He Had To

So, this is a new short story that I wrote... hm, well I don't know if it quite makes sense, but I hope it does to y'all. Anyways, enjoy!

He didn't know why, but he needed to go down to the beach. It was like the giant white orb, that hung over the water was physically pulling him down to the sand. He had always been attracted to the beach at night, and usually ignored the impulse to make his way towards the rippling body of water, but tonight was different. The feeling to get out of bed was stronger, more urgent this time.

He pulled on his trainers and a t-shirt, not bothering to pull shorts over his boxers. No one would be down there to see him in his underwear. Slowly, he pulled open his door and made his way over the old floorboards of the beach house that him in his family called home year round. He felt an unexplainable urge to stop in front of his little sister’s room. The door was ajar and made it possible to see her sleeping frame bathed in the pale spotlight of the moon. Her tiny chest rose and fell, as he watched her with an inexplicable ache in his chest. Before he left the crack in the door he said, "Goodbye”, for a reason unknown to him.

He passed a window and saw the moon again, and the urge to leave the house was even stronger than it was before. It physically pained him to stay in the house any longer and he had to stop himself from sprinting over the creaky floorboards and out the house. He settled for a comfortable fast walk down the hallway and made it down the staircase with the wrought iron railing that had been put in after he fell from the second to last top step when he was four. By the time he was on the bottom floor of the house he was at a full-out sprint and didn't care about the large groan of the door hinges and the slam as it hit the light fixture mounted on the wall behind it. The thought of how incensed his mother would be when she saw the large dent in the door crossed his mind for a second, but then the pull of the beach became the foremost thought in his mind again. Anything to do with his life other than the bright moon, silky sand beaches, and salty blue/green of the ocean rippling before him was insignificant to him.

The boy was gasping by the time he made to the beach and he leaned on his knees while gulping in large breaths of the salty air. He looked out to the ocean and collapsed on the sand beneath him thinking, "What would happen if I just got into the ocean and floated away?" He thought of his family and what they would think of his disappearance. He knew his sister wouldn't understand. His mother's shoulders would be wracked with sobs. His father would let a tear escape down his cheek before becoming the gruff support column of the family again. His friends… well, his friends didn't matter all that much. They had a bond. No one could deny that, but it wasn't strong enough for them to still grieve his absence after a few months. They would get on without him. So would his family, at least he thought they would.

He was confused at his thoughts. Why? Why was he thinking like this? He didn't want to leave! He loved his family, and though his life wasn't as exciting as he would like, it was quite amazing compared to some. However, for him, he wanted adventure. He wanted to climb to great heights and meet people from different lands. Learn new cultures and eat odd foods.

He would never get that if he stayed in the small beach town he called his home. He had to get out, and get out now if he ever wanted to live a life that was more than being on a fishing boat all day and then coming home to a wife and two kids like his dad did everyday.

The boy pushed up from the bone white sand and slowly made his way towards the dock where the wooden boat with emergency supplies was tied up. He got to the end of the dock and turned back to look at the outline of his house. He looked at the fading yellow paint, the cracked dormer window from when he accidently kicked a soccer ball at it, the crooked sign that hung on the front door welcoming the world into their home, and finally into every window of the house. He said goodbye to each room, each memento of his soon-to-be former life. To the dead guinea pig in the wall that separated the downstairs bathroom from the living room, to his parents, and as he looked to his sister’s window to say goodbye to her, he noticed she was standing there staring at him with a small smile on her face. It was as if she knew what he was about to do, as if she approved. He gave her a faint smile back and stepped into the boat. She lifted her hand in a small wave and then he released the rope from the dock and the feeling of that release was like the whole ocean swallowing him whole, taking him to a new world.

 I hope y'all liked that and please leave any criticizms in the comments below, I would love for some feedback on this one! Thanks :)