The shrill cry of a gull pierces the air. Stubbornly refusing to think of anything else, she allows the roar of the crashing waves to consume her mind. A salty mist falls over her as the water laps at her feet. She walks, the coarse sand below her transforming into some muddy concoction as if by magical intervention. At this point, the forgiving waves had long since washed away the twin footsteps left just outside their realm.
There had been another walking beside her once.
She wades deeper into the water, her skin losing all feeling at its frigid touch. She wishes her mind could be numbed so easily. She wishes she could take back her heart that had been stolen from her and allow the healing embrace of the sea to wash away the stain of so many tears. No, this is not the truth.
Her heart belongs to him for all eternity.
Despite the pain, a certain knowledge comes as a balm to her open wounds- the knowledge that his death brings life to innocents. A life of joy. A life of peace. A life of FREEDOM.
A small, sad smile passes across her countenance. Sinking back into the ocean, her hair swirling as one with the waves, she stares into the sky.
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To all those who have sacrificed so much for our nation- you have our sincere gratitude, the magnitude of which cannot possibly be fully expressed within the limitations of the English language.