Young and Beautiful

She wasn't sure how she got there - but the wind was blowing through her long blonde hair and she could hear the sounds of the sea. The woman buried her toes into the sand and marvelled at the sight; it was a warm day and the sun was just setting, casting glows of purple, pink, orange, yellow, and red all over the sky. The ocean was bright blue and small waves crashed into the shoreline, small crabs carefully avoided the waves and scuttled into the ocean for the night. She smiled. The beach was empty, all the families had gone home and put their kids to bed for the night. It was serene and she enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Noticing a large rock a little ways down the beach, she made her way over and sat on it, keeping her toes curled in the sand. She was further down the beach now, so when a couple sauntered over to the spot she'd been standing in only moments ago, they didn't see her. But it wouldn't be long before they noticed the strange blond woman sitting there watching them. She quickly got to the ground behind the rock and peeked around the corner. The girl looked to be around 17 while the guy appeared to be a few years older. He whispered something in her ear and she laughed loudly - her burgundy coloured hair bounced as she did so and it shone in the glare of the setting sun. She was beautiful and pure and she reminded the lady of herself when she was that age. The girls youth was evident and it made her think of when I she had looked that way.

There was a time when she was young and beautiful too; with long thick blonde hair that was healthy and fell naturally around her oval shaped face. She was tanned with bright blue eyes that resembled the ocean, and a smile that could brighten up anyone's day. Now - her hair was thin and straggly as it hung in strands from her scalp. The facial skin was wrinkled and pale, stress lines were evident on a good portion of her face. The once bright smile she'd had was now never shown, and her bright ocean-like blue eyes had faded to dull lifeless ones. Just one glance and you could tell that most of her soul had been drained. Some people say that you can't judge a book by its cover, but in her case the cover reflected exactly how she felt on the inside. She could only dream of regaining that purity she had once felt, but it was nowhere to be found. Somewhere deep inside, there may have been a part of her that was still the same buttshe couldn't find it.

Her attention was brought back to the young couple when the girl laughed again. This time though, the boy slowly leaned in and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and his around her waist. Watching the scene unfold had caused a sharp pang to jolt through her heart. She desperately missed her husband Jared who'd suffered through Leukaemia for eight years until he suddenly died in the middle of the night. It was rare, the doctors had said; for a male adult in his 30's to develop this disease, but he had. It was almost a relief when he finally passed, because he'd been in so much pain and all she wanted was for him to catch a break. Key word - almost. Upon finding his lifeless cold body, she proceeded to curl up into a ball on the cold hardwood floor and cried for several hours straight. She wasn't quite sure to that day - how long she actually stayed there unmoving, but it must of been a while considering her neighbour had found her sitting there in her own urine and feces. The ambulance took her to to the hospital right away and she had to stay in the mental ward for almost a year.

Jared was the love of her life and when she lost him, her world shattered apart. They'd met after high school and started dating two weeks after meeting each other. They shared their first kiss the same day followed by one of the most romantic and unforgettable evenings of her life. Three months later - he proposed and she accepted happily, crying tears of joy. They got married shortly after and a week later he was diagnosed with Leukaemia. The next ten years were extremely hard. She helped him do everything, from peeing to getting out of bed and into the real world. He was often cranky and cried at times for what seemed to be no reason, but his wife knew better. She stuck by his side until the very end, but was left with nothing but memories in the end. The woman's heart ached without Jared.

The couple was now gone and she was once again alone. She slowly stood up and walked over to where the ocean began. Dipping her toes into the warm water, she sighed at the relaxing feeling. She hasn't felt relaxed in years. Walking deeper and deeper into the water until only her head was above the water line, she looked up at the sky knowing that Jared had to be up there watching her somehow, looking after her like she'd done for him. The water crept slowly over her head as she continued further into the sea, until the blond lady was completely submerged. She never came back up for air..

A few days later - her sister reported her as missing and gave a description of what she looked like and what she'd been wearing last. There were missing signs everywhere, so when a particular couple saw one of the signs, they immediately called the number listed. Her sister met up with them that same day at a small cafe downtown.

After being questioned, they recounted to her what they'd seen. They had went to the beach a few days before at sunset and loved the beach, so two days later, they went back. They'd been walking down the beach when they saw something odd, or rather someone. There was a tall man with short black hair combed to the side, and dark grey eyes. He wore a dance suit and a red flower stuck out of his chest pocket, he was handsome. Next to him, was a short woman with long blond hair and striking blue eyes. She was smiling brightly in a wedding dress as they linked arms and wandered along the sand, she was beautiful. The perfect couple. It was odd because they looked as if they'd just come from a wedding and when the couple noticed them, they mysteriously disappeared. The sister angrily accused them of getting at the idea that they'd been ghosts and stormed off with tears in her eyes.

If they were ghosts or if they weren't actually there, who knows? But wherever they are - hopefully they're finally together and finally happy. What a perfect world that would be.