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Description

The night started with a bottle of scotch and a blank piece of paper. When he came to the beach it was a warm spring night, right on the verge of summer but the heat didn’t last. A chilling wind came rolling off the water as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. The cold hadn’t bothered him, nothing really bothered him anymore.
He spent the whole night on that beach dragging his palms through the coarse sand, letting it slip through his fingers. He gave his hands a long look- still heavily calloused and riddled with scars. His skin resembled the facades of the old beach houses- cracked and weathered from too much sun. He was sure his hair must be wild, salt-ridden and damp from the ocean spray, but that hardly mattered either.
He had tipped the bottle back and drank the rest of his liquid courage hours ago, the arthritic bones in his neck still sore from savoring that last sip.
Dawn crawled up the coast like a shadow, bringing a thick mist that hovered over the water. He gazed out at the fog and reached into his pocket. The paper he pulled out was no longer blank; words in black ink scrawled on the page.
He’d just written down a few words, a little something that seemed to convey exactly what he was feeling. Mostly he stared out into the ocean and wondered how far he could swim before his body gave out. Would he sink or float? Would it be a tranquil oblivion or nothing but panic and suffocation?
None of that matters, he thought before he read the words one last time- slowly and with purpose, committing them to memory.
He rolled up the paper then slid it inside the now empty bottle. Corking the top, he stood and faced the water. His footsteps were sure and even, his resolve a fortress and his acceptance unyielding. His smile grew when his feet hit the water; his steps quickened to a run.
He let out a joyous scream before plunging head-first into the Atlantic, the cold water invigorating him. With the bottle firmly in grasp, he swam until his muscles burned from exertion. He floated on his back for a while, the bottle held close to his chest.
He thought he had come full circle, the water surrounding him created a surreal sense of peace. As if he were laying in the womb of the earth, just waiting to be reborn. No longer drunk but still completely honest with himself he reflected on his past with a simple acceptance. Life had been filled with a mixture of laughter and tears, years gone by in a whirlwind of experiences more good than bad, and that was enough for him.
As the sun finally managed to break through the clouds, burning away the fog...he let go.
He let go of his physical pain, of the disease that had taken over his body.
He let go of all fear, and released the bottle. His eyes were wide and a gentle smile played upon his lips as he looked up and watched the sunlight glint through the glass. A kaleidoscope of colors danced along the surface of the water as he sank down deep and let death take him.
The tides took him to the dark ocean bottom and the sea swallowed him whole. The moon rose and fell, and then the sun came up again. The morning light was brilliant, shining through a cloudless sky.
The girl was sitting on the very same beach, her feet bare, her shoulders slumped. She had come for solace, hoping the sound of the waves would clear her head. She would be going away soon, following her dreams of higher education. She was also saying goodbye to her first and only love. The thought was crushing, to let go of someone who meant so much to her but deep down she knew that she wasn’t ready for anything more than carefree. She wasn’t eighteen going on thirty- her dreams didn’t include a serious relationship. She was eighteen going on nineteen, craving a chance to be young and wild; to explore this world and her herself.
She was almost a grown up and didn’t quite want to be. These choices she was about to make would affect her life deeply and that was so overwhelming. What if she made the wrong choice? What if she screwed everything up?
The bottle washed ashore at her feet and for the moment her fears were forgotten. She picked it up and studied it, delighted when she realized that there was something inside. She hurriedly pulled the cork from the top, pulled out the paper and read the words.

Do not fear
the unknown

Accept that it is time to discover
and embrace
what awaits at the farthest ends

These words brought a beaming smile to her face; the words so simple and so apt. Perspective had never come this easy and been so clear. This message in a bottle lending her the strength to face the future head-on.
She put the paper back into the bottle and sealed it as best she could. Standing, she looked out at the water, the vibrant colors of sunrise reflecting off the sea at low tide.
Then she ran toward the ocean only to throw the bottle back in and cast all of her fears into the sea. She turned away but kept running, a new determination blooming in her chest. She wants everything that awaits, because for her, this is just the beginning.

Description

The night started with a bottle of scotch and a blank piece of paper. When he came to the beach it was a warm spring night, right on the verge of summer but the heat didn’t last. A chilling wind came rolling off the water as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. The cold hadn’t bothered him, nothing really bothered him anymore.
He spent the whole night on that beach dragging his palms through the coarse sand, letting it slip through his fingers. He gave his hands a long look- still heavily calloused and riddled with scars. His skin resembled the facades of the old beach houses- cracked and weathered from too much sun. He was sure his hair must be wild, salt-ridden and damp from the ocean spray, but that hardly mattered either.
He had tipped the bottle back and drank the rest of his liquid courage hours ago, the arthritic bones in his neck still sore from savoring that last sip.
Dawn crawled up the coast like a shadow, bringing a thick mist that hovered over the water. He gazed out at the fog and reached into his pocket. The paper he pulled out was no longer blank; words in black ink scrawled on the page.
He’d just written down a few words, a little something that seemed to convey exactly what he was feeling. Mostly he stared out into the ocean and wondered how far he could swim before his body gave out. Would he sink or float? Would it be a tranquil oblivion or nothing but panic and suffocation?
None of that matters, he thought before he read the words one last time- slowly and with purpose, committing them to memory.
He rolled up the paper then slid it inside the now empty bottle. Corking the top, he stood and faced the water. His footsteps were sure and even, his resolve a fortress and his acceptance unyielding. His smile grew when his feet hit the water; his steps quickened to a run.
He let out a joyous scream before plunging head-first into the Atlantic, the cold water invigorating him. With the bottle firmly in grasp, he swam until his muscles burned from exertion. He floated on his back for a while, the bottle held close to his chest.
He thought he had come full circle, the water surrounding him created a surreal sense of peace. As if he were laying in the womb of the earth, just waiting to be reborn. No longer drunk but still completely honest with himself he reflected on his past with a simple acceptance. Life had been filled with a mixture of laughter and tears, years gone by in a whirlwind of experiences more good than bad, and that was enough for him.
As the sun finally managed to break through the clouds, burning away the fog...he let go.
He let go of his physical pain, of the disease that had taken over his body.
He let go of all fear, and released the bottle. His eyes were wide and a gentle smile played upon his lips as he looked up and watched the sunlight glint through the glass. A kaleidoscope of colors danced along the surface of the water as he sank down deep and let death take him.
The tides took him to the dark ocean bottom and the sea swallowed him whole. The moon rose and fell, and then the sun came up again. The morning light was brilliant, shining through a cloudless sky.
The girl was sitting on the very same beach, her feet bare, her shoulders slumped. She had come for solace, hoping the sound of the waves would clear her head. She would be going away soon, following her dreams of higher education. She was also saying goodbye to her first and only love. The thought was crushing, to let go of someone who meant so much to her but deep down she knew that she wasn’t ready for anything more than carefree. She wasn’t eighteen going on thirty- her dreams didn’t include a serious relationship. She was eighteen going on nineteen, craving a chance to be young and wild; to explore this world and her herself.
She was almost a grown up and didn’t quite want to be. These choices she was about to make would affect her life deeply and that was so overwhelming. What if she made the wrong choice? What if she screwed everything up?
The bottle washed ashore at her feet and for the moment her fears were forgotten. She picked it up and studied it, delighted when she realized that there was something inside. She hurriedly pulled the cork from the top, pulled out the paper and read the words.

Do not fear
the unknown

Accept that it is time to discover
and embrace
what awaits at the farthest ends

These words brought a beaming smile to her face; the words so simple and so apt. Perspective had never come this easy and been so clear. This message in a bottle lending her the strength to face the future head-on.
She put the paper back into the bottle and sealed it as best she could. Standing, she looked out at the water, the vibrant colors of sunrise reflecting off the sea at low tide.
Then she ran toward the ocean only to throw the bottle back in and cast all of her fears into the sea. She turned away but kept running, a new determination blooming in her chest. She wants everything that awaits, because for her, this is just the beginning.