The sun lay low in the western horizon - low enough that the superstructure of the trawlers in the harbour were casting shadows on the Victorian hotels and houses that lined the shore road. A group of youths had gathered on the sea wall and were passing bottles of cider between them, laughing and yelling in drunken exuberance. The racket drew more than a few disapproving glances from the more staid passers-by, but this was not enough to dampen the teenage spirits.
Marie Connor took a long draft from a bottle before wiping her mouth and passing it to her friend, Charlotte. "Look at that," she said, and pointed to the beach beneath them. The water was still, forming a perfect mirror to reflect the grimy stones and rusting metal of the breakwater. "Doesn't that look just beautiful. Looks almost good enough for a dip."
Charlotte swallowed a mouthful of cider, then passed the bottle back. "What's stopping you?"
"I don't have a cossie."
Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "So? Since when has that ever stopped you? You've gone swimming in your keks before. I know. I've been there."
Marie looked at the crowd of laughing teenagers. "What? Here?"
"Why not?" Charlotte put an arm around her friend's waist. "Tell you what - I'm game if you are."
Marie burst out laughing, almost dropping the cider bottle in surprise. "You're having me on, right?" But the look on Charlotte's face was serious. "You mean it?"
"Aye. Dead serious. Watch this."
Charlotte climbed onto the sea wall, steadying herself on Marie's shoulder as she did so, and yelled out, "Hey! Me and Marie are going for a swim? Any of yous want to join us?"
The chatter stopped and heads turned towards the two girls. "You wearing your bikini under there?" somebody shouted.
"Why don't you wait and see?" Charlotte called back. She leaned down, offering a hand to Marie. "Come on. Let's go."
"What now?"
Charlotte pulled her friend onto the top of the wall, then the two of them slid down the bevelled stones and onto the damp sand of the beach. A chorus of whistles and catcalls rose up behind them as the rest of the gang cheered them on. Charlotte turned around to face her audience, and they fell silent in anticipation.
"Are we really going to ... ?" Marie whispered in Charlotte's ear.
"Too late to back out now," came the reply.
"But in front of that lot?"
Charlotte glanced backwards at the setting sun. "Just do what I do." She began to shuck her clothes, throwing them onto the sand in wild abandon. Marie copied her. Together, their shadows made a puppet show on the sea wall. As the sun sank below the horizon, the streetlights on the road came on, shining into the eyes of the gathered crowd and momentarily blinding them.
"Now!" Charlotte discarded the last of her clothing, turned and dived into the water, closely followed by Marie: both exulting in the freedom of the moment.
