earth. Relief washed over me as my feet found their way to the icy waters. My ripped and ragged nails clawed at the strands of my sticky sun kissed hair as salt stained my cheeks. I gulped in the ocean breeze. The numbing which had started at my toes, worked its way up my body. I was determined to stay in the frothy sea, share the lonesomeness I felt with the waters. The deep frost ate away all of the warmth left in my body. I chased a foamy ripple to the twinkling jewels that slid up and down the sand. I squinted my eyes up to the cawing seagulls that soared under the gray sky, I was devoured by jealousy, this innate feeling of wanting to be as free as them prickled on my skin. I plopped down on the moist algae coated ground, I did not bother wiping the tears. My emotions were playing with me, rage, loneliness, and sadness were surging through me. I was full of so much hatred yet completely empty.

A steady fog coated the horizon, blocking it from view. In the distance I spotted a tarnished fishing boat emerge from the murkiness. The sobbing had slowed, there wasn't anything left. My eyes were sore, my skin raw. I forced myself upright, and made my way up the still desolate beach, I knew exactly where I was going, I hadn't forgotten. At my feet the sand made a mushy crater, I could make out tiny red clumps of sand, blood, his. The speckles of red made a trail next to his footprints which led upward, back to civilization. Out of the hundreds of footprints I could only see his. I lifted my hands, rust and skin were shoved under my chipped nails. A lump in my throat was starting to form, it grew and grew till eventually I was wailing, thrashing, screaming, and kicking, I crumpled into a pile of dry heaves and silent sobs. I curled up next to the scene of my horrific nightmare and forced my eyes closed, the darkness was inviting me in. The world seemed like a broken clock, ticking forward twice then back once.

Time seemed to hardly pass, my shattered thoughts were as vacant as the crystal beach. My heavy eyes flew open as the freezing water blanketed my legs. I sprang to my feet and was distracted for a moment by the rushing tide. I could feel the nagging pull of the crimson sand which was sprinkled with awful memories. It drew in my gaze; I stood frozen, staring at the blood poppies that seemed to blossom from the ground. I tore my eyes away and noticed the waves crashing into each other, roaring up the sand, straight for the despicable scene below me. My heart jumped to my throat as the forgiving ocean rolled over the cause of my traumatized mind; it pulled away the pain, the hurt, and tossed it into the sea, leaving behind the damp packed earth. I crouched on the balls of my feet and felt the sand below. My eyes stung as they welled up with fresh salt. An aching weight was lifted from my chest; my teeth were singing with relief. Once again, I found myself weeping, but this was unlike anything before. I felt as free as the wind that whips through sails. All of it happened quickly; I felt myself filling up, almost full to the brim with the idea of a clean slate.

Just then I realized that the fog was dispersing, turning into a faint mist. The waves were speckled with dark shiny wetsuits, surfers sliced through the cerulean waves, rising over them as they reached the end, just before the white waters caved in. Somewhere in the churning sea was my memory of torment, floating around with many memories of others as well. I tiptoed to the more shallow water and flopped down onto the squishy sand, soaking my feet in the two-inch tide. Straight out in the center of the bay was a colossal jet black rock. What was odd about this rock was that a large portion of it had broken off and was buried halfway in the waves. The structure was aesthetically breathtaking. I wondered to myself how a significant piece had been stripped from the whole, and the formation still remained winsome; broken, yet graceful. The gray and white gulls squawked, swooping and circling above the concentrated surfers beneath, my envy for them had diminished completely. Voices danced in the back of my head; I craned my neck to see several families approaching the water, children sprinted through the thick sand, screeching with glee. They zoomed past me, splashing droplets that soared through the atmosphere and found homes on my hair and skin.

The sound of the waves crashing against the jagged landmark intertwined with the clinking of the oceans gems created a heavenly melody. My body swayed back and forth to the natural harmony that sent vibrations of music through my veins. My eye lids gradually slid shut as the aroma of the sweet and salty air stimulated my senses. My lips tasted tart and bitter, a faint unpleasant memory seeped through the cracks of my contentment, but was immediately put to rest. I felt drunk on the fragrance of the sweet ocean, I inhaled the pureness of it all.