wave
‘Yeah I’m listening.’ I haven’t been listening. I’ve been too busy looking out at the sea watching the foam, the way the waves just keep coming, keep appearing. Keep breaking. ‘Yeah? Then what did I just say?’
‘Something about your tan not being even. Right?’
Stacey snorts, throws sand at my legs.
‘Lucky guess. But seriously, these sun loungers are so uncomfortable I can’t lie on my back to tan. I’m gonna look so stupid.’ She shuffles around on the lounger, the plastic makes a horrible creaking sound like when you rub your hand against a balloon.
‘You could lie on the floor, like me.’
‘And put my face directly in the sand? No thank you. I don’t know how you’re comfortable just sitting in it. You’re covered.’ She flicks some more sand onto me.
‘We’re at the beach.’ I say, zoning back in on the waves. Watch the people swimming, how they disappear, reaper, disappear. The way the sun bounces across the blue, scattering strings of light like how my astigmatism makes headlights look at night.
‘Let’s get in the water.’ I say, putting my hair into a ponytail.
‘Um, no. There are crabs in there. Giant ones.’
‘Yeah. That’s where they live.’
‘Exactly. And I live out here, on dry land, where I will be remaining for the rest of the day.’ She leans forward to reach her bag and pulls out a bottle of water. I watch her take a swig. She hands it to me and I take a swig too.
‘You’re really not going to swim with me?’
‘Sorryyyyyy. Really am.’
I look back out at the sea, count how many people are in the water. I look over at the lifeguard, wonder if he counts people too, if he ever gets tired, closes his eyes for longer than he should, loses count.
‘You know, sometimes I feel like the sea is one giant, living creature. Not in the sense that it is alive as all nature is, but in the sense that it is one entity. The waves are her hands and the ocean floor is her brain and nervous system and her mouth is…’
‘Her mouth is every individual droplet of water.’ Stacey says. Takes her sunglasses off to look at me.
‘Yeah. Exactly.’
I stand up, watch the sand fall from me and onto my towel. Stacey watches as I walk to the shore, step one foot in, the other. The cold is sharp, it burns, the waves slap against my knees, and then my waist as I step further.
I turn back to the beach, squinting, searching for Stacey and spot her, wave. She waves back. Then I fall back into the blue. Let myself be devoured, swallowed. Let myself be a part of something great.
© 2024 Georgia-May Stone. All Rights Reserved.
