by Jeremy Warach
Note: I published this briefly a few weeks ago, but I quickly unpublished it, since I was not happy with how it came out. I have reworked it and am republishing it now. I have not deleted the comments from my original publication, so if anyone reads those comments and finds any of them confusing, well, that may give you some insight as to the prior version of the story.
She strolled slowly along the beach. The water approached and lapped at her feet before retreating, erasing her footprints. Her sandals dangled loosely from her left hand. The cool evening breeze blew through her loose, sleeveless dress, raising goosebumps on her arms. She pulled out her headband and shook her head, letting her long, dark curls fly around her face.
She looked out over the ocean and smiled, seeing the moon's reflection in the water. The moon was full and lit the night. She could see for miles out over the water. It was vast and empty and desolate, like a desert. She tried to imagine being surrounded by that vastness, on a raft perhaps, with nothing but an infinity of water on all sides.
