Vast openness is what draws me in. The beauty of the deep, turquoise ripples and white caps racing each other to the shore, and reaching out as far as possible before being sucked back in mesmerizes me. In competition with the soon-to-rise sun, I scurry out across the pale, beige sand before dawn breaks the sky. A cool chill tingles at my feet as I dig them into the earth to feel the coolness of night. Half way down the beach, a giant chestnut colored rock sits about two feet in from the tide. The icy water nips at my feet, then my ankles as I wade out to the rock. My rock. I pull myself up onto the rock which is about two feet off the ground. The morning breeze blows my tangled, brown locks, which come halfway down my back, behind me. In the distance, a duo of early rising fisherman throw their hooks into the water from their fishing boat. At the horizon line, another boat, hand-in-hand with dawn, are finding their way to shore. Closing my eyes, I can almost feel a big, strong arm draped around my shoulders. The thick muscles of the man leaning against my body are so realistic I feel if I were to reach my hand out next to me I would feel him. Feel my father. The desire to lean against his chest, his large body shielding the brisk breeze from my fragile body is what I long for. Suddenly, a ray of light splashes heat across my face. My eyes squint open, and I witness the new day spreading across the sky. The shining orb turns the pale, periwinkle night sky into the bright, radiant blue sky of day. Turning to my right, I see nobody by my side, only, in the distance, a few vacationers coming to relax under the sun. My daydream vanishes just as abrupt as the new day rolls in. Hopping off the rock, I glance one more time at the ocean. One last time at the ocean while it’s all mine, until the day ends, and I get to own the ocean once again as dawn breaks.