Today was, frankly, one of those days. The kind of day where you get swept up in stuff and have literally no time to yourself. So, I was thankful that I got up at 5.30am this morning to tackle Day 1 of my Micro Fiction March challenge because, otherwise, there's a good chance that I'd have ended up flunking on the very first day. As it is, it's still taken more than fifteen hours since writing before I've had a chance to sit down and actually post this.
Creating something vaguely complete in 300 words or less is tough. Today I came in at 298 words, but it definitely required I be at my most concise.
I originally planned to write something completely different but, when I sat down and looked at the blank page this morning, this is what came out. I hope you enjoy it...
The sand was cold beneath my feet as I slipped my shoes and socks off and began a slow walk down the empty beach. Air thick with brine, the only sound was that of white tipped waves as they rolled in and then crashed themselves against the shore. The sky above a rich, dark purple as the barest hint of the morning sun began to creep across the horizon behind me; the moon hanging high and bright.
The tide was still rising, and I stared at the moon and wondered if it knew the effect that its presence had on us; that its gravitational pull raised and lowered the seas and oceans across our entire world as we rotated and our surface drew nearer, then further, from it. Did the moon know? Or was it entirely unaware of the power that it exerted?
Sharp fragments of shells prodded against my feet as I took five steps closer to the sea. A large wave washing a foamy sheen across the sand until the last tendrils of cold water seeped around my toes.
I wonder if you knew the effect your presence had on me. Like the moon, you exerted a power over me; your gravity serving to raise and lower my spirits, to tug at my heart. But I can never ask, because you’re no longer here to answer. The oceans within me now stilled and stagnant.
The sea took you from me that day three months ago. And took so much of me in that same moment.
I feel the hotness of tears against my cheeks as the frigid water laps at my ankles. And I wonder if this will be the day I cannot bring myself to step back. To submit to the tide and join you.
4 comments:
The power of the tide seems to lure the emotional side of your pen. I love your descriptive writing, without it getting too stuck in painting these pictures. Day 1 is in the books!
I stared across The Rift at the twin moons of Argonia, celestial bodies so close that their tides mercilessly ripped apart anything that dared venture to the surface. The crystal-clear waters twinkled as the system’s triple suns aligned – as they did at this time every year - to create the perfect balance of light and heat.
“It’s so beautiful,” my inner voice whispered. I could not disagree.
I pulled away from the viewport and turned my attention to the more pressing matter at hand: mutiny.
It had been 17 hours since the captain’s throat had been slit as he walked the circumference of the ‘fuge last evening. One of the service robots sounded the alarm at 5:56am (ship time) and all hell had broken loose.
To be fair, as brutal murders went, this one had been a long time coming. After drifting off-course at near light speeds for months while the majority of the crew were in stasis, the captain had stranded the ship close to the neutral territory of Argonia, a planet which remained neutral because nobody had ever succeeded in establishing laws there, let alone common decency.
The ship was adrift in orbit of the biggest celestial shitshow this side of The Rift and it was only a matter of time before the pillagers would come. The captain had faith in humanity, but clearly, one of the crew begged to differ.
Hence the mutiny, I guess.
It was 7:46am and, like the rest of the crew, I was locked in my quarters, biding my time before being summoned to the briefing deck to find out what the fuck was going on.
I had a bad feeling about, well, everything.
I let out a huge sigh and headed to the bathroom to wash the blood from my hands.
I thought I'd start off with something nice and light haha
Love this, Andy! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with each day...
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