Tides

The sea glistened on the pebbles, then washed them with foam, then left them, and washed them again, ad infinitum. It was soothing, watching, hearing the rhythmic sounds of the beach. The beach was one of her happy places, a place where she could go when she was feeling sad, overwhelmed, void of value and to somehow find a tiny bit of peace.

 

 

 

There she sat, sometimes on her phone, sometimes just looking at the waves, or out at sea. Sometimes watching the birds. Occasionally enjoying a happy dog run by with their owner. Dogs, like her, found the beach a happy place to be. So many interesting smells, and the wind, there was always the wind wiping the slate clean.

 

 

 

After a while it was time to eat, she was irritated by her body’s incessant need for fuel. There was the need to find and choose healthy options and when out and about, not near her home kitchen these were much harder to find. Sometimes she ignored what she knew her body needed and instead fed her soul the food which brought her instant joy, rather than the delayed benefits of good health in her body. Today was a day that she was clear and confident on choosing healthy options. Because today she was at the beach. Today she was in her happy place. Her heart filled with nostalgia of happy times gone by. Her mind filled with hopes of what the future would bring. Not that the future ever brought her anything, in her mind she grumbled about always having to work hard for all the good experiences she’d had. Nothing had ever been handed to her on a plate.

 

 

She made her way back to her car and drove to the village, towards the cluster of cafes, pubs, fast food outlets and knick knackery shops to find some nourishing food.

 

The closer she got the higher the numbers of people there were. She shuddered internally, a response to her dislike of people, them being her primary cause of discomfort and pain throughout her entire life. But there was something different about their movements on this particular day. They all were either standing looking towards the sea (up the lanes between the buildings) or walking towards it. She pulled over and watched. As they came out of buildings they all seemed to become mesmerised by the sea. Even the dogs were affected, by what she had no clue, but they changed from bouncy happy tail wagginess to staring at the sea, as if perhaps they’d become mesmerised, having noticed some kind of prey?

 

 

 

As her gaze too turned to the sea she noticed the normal rhythmic pulsation of the waves but also that they were further away than she expected. The tide must be out, she pondered.

 

 

 

She stayed, sat in her car and continued to watch, more and more of the people standing at the edge of the beach watching what she too was watching. The sea was edging further and further out, just like it did every day, the rhythmic pulsing of the waves flowing either further in or out, depending on the tides.

 

 

 

This was different though, although initially she hadn’t realised. Could these people have noticed something she had not seen? What was the allure pulling their attention undividedly?

 

 

 

Further out into the sea she noticed seals playing, popping up for air turning, spinning in the water, but after a short while they seemed much much further from the land. The tides were doing something different today. But how could they? They’re tides, the tides do the exact same thing (with a few varying parameters) every day, what and how could they be doing something different today?

 

 

 

Then she gazed up and noticed the moon, it was larger than she’d ever seen it. Larger than it realistically could ever have been. But there it was, 100x times larger than she’d ever seen it, especially during the day when it was usually smaller!! The dogs began barking up at the moon, perhaps they thought it was a new type of beach ball to play with? The people though remained distracted. Slowly, one by one they began walking towards the sea. They should have been in the sea pretty quickly, but instead they were walking on the sea bed, filled with seaweed and whelks and mussels on the rocks. She expected them to stop when they finally got to the sea but it seemed like they couldn’t actually reach it, as if the sea was teasing them, come play with me, but then slowly going backwards so they couldn’t.

 

 

 

She was confused, what on earth was happening? This wasn’t how the earth she knew operated! Had there been a malfunction? She turned the radio on wondering if perhaps something was on the news about the strange tides. It was just music. So she googled…there were some articles stating the moon would be larger today than any other day, but they didn’t say why. And it didn’t mention that the sea would be several miles further out at low tide! The people kept walking towards it, slowly methodically stepping their way carefully over the slippery seaweed, occasionally getting their feet wet in rock pools that the sea had left behind. This didn’t stop them steadfastly moving towards the sea though.

 

 

 

Then on the horizon she saw silhouettes emerging from the sea, walking in the same steadfast manner, except they were walking from the sea towards the 30-40 people walking out towards them. Stranger than fiction she thought. Then, she wondered, did I smoke too much weed? Nope, haven’t had any at all yet today, she thought, which she realised was not reassuring.

 

 

 

The strange silhouettes continued towards the people, slowly, calmly, one of the bent down to greet a dog who had run out further than its owner. The dog looked happy to greet them. Gradually they got closer to the humans, and as each reached a human they stopped, opened whatever they had for arms, offering a hug. Each of the humans was hugged by a sea creature of some kind, just too far away for her to see exactly what. The hugs lasted several minutes then they stepped back and slowly turned once more to the sea and began walking back into it. The people stood and watched as they returned to the sea, until they realised their feet were wet as the tide was once more coming back in. Once they realised they just walked back to the sea village, just like they were out for a normal stroll on the beach. All of this had happened in less than half an hour.

 

 

 

She couldn’t believe what her eyes had seen, yet it was exactly what she’d seen. The moon suddenly seemed smaller again, although not as small as she’d expect in mid afternoon! And the people wandered back up to the village and went about their business, not even noticing, or maybe just not minding that their feet were soaked through.

 

 

 

The expressions on their faces did not show what a spectacular experience they’d just had, but they did seem calm and happy, filled with quiet joy.

 

 

 

She shook her head, hoping somehow she might shake her brain cells into making this make any sense at all. Dear reader, the head shaking did not work. She began wondering if she’d hallucinated the whole thing. But everything was normal again, there was literally nothing to see except a normal shoreline next to a traditional seaside village.

 

 

 

She must have sat for another ten minutes after the people returned trying somehow to make sense or come up with ideas of what she’d actually witnessed, but nothing made sense.

 

 

 

Well, I’m still hungry she thought, better feed my body. So she walked towards the fish and chip bar that advertised gluten free batter and ordered gluten free cod and peas. She asked the person serving her, “do you get strange tides like today often?”

 

“What strange tides?” she enquired lazily.

 

“Oh I just thought it was very far out, and people walked out miles”

 

“Well the village is called Faroutosea. There are myths but nothing of any interest ever happens here” she said, halting the conversation by returning to cook more fish.

 

 

 

She brought her fish to sit on the concrete blocks at the back so she could gaze out once more to sea. The moon was at its normal height and size and people wandered along the shore as they usually did.

 

 

 

But something was different inside her, she was lighter, calmer, filled with quiet joy. She felt happy, happier than she had in years, even though she had no idea whether she’d witnessed what she thought she had, or whether it was a vivid daydream.

 

 

 

She began driving back to the city, focused on the things she now knew would make her happy. Focusing on decisions to make and things to do.

 

 

Charlie Martin Author & Artist