Her Protector

This is a story I wrote for a competition where the theme was the gemstone 'onyx'. It had to be 3000 words or less. If you enjoy, please read and leave a comment.

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Lucy held her sandals in her right hand and with her left, wiped away her endless tears. Standing on the shore, the water wrapped around her ankles. She'd always imagined drowning to be peaceful and beautiful. It would be a change from the darkness which had taken hold since her mother's suicide.

The pain in her heart grew. After a decade of unbearable suffering, her depressed mother had resorted to alcohol to numb the pain. On that fatal day she mixed spirits with anti-depressants. There was no saving her. Lucy was terrified. She wouldn't suffer that way. She'd rather end her life now.

Dropping her sandals, she stared out at the choppy ocean, thinking how wonderful it would be to leave this horrible world.

She took a step forward. Thunderheads moved across the iron-grey sky.

Another step. The wind caught on her wavy brown hair, whipping it across her face. She pushed the strands aside, wanting to see the wild ocean. Soon she would become one with it.

The wind grew stronger, the storm clouds rolling in faster. An unexpected shaft of excitement shot through her. She longed for the storm to drag her down.

She took a third step, the water reaching her knees. Her thick jeans and heavy coat would pull her down quickly.

A dog barked somewhere on the beach. Lucy ignored it. Taking another step, she felt something tugging on her jacket. Glancing over her shoulder she saw a black Labrador growling and yanking on the material, his beady black eyes locked on hers.

"Let go you brute!" she yelled, her voice thin and hoarse. She twisted and turned in a desperate attempt to free herself but the dog wouldn't let go. It only growled and pulled harder. The dog tugged again, making her lose her footing. She stumbled backward but managed to stay on her feet. She had no choice but to follow the Labrador back to the beach.

"Onyx!" a strong, deep voice commanded. "Onyx, come here now!"

Still in shock, Lucy blinked twice and turned. The dog had let her go and bounded across the sand, back to its owner. She saw the man clip a leash on the dog's collar and make his way over.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his brow creasing in worry. "I'm so sorry, I'll pay for any damage."

When she looked into his dark brown, almost black eyes, her breath caught in her throat. It was like he could see into her soul.

Not wanting any questions Lucy stammered, "No...no it's fine." The enormity of what happened hit her like a punch to the gut. The dog had saved her life.

A drop of rain landed on her nose. She glanced up at the dark sky. Another landed on her cheek, followed by another. Already drenched, Lucy didn't care.

"I don't know what happened," she heard the man say.

She looked back at him and realised he didn't seem to care about the rain either. He was frowning down at Onyx. Following his gaze, she saw the dog at the man's feet, panting; his tail wagging joyfully.

"I always let Onyx off the leash," he added, appearing confused, "but he never runs off."

Lucy knew why he did. Tears welled up again. He'd saved her. A dog saved her. She swallowed the lump in her throat. How was it possible? She knelt and called Onyx over. The man let the leash go. Onyx rushed over and licked her face, his tail thumping on the wet sand.