Something miraculous happened last night. A plot knocked at the door of my dormant writer brain, waking up my sleeping creative juices. It was persistent and motivated my muse to write again, and I obliged. It's been a while since I felt this urge to write. The scene was vivid in my imagination and I found myself writing the first chapter seamlessly. I thought I already lost my knack in writing, but boy I was surprised. Turned out, I still got it tucked safely under my turf, thank God! This is a good sign. It's been a long while since I took a hiatus from writing, and sometimes I would force myself to write again, but then, produce nothing. But the knack is coming back and I hope it's here to stay. So this is the first chapter of the brand new novel that I am working on. It's still untitled because I am still contemplating, and if you have a good suggestion, please comment and I'll pick the best one. Enjoy reading, guys!
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Jen looked at the horizon where the sea met the sky. It was beautiful. The aquamarine seawater complimented the clear, blue sky.
There were several cirrus clouds that gave a dashing white, soft feather-looking details on the empty, vast blue sky.
The sight that her eyes were feasting on was, indeed, picturesque. It was nature's natural beauty at its finest.
The weather was calm and bright this morning, a stark contrast to the storm that passed by the island last night. A raging, melancholic storm that mirrored the bitterness and hurt that she was nursing in her heart.
She drew a deep breath. The fresh, clean, salty air in the island filled her lungs. It was refreshing. But it wasn't enough to loosen the tightening emotions in her chest.
She sighed, loud and deep. The corners of her eyes moistened. And as soon as she drew another forlorn sigh, her sight became cloudy. Tears were welling in her eyes as if they came from a living fountain.
Damn tears. Why wouldn't they stop flowing?
Frustrated, she wiped her tears dry with her fingers, cursing herself again and again.
Damn, Jen. Get a hold of yourself. Be strong. Stop crying, for god damn sake! Don't be a pathetic fool! Enough of the misery!
But no matter how hard she pushed herself to get out of the misery that was drowning her soul, her whole being, she helplessly failed. Again and again.
It was so frustrating to try the hardest to mend a broken heart and not making any progress at all, but what could she do? Her heart was totally broken into million pieces.
It had been a month since her voluntary retreat and exile in the island, but her wound was still fresh. It was as if the searing pain in her heart never waned, even a little. Everything was still raw - the betrayal, the hurt, the pain.
God, how long would she be like this? How long was she gonna go through the painful ordeal of having her heart broken by the man she dearly loved with all her heart?
The waves crashed against her bare feet, gently rocking her legs. The audible sound of the crashing waves distracted her thoughts.
She took a few steps, her feet sinking in the fine, white sand. The clear seawater felt good as she continued to stride, as the water level rose to her knees.
The sea seemed inviting to tread. It was always inviting, but it was especially irresistible today.
She continued to tread against the waves, into the depths of the water, giving in to the yearning that was screaming in her head.
The heaviness in her heart was becoming light as water engulfed her limbs. Ah, the feeling was liberating! She'd never felt like this in a month, and the feeling was so fucking good that she yearned for more.
So she did. She indulged herself. She took another step. Then, one more. And as the water level went higher around her fragile body, her sense of euphoria heightened.
Her pulse hastened. Her breathing hitched.
She looked at the sky. Her face was impassive, but her eyes were hopeful.
This was it, Jen. Your pain would be over soon.
A weak smile curved on her lips.
Ah, it was freedom. At last!
She closed her eyes to wait for the euphoric moment, for her ordeal to finally end.
She was ready to leave everything behind… when something struck her shoulder.
Aw, she squeaked.
What was that?
Her eyes, flung open. That was when she realized that the water was already around her neck.
She jerked when something hit her back.
"What the-" but she gasped aloud when an idea struck her mind.
Oh my God, was that a shark?!
The image of a ferocious shark with sharp teeth vividly formed in her imagination.
A shark! Oh my God, a shark!
Her knees quivered in fear. She was about to shout in panic when her eyes caught something floating in the water - two long, muscled, hairy legs.
She turned around to check fully what was in the water, and she gasped again when she saw a man whose body was loosely ankled on a piece of driftwood that kept it floating on the surface of the water. His face was facing down, and he wasn't… moving?
She pulled the floating human body ashore. He was tall and big, and she had to pull him hard just so she could drag his body away from the water and unto the sand.
Was he still alive?
She moved his body so he could lie his back flat on the sand. He was wearing a white t-shirt and Hawaiian shorts. His wet clothings clung onto his body like second skin, and despite his dire condition, he had a nicely ripped body. She didn't miss noticing that.
Muscles were abound in his legs, chest and biceps. Even his abdomen was endowed with washboard abs.
Wow. The stranger that she found in the water was one hell of a hunk. But her eyebrows cocked when the body that she was ardently checking looked familiar.
Her eyes flew to his face. His wet hair covered his eyes and nose, concealing his appearance.
Her heart beat quickly. She knelt on the sand, holding her breath. With shivering fingers, she pushed his hair up, revealing a handsome, familiar face that she would never forget even after an eternity.
Her jaw dropped in surprise. She couldn't believe what she saw.
Was this real? Or was she just hallucinating?
She slapped her face, in an attempt to wake her up from a foolish imagination, if she was just, indeed, only imagining things.
She yelped in pain. But the figure in front of her didn't disappear.
She slapped her face harder. Her skin stung, and she cursed aloud because it hurt so much, yet the handsome merman that she found in the water was still lying on the sand, unconscious.
OMG! He was real. She wasn't just imagining things!
She covered her wide open mouth with her hands in awe, her heartbeat palpitating.
Brax. It was Brax! The man who broke her heart!
