Cliffhangers

Stress, Sailboats, and Sunsets

I breathed in salty air. I could focus out here, my mind wasn't in chaos like it normally was. My hearing was better, my sight was sharper, and everything seemed to taste better too. The large reservoirs of stress that had accumulated over the week had dissipated the moment I stepped onboard. Waves slapped up against the fiberglass hull of my sailboat and made a quite sloshing noise. The wind quietly wound its way around the stays and the mast and tousled my hair gently. It was a nice breeze, not like the ones in the city who were hard and fast, stopping for nothing and no one. This one was a gentle breeze, the kind of breeze that would fill your sails just enough to get you moving. The sun was hovering above the horizon, and the clouds were tinted a light pink. The sky was filled with streaks of orange, red, and pink, as if some toddler had finger painted them. I climbed onto the bow to get a better view of the sunset. I treasured these moments, because they didn't happen very often. I was always busy with school work, my head always congested with some kind of assignment. I hated being on land, because people were always filled with stress, or hatred, or despair. I felt like I belonged here, I wasn't as alone as some people might think. The sun dipped below the horizon, and night began to fall. The colors began to fade, and stars began to glisten in the sky. I didn't want to go back, but I had to. School wasn't going to finish itself.