In Between Time

Chapter One

June 19, 2026               
Damian Burke had just arrived home from work when he walked through his front door, his backpack in hand, stopping to take off his shoes to set them on the bench along with his bag in the vestibule of his home. It had been a one long week of many and he had finally been accepted for the vacation time he had been promised nearly a year ago. The stress was starting to degrade his work and his boss was starting to notice, and because of that the boss had decided that maybe the star employee that had single-handedly saved his company many times, deserved a few days off.
Damian looked at the clock on his microwave. It was 10:46. If he wanted to go to his spot he would have to start getting ready, so he unpacked his computer and work folder from his bag , then started packing it with all of things he would need for a short walk. He packed his water bottle, his flashlight, and many different snacks including last night's dinner in a Tupperware.
Afterwards, he sat his bag down on a chair and walked into his bedroom and next to his dresser. Then, opening the top smaller drawer, he looked through it until he found a crystal. It was a small piece of quarts with the cracks in it filled with silver and it was given to him when he was about nine by his mother, who told him that it was given to her at the same age. He pocketed the stone and then walked towards his garage, grabbing his bag along the way.
Damian had grabbed his keys and loaded his car with a folding chair and his bag before starting it up and heading down the road. The route he was taking had been ingrained into his head from the many trips he had taken with his mother. He took the main road till it lead to the out of town and through the countryside, turning down an old dirt road and then pulling off net to the ditch by a rusty gate. Damian grabbed all of the stuff out of the trunk of his car and stepped passed the gate, being careful as to not drop any of his things.
After attaching his chair to his pack Damian started off down the small two-track trail ahead. As he walked he noticed that even at night the forest was not quiet, with frogs croaking and grass hoppers chirping, it all blended together in a symphony of nature. Not to mention that the landscape was beautiful as well, with the melancholy light of the moon shining down on the tops of the trees, turning the leaves into gorgeous silver tones occasionally laced with dark greens.
              Damian kept walking down the trail, staring off into space remembering the times he had come here before. Many of the times had been with his mother and he was usually running ahead, jumping from tree root to tree root, while his mother identified plants along the path. The nostalgia trip was cut short however, when Damian reached the sandy dunes right before the beach. He followed the least steep path on the dunes to a nearby point where he could overlook the entire beach, where the water looked as if it stretched out into the sky itself.
              Damian set up his chair and sat down, pulling the leftover pot pie he had out of his bag and started eating. He sat, savoring the flavor of the chicken bits along with the delicate crust of the pie whilst observing the waves in the water and how they reflected moon light.
               As the time passed Damian though about his life, his job, his future. He knew that the workaholic life he had came with some perks, but was it worth it to feel so stressed everyday? He thought about his mother, who until recently, had done the same. He remembered the times he had been home alone, or when he was younger, with his grandparents.
After a while of reminiscing about his past Damian got up and started walking done the beach, staring at the silvery waves and occasionally looking at the sandy cliffs, where many cedar and pine trees had made their homes.
He kept walking, not really sure how far he had gone until he looked back and noticed that he couldn't see his chair and bag, nor even the dune he had perched on. Then in the distance in front of him he saw what looked to be a person, standing next to the water.
He felt a tingle down his spine. He kept walking forward, it can't be a person, he thought. The only way on this beach is the way I took, and I didn't see any other cars near the gate. Damian walked for another 18 minutes, and was almost sure that there was somehow another person on the beach.