Underwater Memories

Prologue

No one would have expected her to be friends with this weirdo.  

"Ready to go?"  she asked Siera.  Siera smiled slightly.  How had she gotten close to a girl like this?  

"Let's go to the beach!"  she said with a bright smile.  Siera smiled back.  It was a relief to see her like this, smiling and cheerful.

"Just a second,"  Siera replied and went to get her things.

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"Wow!  Look at the sunset!" She pointed at it.  "Isn't it beautiful?"  Siera didn't really understand how such a meaningless thing could be meaningful to anyone.  

"Sure."  she said.  Her friend pushed back a golden lock of hair.  

"Oh!"  she suddenly explained.  She frowned.  "It's gone now.  How disappointing."

Maybe she thought Siera wouldn't notice the metaphor.  She was wrong.  

"Look, about that--" she started.

"Oh look!  A little crab!"  she went to pick it up.  "It's so cute!"  Siera watched her talk.  Siera knew that she should make her friend snap out of it.  She knew what she needed to hear.  

But Siera couldn't do it.  She wanted to see her friend like this...happy and moving on.  Was it worth it to make her cry?

"What's that?"  Siera asked instead.  There was a dark lump a few feet away from them,  less than an inch from the water.  Her friend ran toward it. 

"It's a dolphin!"  she said in surprise.  "We need to help it!"

Siera inspected it.  She was no animal life expert, but even she could tell apart life and death.

"It's gone."  Siera said, standing up.  "It's dead."

"No..." her voice cracked.  "No...It can't be!"

"It is..." Siera said, before she noticed her tears.

"NO!  IT CAN'T! IT ISN'T--"  she was shaking.  Tears streamed down her cheeks, her head was in her hands.  She stood up, stumbling backward.  "IT CAN'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"  

Siera regretted that moment for the rest of her life.  

As her friend tumbled into the ocean.

And got carried away.