Broken Tides

Chapter Eleven

The beach was quite rocky, and less sandy than I anticipated. Getting around would be tough, but not impossible.  We managed to get over to cliff area, and desided to inspect the rocky ledge.

It was also more gloomy than excpeted. Beer bottles and cans littering through the rocks, making it not only dangerous for the wildlife but people as well. What looked like an old, long-abandoned lifegaurd tower laid on its side covered in graffiti varing from poorly drawn dicks to "mack was here" and more.

A few seagulls cried further out in the distance by the water's edge. Picking at small hermit crabs in the rocky soil. Other than them, the beach felt dead and lost. Long forgotten and left behind by the tourists and abused and disregarded by the locals.

The water wasn't too far down, probably ten feet below where we where, and looked deep enough that you'd not hit your head, but not deep enough to drown if you weren't the most capable swimmer.

"The little" Kat waved with her hand, it was a dismissive gesture, but she ment it less so "opening is on the top."

"I can probably climb." Kat shot me a look as I craned my neck to see the top of the rocky ledge in front of us.

"Mar-" Kat called after me again.

"No look-" I pointed, the side had been smoothed out by others climbing and walking up, the most desirable hand holds visible and carved out by who knows how many years of wear.

"Mm okay, but Jay's helping you." She was nervous, not wanting me to get hurt. I appreciated it, but the climb wasnt more than a few feet, and I knew I was more than capable of lifting myself up.

Not to brag, but I've got some pretty good upper body and core strength-wrestling and gymastics will do that. And years of surfing and swimming mmin doesn't hurt.

I grabbed onto the ledge and lifted myself up; climbing with just your arms is harder than it looks.  Eventually I pulled myself up, and rolled onto the ledge. I found the opening in the top. It looks like you could slide into the grotto from the top and swim your way out from the bottom.

"There's a way through at the other end of the cave, and it looks like i can get in without getting hurt." Kat nodded with her hand over her mouth, Jay stood watching me nervously as well.

"Hang on," Jay climbed up as well, taking less time then I did, but still struggling a bit. "Okay let me see."

He leaned over the large rocky opening. "Okay, I'll go in first, and then I'll make sure you can get in." He took his phone, keys, and wallet and threw them down to kat with his boots and jacket. "I should've worn swim trunks or something."

I chuckled, glad I had thought ahead as he slid down. He 'whooped' he he bobbed back up from the water below, "Is it cold?" I was enjoying his unpreparedness.

"Yea, 's cold." He gasped, wiping the salty water off his face and out of his eyes. Looks like the water was pretty deep inside, I noticed as he swam out of the way for me.

I pushed myself down, also slidding into the water. I brought a waterproof flashlight with me, and thankfully so, because while the cave was lit from above and the little amount of light that shined from the bottom, it was still incredibly dark.

I hoisted myself up onto the ledge, Jay doing the same on the other side, and fished the flashlight out of my pocket. It flickered as I flipped the switch, and the roof of the grotto immediately lit up, full of colorful rocks and glass embedded in the ceiling.

The celing and walls bounced with bright shades of orange and green, with flecks of bottle blue and purple. I had to admit it was beautiful, and not at all what I was excpecting.