the lone surfer…unfinished…part two

16 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment

by nooshk in stories Tags: sea, surf, writing

I wander along the road that backs onto the dunes, and then the sea, below them. Occasionally I pause to take in the view; it still really takes my breath away. This small town that sits on the edge of the peninsula really at times feels like the end of the world, maybe some day I will walk towards the horizon, and see if I just don’t walk right over the edge.  The main street flanked on both sides by shops, cafes, restaurants and bookstores, there are lots of bookstores, leads directly onto a wide jetty. Boats are moored either side, just fishing boats really and dinghies, no real big yachts or anything, guess they are saving those for the marina some ten miles further round the bay. And then at the end of the jetty, there it is, the ocean. This great expanse of blue green water which sparkles when the sun hits it and pulses and rises and turns like it has a mind of its own, I think it does. I had never seen the sea before, only on films and on television. Nothing prepares you for it; it has the power to take life, not just one life but also many. It has the strength to wipe out whole villages, towns, and provinces. It is totally massive, yet at times it doesn’t really make a sound. As I make a right turn to leave the sea and the dunes, I feel as ever, that before I turn away I need to check on it one last time. So I do, I stand and survey the sea, the ocean, once more. I take in big gulps of fresh air, and feeling strengthened I turn my back on it until tomorrow.

 I walk up the main street with the sea behind me and dodge early morning holidaymakers out to pick up breakfast. They are all the colour of lobster, as if the sun surprised then by coming out from behind the clouds. They carry newspapers and bags of pastries, the grease staining the paper, and coffee, carry out cartons of hot, fresh, strong coffee. Some sit on the chairs of pavement cafes, they all look slightly stunned, as if they are not totally sure how they ended up here, in this little town by the edge of the sea. I notice a couple, they look like newly weds, they are holding hands, she is gazing up at him, he looks as if he can’t quite believe his luck. They are trying to decide where to eat. I am walking quite quickly and pause to catch my breath, they settle on a café near where am I standing, I hear her ask him if he will share the pancakes with her. I turn away and continue up the street, the further you go, the shops and cafes peter out and it becomes more residential. I take a left, then a right and another left, and there it is, home. I push open the front door, left on the latch, and kick my shoes off. As I walk through the house, I notice how cool it is and savour the feeling as it hits my already warmed skin. My bed is at the back, I throw open the window, close the curtains and climb in. I pull the cotton sheets over my head and pray for sleep to wash over me, and relieve me from this present world I inhabit. Take me back I think, back to the past. And then I feel the tug and my eyes shut and I fall, backwards.

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