The first time she saw the ocean, she fell in love with it.
She was only seven. Young. Bright. Curious.
When her family moved to the beachfront, she couldn't wait to go down to the shore.
And when she did, her life truly started.
She waded into the surf, giggling and admiring the fact she could see her feet through the water.
Her mother watched her from afar, smiling.
She stayed there for what felt like hours, though it was only about ten minutes.
When she had to go inside, she made a farewell to the sea.
She treated it like a person. Her mother never understood that.
But the sea called her. With it's lulling waves and clear waters.
She promised to come back. As long as she lived.
She would always go back to the sea.
*Skip to years later*
She was a junior. Eigth grade. And she was feeling down.
Her grades weren't good. She hadn't many friends.
So she turned to the sea.
She stood on that beach, the waves washing over her bare feet.
She stared out into the setting sun, pinks and oranges splashing across the waves like paint on a canvas.
She smiled and the breeze blew her hair slightly.
Everything would be all right, said the sea.
*Skip to years later*
Today was the day.
She would marry him.
The wedding was on the beach.
Of course it was. She felt like that was the perfect place.
As she walked down the makeshift aisle, she looked out at the rolling waves.
A tear rolled down her cheek and she smiled.
The sea was there. It was always there.
*Skip to many years later*
The young girl, now an old woman, stood at the shoreline.
She stared out at the waves, the same ones she had seen for her whole life.
And now that she was nearing the end of her life, she felt like she should die here, where she felt like she belonged.
She sat down slowly, on the sand. She felt the waves wash over her hand and she smiled.
She fell asleep by the sea
And never woke up.
Her husband found her laying there, with a smile on her face.
The ocean had called to her her whole life.
And it called to her even in death.
