A memory is all she has.
Soon every moment will be nothing but a glimpse of the past.
As time elapses, edges will blur, wrinkles emerge, and colors fade. As she ages, things will change, people will disappear, and items will be lost. All she has is the comfort of her past.
Some memories may haunt her but others will bring her immense joy. When she closes her eyes at night all of her present worries will wane away and she will be left with one thing,
A memory.
As I move forward, the grains shift beneath my weight, embracing my feet in a warm welcoming embrace. The sand molds around my toes as I walk the shoreline. I look up and see a lake stretching as far as my eyes can see. The lapping of waves creates a rhythm akin to the beat of my heart.
I hear my sister laughing in the distance as she tosses a tennis ball with my brother. I look back and realize I have wandered off too far, so I begin the trek back to my family. As I am walking I look to my right and an ominous sight appears before my eyes.
At first glance, I am taken aback by the breathtaking blend of light and dark. The clouds—once wispy and cotton candy-like— begin to gather and thicken, taking on a shade of grey and charcoal.
My awe quickly turns into panic when I realize I can no longer hear the sounds of my family off in the distance. The air, once serene and still, now has a charged energy, a tangible tension that builds with each waking moment.
My eyes widen with fright with each passing second. I start to run and there is only one single thought pressing on my mind. “Where is my family?”
Finally, I catch a glimpse of my mom and sister running in my direction. The pounding in my chest eases the second I see their familiar faces. When they catch up to me the sky unleashes its full terror.
Small raindrops are released for a moment as if the heavens are sending a warning of the terror yet to unfold. The sky opens up and water pours out of the sky and pelts my back. I look over at my sister and we start laughing with delight as the rain splatters across our faces.
The rain begins to pelt down on us harder and faster with each passing second. We start to run. My feet hit the ground hard with each step and my legs move faster than I ever knew they could. We reach the top of the sand dune and I look down. There it is. Finally. Our pop-up waits for us. It is ready to be filled with sopping wet bodies; it is prepared to warm up our frozen limbs.
I race down the dune, my mom and sister only a few steps behind me. When I reach the pop-up my hands scramble to open the door. Finally, after a few attempts the old finicky door opens, and we scramble in.
The room quickly fills with laughter over our adventure, and my mom begins to pass out Twizzlers for us to snack on. I snuggle up next to my sister and begin to munch on the red sticks mindlessly as I reminisce over the moments in the past. And then that is all it becomes.
A memory.
A single fleeting moment in the past; one that can never be relived but only replayed in her mind. She wishes she could go back to that moment in time; all she can do is close her eyes and remember what once was.
The moment is gone, and now all she is left with is the comfort of a memory.
