She hadn't been to the ocean in a very long time.  The immense expanse met her like a long-awaited lover.  She walked right up to the lapping waves, eager to wade in.  The rhythm of the tide felt right.  The air was open and filled her lungs as if they had been built to be filled with the salty air.  The sand felt good under her feet.  She squished her toes in deeply to feel One with the sand. The waves kept coming in higher and she kept meeting them, going deeper in.  She wanted to go on forever, ever toward the water-filled horizon.

But the waves pushed her back and the under-toe sucked at her thighs.  Suddenly she remembered all her fears.  The fear of being knocked down and swallowed up.  She wanted so badly to be completely up-rooted, to ride atop the waves.  She wanted to be One with the water, yet to breathe the air.

So she played with the waves, running in to meet them, then running backwards to escape the under-toe.  She did this for hours while the sun kissed her skin a sweet, golden pink.

(to be continued)