Friday, 8 March 2013

Stranded - A Short Story

Prologue


I always loved the smell of the ocean; a salty fragrance that transported my heart to those days of my childhood where I didn’t have to go to school and I could just enjoy my time with my family. The sea meant I could stay up late sitting on a balcony with my mother, gazing at the sky and listening to the soothing sound of the waves.
         
There was this one time I was having breakfast with my parents by the beach and I saw a dark spot in the sky, far away in the horizon. I had never seen such a disturbance before, it made no sense to me. We were on vacation at the beach! Was it not the one place we went to where everything was perfect?

            “What is that?”, I asked my mom.

            “Oh, that is just a storm”, she said casually and then resumed her chat with my father.

            A storm? It was like reality had slapped me awake. I had never even considered the possibility of having ‘bad weather’ here, in paradise.

            “What is going to happen? Are we gonna be ok?”, I asked. My 5 year-old mind already bursting with chaotic scenarios.

            “You have nothing to worry about”, my mother answered with a gentle smile, “it will even be fun! You’ll see…”

            She was right. I loved watching the storm from the five star hotel we were staying at. We had ice-cream as I stood near the window, amazed at the lighting and thunder hitting the ocean, the palm trees almost giving into the might of the wind, bending as if ready to snap. To me it was just a show.

            I guess one of the most important reasons why I loved the ocean so much is what it stood for, being by the ocean meant I was safe and happy.

            Safe.

            Happy.

            Two concepts I am no longer familiar with.

           Though I doubt it would make any difference, I wish I could somehow remember how long I have been here. How I got here. At the very least, I am grateful I have some memories to keep me going. I have a place to go back to. Even if I never make it back.

Part 1 coming next week.

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