The Empty Beach

Pearl stood on the beach, letting the wind from offshore blow warm on her face. Tilting her head back, eyes closed, she searched for the familiar scent of saltwater and seaweed of her youth- but found nothing. The air was scentless, lifeless.

She opened her eyes and scanned the beach, seeking sight of the elegant bullwhip kelp she had played with as a child- and saw nothing but pristine clear water, as far as she could see. She remembered her grandmother pickling it, and her father showing children how it could be used like a whip, or dried and shaped into gourds to carry treasures in, and she wondered if any of the children on the beach now even knew of its existence. The beach, too, was pristine, perfect for the hundreds of families who sat on the beach, sunbathing, building sandcastles, playing catch, a few enjoying a picnic, but most of the adults focused on the phones they held in their hands. Her eyes scanned past the adults to watch children playing at the shoreline, or swimming out on rafts and water boards, children wearing water-wings and splashing happily while a few parents laughed and encouraged them to go deeper, swim, play…

To read the rest of this story, see link to The Twilight Mirror and the New Dawn by Jordan Amar

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