Seaside

Written by Gabby MassonPhotography from Creative Commons She grabs my hand, sternly guiding me towards thundering dark blue waves. An Atlantic wind howls, a chill slashing the skin.“The only way to get rid of a fear is to face it.” Her low, melodic voice is barely audible, muffled by the gusty wind. Pushing sun-bleached strands out of her face to reveal freckled skin, she squints in the glaring light. She’s dragging me past plush green willows, defeating my attempts to plant my feet in the gritty sand.“You don’t understand, you’re never scared,” I mutter, shivering. Living in a world of constant praise, she was the brave one, the fun one; the better sister. She turns to face me, still firmly gripping my wrist.“You’re right, I don’t get it,” she says, eyeing me and then eyeing the whitecaps surging forward. “But I definitely am scared of things. I just don’t let that fear stop me. Sometimes you have to do something scary to feel alive.” With that, she pulls me through the muddy sand that suctioned our feet. Dark, frigid water washes up to my toes and flows back down, leaving a debris of shells and seaweed muck behind.“See, this isn’t so bad!” She looks at me, eagerly awaiting confirmation. I shrug, free myself from her forceful grip and cross my arms, making it clear I will go no further. Rolling her eyes, she readjusts her champagne-colored swimsuit straps and sloshes forward, disappearing under the waves’ mammoth crests. I hold my breath until her blond hair resurfaces, plastered to her back. She turns around, waving, laughing and carefree.“C’mon! You get used to the cold!” she shouts. Hesitantly, I wade forward, the water biting my ankles. I swallow a lump in my throat, focusing on the wispy clouds above. Soon water reaches my waist, a frosty hula-hoop around my hips. She is splashing towards me, whooping and hollering. Water flecks spatter across my face as I hurrah back. That’s when I see it; the massive shadow of a black crest, arching its back above me, ready to swallow me whole. Panic courses through my body, freezing me, immobile. Water hits my cracked lips first, then crashes down around me. Sputtering, ocean fills my nostrils and mouth, suffocating me. Eyes squeezed shut, flailing, gasping. Completely submerged, drowning in a swirling sinkhole.