The sand sticks to your skin. The grains are going to scrub at your skin, revealing a red, itchy spot when you try to wash it off later. You don’t care, though. All you can think about is the water.

There’s nobody here today. The beach is empty, but you don’t mind. You like it that way, as you’ve always preferred solitude.

The wind is strong today. It whips your hair around your face. The red flag, stationed several yards away from the water is swinging in the wind, too. You wonder what a silly thing like that could be there for.

The water is cold today, you realize after dipping your toes in a tide pool. It feels refreshing. The beach always feels more surreal with a cool ocean.

The waves are rough today. Staying afloat would be a struggle for a less experienced swimmer. You know how to handle yourself better than most, though.

When your arms and legs grow heavy, you float on your back, the ocean tossing you around like a group of kids playing with a ball. You let it, though, too sleepy to do otherwise. You’re feeling tired today. You let your eyes drift shut, and the light of the sun gradually fades away.

The water is definitely getting colder. Maybe it’s time to go home. With a bit of discomfort, you slide off of your back, and let yourself plunge downwards, wanting to feel the soft, wet sand under your feet one last time before you leave. Instead you sink down, startled when the floor doesn’t stop your descent as you continue to plummet. How deep does this place go? Where’s the ground? After a moment, you open your eyes.

Water. Too much. You’ve never seen this much water. And it’s all around you. Where’s the end? You glimpse a fish. You never see fish close to shore. Where are you? You’ve never been here before. Looking down into the opaque depths, you can’t imagine where the bottom could be. You can’t even find the surface!

How could you have been so foolish? The flag was red. A red flag means strong currents. Red means danger. Red means STAY AWAY.

Your head begins to feel light. Lack of oxygen must be turning your brain into a ball of fuzz! You let out a little laugh, and a few bubbles escape your mouth before you regain enough sense to close it.

You watch the bubbles float away. So that’s up. You follow the little bubbles. Push, push, push at the water until you glimpse a bit of light.

You surface, lungs burning. You can manage one breath before a wave slams into you, pushing salty water down your throat. You cough, heaving the liquid out of your mouth.

You go under again by the next wave, struggling to resurface. Is it necessary, though? Under the water, it’s so nice and peaceful. You only have to fight when you’re above.

When you finally make your way back up to the chaos, you don’t see the shore anywhere even after searching the horizon.

There’s nobody here today. You’ve never felt so alone.

The wind is strong today. Salt stings your eyes as the winds blast them with air.

The water is cold today. It numbs your limbs, making your head feel light. It inserts an icy syringe deep into your skin, fatigue reaching your bones.

The waves are rough today, you realize as you go under again, taking a mouthful of water with you.

This time, you don’t come back up.