Pieces of Hope: A Collection

Imagine... Water

Description:  This idea came randomly to me when I was lying in bed one weekend morning.  The full idea I will not explain here.  I wrote out the potential prologue, and to be honest, I think it's safe to say I like the story idea so much I will be doing something with it.  I'm posting the prologue here so that people can see it and tell me what they think about it, if they want to.  It's unedited, so bear with me.  

Imagine. Close your eyes and think of a beach. A rolling beach full of soft silky smooth sand spreading out to kiss the ocean.

Only something about this ocean is different than the oceans you've seen before. It doesn't toss and play like a young kitten. It doesn't grab at the sand and fall back in defeat.

It's completely still. It's surface looks like the smoothest of glass, it doesn't reflect the sky above. It's a dark blue, shining navy.

Along its edge there's people. They're dressed in long white gowns that reach to the ankle. Nobody is staying on the sand, as lovely and soft as it is, but they're all right next to the water.

They send ripples through it as they step in. The adults talk pleasantly among themselves, as their children run past them and jump in with yells.

Some stand at the very edge, where the water only barely touches the hem of their gowns. Others go deeper, wading in until they're up to the waist.

They close their eyes and tilt their heads back, letting out long sighs of pleasure and peace. Some go farther, until they're floating on the water.

But there is more than that. The water seems to be coaxing them, talking to them, drawing them in. Suddenly you realize it's talking to them.

And they respond. Sometimes they laugh with joy. The stress from the other's faces disappear. A few look chastened by it, but after awhile, that too fades.

Suddenly movement catches your eye and you look up. Climbing up a hill that leads to a cliff over the ocean, are two men and one woman. They're going up to the cliff.

They reach the edge of it. You want to call out to them to not fall. But then, what's the danger, you realize. There are no waves to dash them against the rocks, the water will catch them and they'll be alright.

In fact, it looks like the perfect place for diving.

So you wonder why they hesitate a bit at the top. They look down in awe.

And the ocean rises up to them. It comes right up to them. And while you can't hear it, you know that is speaking them. Inviting them, it holds out a hand with watery palm open.

The first man steps forward. He laughs and steps onto the palm.

Faster than you realize it's happening, the hand closes and enfolds him. It pulls him down off the cliff and into the ocean. You don't see him anymore.

You shudder and step back, wondering what that would feel like. Yet the man had been unafraid and sure.

The tower of water is still there, beckoning to the two others. The woman holds out her hands and the water grasps, yes, grasps them with two hands.

The woman lets out a scream as it pulls her down, it's not a scream of pure terror but of nervous excitement. It sends chills along your arms as the hands hold her like a person would a baby and twirls her downward into the sea.

You don't see her anymore.

The last man is still standing on the cliff. The tower of water retreats down. But at the bottom it forms it's hands again and seems to hold them as if it's going to catch something.

The man comes to the very edge of the cliff, looks down, and then springs off. "Whooo!" He cries as he falls. The hands reach up and catch him. They take him down again into the expanse of blue.

What is this? You wonder. The other two have not surfaced. Have they drowned?

You wait for awhile, watching these peculiar people. The parents are not concerned about the children drowning, they play freely in the water. Even children as young as toddlers are wading in. The Water seems to be particularly gentle with them, tickling and making them laugh.

A flash on the Water catches your eye. It's white, and you step closer, trying to make it out. It's one of the men who was engulfed. He's floating on the surface. Is he dead?

His mouth is moving and he folds his hands behind his head, staring at the sky as he talks. Then he stops and appears to be listening. He smiles again and continues talking.

Another flash of white. It's the woman. She's sitting cross legged on the water and is talking too.

That's it, you have to know what is going on. You start running along the beach, waving to catch their attention. You're desperate to know, but too afraid to step into this weird Water.

The Water seems to be pushing the woman along towards you. She's watching you curiously, she knows you're not from her world.

She reaches the edge of the beach, still sitting on the water, and reaches out a hand for you. "Come on," she says. "I'll tell you all you want to know." Her voice is cheerful and kind.

Your eyes bug out and you shake your head emphatically. There's no way you're getting in or on that Water.

She looks confused for a moment, until a Voice speaks from the water. You can't make it out, but her face relaxes and a look of understanding plays on her face.

"Alright," She says, standing up and stepping onto the beach. "Sit on the sand. You don't have to enter the Vio."

You slowly sit, feeling the warm soft sand. She plops down beside you. To your surprise, she is not wet and the sand doesn't stick to her.

Her feet still linger in the Vio, which you eye uneasily.

"You're not from here. From our world," she states as a fact.

You shake your head. "No. But I've come here because I want to...know." You fumble for words to explain.

She raises a hand. "No, Villtar has told me. I don't fully understand. But He wants me to tell you my story and my people's story."

You nod. This is what you've come for. You pick up a handful of sand and let it flow through your fingers as she begins to tell the story.