Currents

Two ~ Rescue

In a twisted sense, I found comfort in that—because it's hard to break up with someone when your feelings for them are so deep-rooted that they fail to disappear, even when the initial excitement has expired.

~~~

After staring at the beach from my balcony whilst waiting for the sun to hit it, I headed there after lunch. At the foot of the garden, a narrow set of stone steps descended beyond the row of trees, leading down to golden sand. We couldn't be much closer to it, so at least that was a positive.

I'd always loved beaches; the tranquillity of the ocean had acted as an escape mechanism for me during recent family holidays. Sometimes I would sit on the sand and watch the waves crash against the shore, forgetting the stresses of my own life and relishing the peace. Nature at its finest. With the picnic a constant niggle in my mind, I hoped a beach could rescue me once again from the agonising thoughts that ate away at me.

The sand warm beneath my feet, I strolled along the coast, soon removing my flip-flops to appreciate the sensation of the soft grains trickling between my toes.

Maybe North Carolina hadn't hit peak holiday season yet, as the beach was deserted. A lifeguard's chair held an imposing presence further down, but nobody occupied it. I didn't mind being the only one there, though. With no distractions, I could relax for what felt like the first time in ages and lowered myself down to the ground, smoothing out the skirt of my dress to avoid sand in unwanted areas.

It would be evening in the UK now. The picnic well underway. Alastair would be at that stage of drunk where his words were coherent but his actions questionable. Even though I'd told myself I wouldn't, I returned to social media, seeking photos.

A few had been posted but only one of interest, featuring Alastair and Daisy. Although in no way incriminating, seeing the two of them together unsettled my stomach. Standing side by side, Alastair's arm was draped around Daisy. She smiled into the camera, her face partially hidden by her huge sunglasses and straw hat.

Double tapping the screen, I 'liked' the photo, for a hundred and one reasons—none of them being the fact that I actually did like the photo.

The heat burned my back, as if I needed a reminder I was in Hell. Anxious about the picture and increasingly tormented over the upcoming summer, I set my phone on a nearby rock before heading towards the sea.

As I dipped my feet into the chilly water, an unfamiliar thrill of serenity washed over me. It disappeared as soon as it had arrived, but there'd been a sense of relief where I'd felt detached—in a good way—from the dramas of London.

I waded further into the ocean, wincing as a wave splashed my front. It was refreshing, though, and the kind of escape I'd been searching for. Hitching my dress up, I strode towards a calmer section of water. With the blazing sun scorching my upper body, and the cold water cooling my lower body, I savoured the contrasting sensations.

In the distance, I heard a shout. Before I could turn, a pull sucked my feet from the seabed and dragged me away from the beach, deep into the huge expanse of ocean I'd admired just minutes before.

Salty water surged up my nose and flooded into my mouth as I struggled against the invisible force, fighting to overpower it and swim back to shore. But it continued to drag me along, unrelenting, whilst I choked on the gushing water and thrashed around, unable to regain charge of my body.

My limbs burned with fatigue, yet the ocean showed no signs of tiring, not allowing me a second of mercy where I could fight to escape.

Darkness. Water. No oxygen. No air.