Writing Prompt Stories

The Ocean - Part 1

My legs dangled off of the edge of the cliff as I sketched in my book. Considering how great the drop was to the ocean below, it probably wasn't the best of ideas. Still, I had a great view of the ocean from my spot on the cliff. It was too good an opportunity to resist.

A cool, salty breeze flew by, pulling my hair away from my face. I relished in it, feeling good. It was a nice day outside, despite it being a little chilly. The sky was gray, and it made the waves look a deep shade of blue. Perfect to draw, I thought. Hence the sketchbook and art supplies. Again, who would waste an opportunity like this?

Other artists might draw people, places, maybe nature, but me? I loved to draw the ocean. In pastels, paint, charcoal, digital, you name it. But it was almost always the ocean. It fascinates me, the way it moves, the way it seems so big and infinite. It was a mystery, the ocean. Kind of like me in a way, I suppose.

I assumed there was going to be a storm later judging by the clouds and atmosphere of the area, but for the time being, I sat and sketched. Perhaps it wasn't the best of art, but I thought it was pretty decent. My friends always told me that, anyways. The wind was starting to get a little stronger. I swore the forecast said it was supposed to be a clear day, but they were quite obviously wrong.

Now the wind was blowing from behind, rather from in front. My hair blew into my face this time, and I swatted it away. As I did so, a powerful gust of wind hit me in the back. The force of it made me lose my balance. In a matter of seconds, the ground was no longer beneath me, but rather above me. I knew the fall had to have been 25, 30 feet at least. I knew I wouldn't survive. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact.

It never came.

Well, I mean, I did hit the water. I did go under. But. . .I didn't feel anything. And I certainly wasn't dead, as far as I could tell. Instead, it felt like I was being held, by arms. Many of them, gently holding me. I was holding my breath so that I didn't inhale the water, and I couldn't really see well. "Oh no," I heard a deep male voice say, clear as day. It didn't even sound disoriented, as it should have since we were underwater. "We cannot destroy something that has loved us so beautifully." I was out of breath, and I coughed.

Before I could inhale any water, I felt myself being thrusted up towards the air. By the time I took in a breath, my head had already broke the surface. I was treading water for a moment, though it was a bit difficult considering how rough the waves were. Soon enough, though,  I was sitting on top of the water. I thought that should be impossible, but I was still gasping for air, too shocked to question anything. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Are you okay, girl?" The voice said. My eyes flew open to reveal the source of the voice. There was a man - maybe in his mid twenties, it looked like - in front of me. He was tan, like he sunbathed a lot, and his hair was a sandy blond. His eyes, though, they were a blue as deep as the ocean. I found myself staring into those eyes for a while, lost in them.

They were my eyes. The exact same shade.

"Uh, I-I think s-s-so," I responded, my teeth chattering a bit. I was soaking wet, and the cool day and wind didn't help in the least. He held his hand up, and as if he had read my mind, all of the water that was covering me pulled away, leaving me completely dry. I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."

"Please," He said, "You can call me Blue."

A laugh rang out from behind and above me. I turned to see another man, about the same age. "What an original name, Blue. I bet you came up with that one yourself! Or maybe it was your girlfriend!" He was sitting where I had been only a few moments ago. His eyes and hair were gray, like the storm clouds above us.

Blue looked annoyed by this stranger's sudden appearance. "I bet you couldn't have come up with any better, Cloud. And no, for the record,  Spring did not make the name. I did." I was getting amused with all of their banter, and I couldn't conceal a smirk.

"Whatever," the man Blue called 'Cloud' said. "I see you like playing hero, as I had assumed you would. That girl there wouldn't have stood a chance if it weren't for you. Why save a little mortal anyways? She's no different from the rest."

"No, she wouldn't have. And she could also do without you pushing her off of a 30 foot cliff, too!" Blue shouted back, exasperated. I myself was getting a little tired of being ignored. "And I saved her because she's a person too, y'know! Humans are fragile, Cloud, for Gods' sake!"

"She has a name, you know." I said, crossing my arms. They both looked at me as if they had forgotten I was there, despite arguing over me just moments ago. I puzzled over just who these people were, becoming confused by their banter.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You always spend time near us, and I don't even know your name." Blue said. I don't know what he meant be 'us', but I'm assuming he either meant him and Cloud or him and. . .someone else. I'm in no position to be questioning someone who just saved my life.

"It's Marina," I replied. It was almost funny, my name, considering my passion for the waves. Blue smiled at me as I offered my name, and I once more became entranced with our nearly identical eyes.

"Well, Marina, it's nice to finally meet you in person." He said, his eyes sparkling. It was like when the sun sparkled on the waves in the morning. I really was mesmerized by his eyes, despite me looking into them when I looked in the mirror every morning. We sat for a minute. He'd probably realized we had the same eyes, and he was questioning it.

"Uh, hellllloooooo???? Are you guys gonna just sit there forever, or are you gonna do something?" Cloud said, standing up on the cliff. I snapped out of it, but then frowned when I remembered something.

"My sketchbook -" I said, searching around for it as my heart sank. "Oh, no. No. That had all of my drawings in it. Damn it." I took in a shaky breath and winced, imagining everything that'd been in the now lost sketchbook. So much work just gone down the drain...Blue looked somewhat upset by my reaction to the lost art.

"Sorry about the book," He said, but I only shook my head. I was upset - more than that, really - but it wasn't necessarily his fault.

"No, no, you're fine. It's okay, it's not your fault. Far from it, really. I can't thank you enough for saving me." I stood up, unsure of how steady the water was. I saw Cloud back up on the cliff.

"How about by coming back to visit sometimes?" Blue proposed, seeming to like having company. I nodded, smiling.

"I would always come back. The Ocean is too beautiful not to, really." I smiled and shook his hand. "It was nice meeting you, Blue. I have to go now, though, so could you help me get back up there?" I pointed up to the cliff where I had been sitting.

He nodded. "Sure. Here."

The water under my feet rose, and I almost lost my balance, but I righted it as I reached the top. I walked off of it onto the cliff and I turned around to give Blue a thumbs up. I smiled and waved goodbye as I turned back around. I saw Cloud standing off to the side, in my way for when I went home. I picked up my backpack, which was a lot lighter without the sketchbook in it. I was still upset over the lost art, but I could always just buy another one later.

I walked off towards my house which wasn't too far away from my drawing spot. I made sure to bump into Cloud's shoulder as I walked past. I only heard him snicker as I walked away.

(So that's gonna be the first part of this story ^-^ let me know if you'd like to see more in the future. Comments and/or votes are appreciated, but not necessary ^^)