The Girl By The Water

Every night I go to the beach at 7  and everytime I go I always see a girl. A girl with medium length brown curly hair. I just assume she came the same days as me and for the same reason. To escape reality. I came everyday for a week and she was still there. She was always there. She came at 5 pm everyday, I came at 7. We never really talked, she probably didn't even realize I was there. A few months passed and she continued to come and so did I. I needed to talk to her! She was so mysterious and I was very curious. So Saturday at 4:57 pm I went, I walked down to the shore and sat by her. She was even more beautiful up close. Her hazel eyes were glistening in the setting sun, the freckles spotted across her face, her long full eyelashes. I could read every detail on her... except her expression. She looked happy and relaxed but somewhat sad and stressed at the same time. She didn't even look at me, she just sat and stared out into the ocean. I cleared my throat and she looked at me surprised, like she hadn't realized I was even there. "Hi" she said, I said hello back. Then she turned back to the ocean and hummed a tune. It seemed very familiar but I'm not sure what it was. We sat in silence until I couldn't take it anymore "How come you're always sitting here by yourself near the shore?" I asked her, she looked at me then said "I'm not this close when the tides are high" she then looked back at the ocean and hummed her little tune again "What's that tune you've been humming?" I asked "It's the song of the whales" she replied "You didn't answer my first question, Why are you always down here by the water?" she turned and looked at me for a few seconds then said, "You ask a lot of questions..." "Well I wouldn't have to ask again if you answered the first time!" she laughed "I like to come down to the water and pretend I'm swimming with the fishes. I pretend I'm deep, deep, deep underwater where no one can hear me scream. I do it to get away from all the bull in the real world."  Hm.. that's not what I was expecting. "And when do you leave the beach? I don't think I've ever seen you leave" "I leave at 12 am" I looked at her in awe "Why?" she sighed "Again with the questions! Just stop thinking. Breath in the salty sea air. Think of yourself swimming with jellyfish and turtles" So we did. We pretended we were underwater. We pretended we were fish swimming in the sea, and before I knew it it was 11:15 pm "Crap it's late I have to go!" she looked at me and said "Wait! What's your name?!" As I ran through the sand I turned my head and yelled my name. She yelled hers back but it was muffled by the wind so I didn't hear it. The next day I came at 5 but she wasn't there this time... I walked down to her spot and looked around. She was nowhere to be seen. I sat down in the sand. Then I saw it swaying in the water. Her tan mocca sandals and her coral blue top.  I stood up and looked out to the sea. I hummed the same tune. Her song. I pretend I'm deep, deep, deep underwater where no one can hear me scream.  That's what she said... That's what the girl by the water said to me. And so a few days later I went back to the beach. There she was. Sitting by the water, she turned around to me and smiled. I walked over and sat in the sand with her. She laid her head on my shoulder  "The girl by the water" I said "The girl by the water who changed my life..."

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