It had been an exceptionally dangerous day for anyone who dared to set foot outside. Waves crashed violently onto the shores of any beach nearby, lightning struck wherever it felt necessary, and thunder scared every small child who could hear it. It would take a truly insane person to even consider going into this frightening storm.

Storms like these have been known to destroy homes,  wreck the streets, and kill anyone in it’s forceful and cruel path. There are few who have lived to tell the tale of these reckless happenings, and those few were wise enough to move far, far away. Far away enough that they’d never have to even think about taking shelter from these storms again.

Despite all the dangers, there was one girl who truly didn't care. She wasn't insane, per say. She was driven crazy by everything that had happened in the past twelve months.

She sat on the beach, in the middle of the storm. The waves were getting larger and larger, some reaching almost forty feet. But, she still sat on the white sand fearlessly.

The truth was, she wanted to be swept out to sea. She wanted this -what seemed like eternal- pain to go away. That pain you only feel when you lose the person you were closest to. She wanted to go just like her mom did, caught up in the salty current, the merciless waves pushing her to the bottom.

It had been a year since her mom left her, and just now the realism of the whole thing hit her. The first three hundred sixty-five days were a huge blur of funeral planning, trying to move on, attempting at normalcy, and numbness. And now the pain was the only constant thing in her life. It felt like she had been on some pain medication the first year, and just now the affects of overdosing on that nonexistent pain medication was taking it’s toll.

And now, with the ever-growing waves crashing against the rocks, she knew it was time. The girl ambled carelessly into the vast ocean, thinking that this was her fate. Her destiny.

Somehow, it all seemed like this was how it’s supposed to be. Almost like her whole life was building up to this point. This endgame that was definitely supposed to happen, just like this.

The restless waters swirled around her legs as she waded deeper, until it reached her hips. She looked forward, facing the tremendous waves. The almost lifeless girl closed her eyes and prepared for the ending of her tragic and painful story.

But then someone shouted her name. She whipped around and locked eyes with her dad. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes showed worry. He shouted her name again. She shook her head mutely.

Her dad frowned. Then he realized what she was doing. His face flashed with fear, but he quickly covered it up. The older man hesitated for a moment, as if deciding how to approach the awfully difficult and treacherous situation that he faced.

Then he ran, as fast as his old legs could carry him. His daughter stayed frozen in place, not knowing what to do. Then he was there, hugging her amidst the small waves that were breaking around them. The storm was clearing.

And slowly, slowly the sun came back out. The clouds cleared and it the waves went down. In the distance, kids came out of their homes and ran to the beach in pure bliss. They danced and played among the waves, and for the first time, everything was okay.

That was when she realized that there was hope.