Side swept wind prickled my skin, wrapping me in a warm cocoon. I listened to the melodic wind song as it pick up the tiny specks of sand, and swirled them around until they painted a mosaic pattern across the darkened sky. Microscopic orbs of light shone brightly above, their radiance glistening on the sand’s surface. The moon was settled high above as if guarding me with his cratered face as I moved briskly across the dunes. He was my only companion as I made my way gingerly through the ocean.

My feet slid through the slushy sand that squished between my toes. Every few moments, a blue shimmering wave rose and gobbled my feet, and I would feel a stark shiver ascend up my spine. The waves tossed and tumbled as if caught inside a blender, the roar blaring in my ears. Suddenly transfixed, my eyes caught on something. The sand was on fire and I squinted, tasting the rush of fresh air whip up my hair. I crouched down lower, happily greeted by a tiny crab. He skittered wobbly across the grains, his flaming shell radiating a neon glow against the murky background. The crustacean clipped and ran noiselessly towards the sand bank, leaving a slithery trail behind him. The tips of my lips upturned, I sighed, and began wishing for a time when I could be free to scurry everywhere I pleased as well. The crab continued to stumble closer towards the water, until he was soon swallowed whole by a stray wave. I settled my wandering gaze on that wave as the puny creature traveled further away, and into the radiant world. The luminance of the vast ocean cast a dark blue hue that filled in the lines of skin like a coloring book and I turned to my left, watching the foamy wave’s crash into moldy and forgotten wood.
The boardwalk stood proudly above it, supported by planks that creaked and moaned in every slight breeze, and which were encrusted with sticky algae like film. Various shops adorned the rectangular pathway like confetti. They had tin roofs that had rusted to a dirty brown over time, holes providing escape routes for rebel rays of light. Assortments of tropical trinkets – seashell necklaces, straw hats, floral shirts, and pineapple shaped cups – littered the space around it, ready for the upcoming summer weekend when naïve tourists would flock to each dilapidated shop like seagulls after thrown scraps. In this light, the gray smoldering fog made the stores appear dull, muted, and slightly paranormal under the moon’s translucent glow.
A sudden chill lashed over my miniature frame, and I gripped the feathery fabric tightly around my body until my knuckles turned an icy white. The loose shawl provided nearly no protection and with each passing blow, the notion of being picked up in the air’s crushing grip seemed all too real. A salty mixture seemed to coat my mouth and turned sour, and along with the eerie sloshing of water, the dunes seemed too haunting to bear for much longer.

I numbly bit my lip and pressed on; fighting the fierce wind as I slowly stumbled back to my creaky, waterlogged shack.