Death
The wind picked up stray tendrils of hair and playfully tossed them about. Even with the strong sea-breeze whipping hair against her face, she sat unfazed on that rock, smooth from years of battling the sea, as sobs wracked her entire body. Knees drawn to her chest, she buried her face in her hands as tears, the very tears she had fought to keep in rolled down her cheeks making the wind sting even more so.
The moon shone down, bathing her in its soft glow - a picture of tragic ethereal beauty. Its light almost a caress, provided her no comfort as she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself in a bid to keep herself warm. She shut her eyes, willing herself to forget. Rather, the memories embedded in the back of her mind rushed forward, overwhelming her with times long gone, times when their laughter had rang together, times where their petty fights led to the strengthening of bonds and the most painful of all, shaking her head, she cut that thought short.
The constant sounds of waves crashing against the land, a never-ending battle, much like the one that raged within her very soul. She blinked away the last of her tears, they didn’t help the dull the pain, and instead it was pushing her closer to the edge. She stared into the velvety darkness surrounding her, as she pushed herself off the rock and began walking slowly towards the crashing waves. Night had claimed the skies.
And tears splashed at her feet as she broke into a run. She ran, her feet slipping on the sand, and finally she came to a stop at the water’s edge. Panting, facing the vast oceans, she shut her eyes, finding the smallest of comfort in the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing at her feet.
Bright stars twinkled ahead, miracles in their own right in the inky black sky. And she took her first step, letting her feet sink into the murky depths of the water before her, shuddering from the shock of the cold. As she waded in, the currents dragged her further, pulling at her clothes, making them cling to her. Step after step she waded deeper into the water when finally her feet could no longer reach the ground.
Water rushed into her lungs, stifling her, she could no longer take a breath. Her hair fanned around her as she struggled to resurface, regret engulfing her, overwhelmed only by her desire to live, a desire that came about too late. The darkness wrapped its tempestuous tendrils around her, squeezing the life out of her, choking as she wept tears of regret.
***
Maybe death really is freedom.
