Secret Jewel of the Ocean

Chapter 4

It was Tuesday night, the fourth night in Maine with Jewel. And considering how boring the previous nights were, I was finally ready for some serious action.

On the first night we got in Maine, we all went out to dinner. It was my parents, Jewel, my grandparents, and me. Afterwards, we were all so wiped from the drive in, so we took an early night and just relaxed, watching movies and then going straight to bed.

That Sunday night wasn't much more exciting. After a long day on the beach, Jewel and I were completely burnt. Since the temperature wasn't very hot, we both didn't realize just how strong the sun's rays were...Until that night, of course.

We were in so much pain that the next day, Monday, that all we did was sit out on the balcony that was attached to our room one floor up and sip some cold lemonade that my grandmother made especially for us. In the process, my grandma told us a lot of different stories about the very beach we were visiting in Maine.

One story really stuck inside my head.

"Back when I was about your age, I was sitting on the beach right directly in front of us," she had said, staring deep into the ocean from the balcony. Her blue eyes reflected the waves crashing silently amongst the quiet shore. "I was with my boyfriend and it was very late at night. The moon was shining brightly above the ocean and down upon us, casting a shadow of our bodies on the sand beneath us," she continued on, her eyes fixed ahead. The wind lightly blew her grey hair. "It was a beautiful night, or so I had thought..."

Closing her eyes, a tear streamed down my grandmother's aged cheek. I simply sat there, not knowing what was going on - what to say. When I looked over at Jewel, she was pretending to pick off a peice of fuz off of her robe.

"But suddenly," my grandma continued, "as if out of nowhere, the wind began to pick up. Then a dark, threatening cloud covered the moon, and everything went black!" she had nearly screamed, her eyes remaining shut.

At that point, I had gotten so into the story that I jumped out of my seat, almost knocking over my glass of lemonade in the process, and cried, "What happened after that?!"

Jewel's eyes widened, and she gasped at the tension of my grandmother's tale. "Yes, tell us!" she demanded, jumping in her chair.

My grandma took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Rain began to fall down, heaviest I've ever seen in my life. I could hear the waves grow violent as they hit the beach as though they were angry, but I couldn't see anything through the downpour and the darkness." I felt my heart beat faster, almost as if I was actually experiencing the events of that very night. "I continuously yelled for my boyfriend, felt around next to me, but I got no answer and no longer sensed his presence!" Her voice seemed desperate as she recalled the occurance. "I ran and ran, not knowing where I was going, until suddenly..." My grandmother's voice trailed off like a dull wave as it is being pulled forcefully back into the sea. Finally, she opens her eyes but keeps them focused on the calm water. "I find myself in my warm bed the next morning."

I gulped, completely terrified.

Jewel placed her delicate hand over her heart.

I expected for my grandma to continue on, but she didn't. She just stared at the scene in front of her, down on the quiet beach, probably reliving the horrid moment.

"Grandma...?" I asked gently. I just needed to know more. I needed to know what had happened to her boyfriend; how she ended up in her bed. There were so many unkown answers and growing mysteries that I just had to unravel to find the truth.

But instead of getting any type of reply, my grandmother stood up and silently excused herself, leaving Jewel and me completely lost.

"So, what kinda fun adventure do you wanna go on tonight?" Jewel asked me, wipping my brain back to the present. "It's already the fourth night, and we haven't had any type of new experiences yet like I promised we would. And I always keep my promises."

Finger combing my golden hair that was still damp from my shower, I inspected myself in the mirror. I was wearing skinny jeans and a hoodie, since it was really cool outside. "Hmmm...Well, maybe we can walk to that ice cream store we passed on the way home from that restaraunt the other night. It looked really old-fashioned and cute," I said matter-of-factly.

"What kind of 'new experience' is that?" Jewel joked as she sprayed some type of fruity perfume on. "Wanna borrow?"

I took the perfume from her outstretched hand and gave myself a few good sprits. "Well, you never know what could happen...We might meet someone or find some cool, unique place."

"You have a point..." With one last look in the mirror, Jewel turned to me. "I'm down."

Once we reached the ice cream parlor, I noticed the name straight away. "Jewel's Sweet Escape," I read aloud, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Hmmm..." Jewel tapped her finger on her lips as if to ponder. "I didn't know I owned an ice cream parlor." She laughed and bounced into the store, leaving me standing there, staring up at the mysterious name.

Shaking my head, I entered the store and got in line behind Jewel. "So what are you getting?" I asked to get my mind off all of the insanity going on in those past few days.

"I'm thinking-"

"Excuse me?" I turn to see whose high-picthed voice cut off my best friend and felt my mouth gape at the image in front of my eyes.