Shorties

The Sea in July

The sea in July

July’s late evening brought a warm summer breeze to dance with Cindy’s thin but long hair and made the soft sand swirl between her toes. Small waves were hitting the wooden boards of the bridge that led to the big ship. The sea was calling — the waves reaching for her as they rolled up the sand, as if they were trying to lure her in a welcoming embrace that would wash away her sins.

  The woman, Cindy, was in her mid thirties. The years were seemingly visible in the soft wrinkles around her mouth. Standing in an upright posture, she waited patiently for her friends in crime to show up. As the sun was going down, her eyes glistened in a wise-like, determined look.

  It was getting late. She shot a quick, discreet glance over her shoulder as the nerves was starting to tease her. They should be done by now, she thought to herself leisurely, not letting the agitation get the best of her. From around the corner she could barely make out the shadows of three men, moving hastily, but in silence, towards her. As the distance between them were closing, she could hear a slight exchange of hissing between her comrades — probably the words of idle argumentation which had become more frequent between them lately. One of the three men nudged her shoulder. “Yo”

  “Took you long enough”, she retorted without turning around to face them. They lined up next to her in a composed manner, beholding the horizon that outlined the vast expanse before them.

   “The boat is about to leave. We should hurry.”

   “It’s a ship, Gray. Not a boat. How many times do I need to tell you? Geez…” Samuel let out a frustrated sigh.

   As usual, he was getting annoyed over minor things. Cindy rest her hand on his shoulder. “Relax. Keep in mind: he’s just a boy. Anyways, he’s right. We should get on the ship before it’s too late. We can’t stay here another day.” She hesitated before quietly adding “It’s too risky.”

   He nodded his head in agreement before taking a couple of steps towards the ship — an attempt at demonstrating his manliness, taking the lead. He turned around. “Let’s go”.

As the sun was rising, the sea lay in peace. A young woman was floating on the surface of the deep, dark water. July’s early morning brought a cold breeze to dance with her corpse. It caressed her cold and wet skin. There were no waves. There was no ship - nor was there a boat. The only thing that was visible on the sea was a woman. The wrinkles in her face showed that she was in her mid-thirties. One single, small wave rolled across the sea. When reaching the woman, it washed away her sins. Then the sea became still once more.

   The woman’s eyes were closed. Laying in the water, she looked rather relaxed — like she was waiting patiently for her friends to show up. As the sun rose, the rays lit up her resting face. A face of remorse.  

   No one had came.