I felt the sting of the uneven, rocky, rough pier piercing through the bottom of my white feet. Forging through the powerful wind, I could not turn back. I needed to get to the other side. Maybe things would be different there. Here, I was not okay. I was filled with built up pain and hurt, and the pressure was becoming too much to bare. I was one of the dark and heavy clouds that stretched across my entire view, full of moisture and ready to burst at any time. Faint rumbles of thunder traveled quietly through my ears, whispering what was to come.

I studied the waves. In the distance, it looked as if they were simply moseying forward. Once they got closer, they were barreling towards me like an ant in front of an oncoming truck. Just when I thought that I would be washed away by the powerful water, they were stopped by the steel pier. The sudden barrier that the waves encountered left them nowhere to go but up. What went up came down and the wave’s size left me no place to run. I was a dry petal from a flower right before the splashes of cool water hit my dry face.

As I continued on, my brown eyes examined the seagulls as they watched me. Although my steps were cautious and not intruding, the gulls didn’t allow me to get any closer. Small, white feathered wings lifted them airborne and they fled the area. Their instinct told them this was not a place to be. In the direction of the flow of the wind, they headed for shelter. Ignoring the warning signs, I could not stop moving forward. My pink toes were becoming numb to the pain. I inhaled a breath of an unexpected rotten stench. My eyes followed the smell, and I noticed a fresh skeleton of a fish. Its scales were scattered around, smearing out the scene of its death. I felt strangely sorry for it, and wondered what his life was like. He could have had a family, or friends. I knew that fish didn’t have the same feelings as people, but something must miss him. A strong gust of wind pulled my mind from the mourning of the fish. It whipped my hair around in circles, knotting it up, and shoved strands into my mouth and eyes. I tasted the leftover citrus scented shampoo on my hair and instantly spat it out. The wind was uplifting the waves, and everything was stirring. With the dark cerulean blue waves crashing around me and the dense gray clouds hanging above me, I felt as if I was in another world.

Alone with the water, I began to predict its actions. Instead of trying to escape the waves, I realized that I could work with them. I learned when to duck or jump out of the way. I understood them. The chaos of the oncoming storm and the chaos in my mind were in harmony, leading me to feel at peace. Through my squinting eyes, I noticed a bright yellow flash out in the horizon. After ten seconds, a vociferous boom bellowed through my ears. It startled my legs, and they sprang up in the air. I could not feel my feet when I abruptly slammed them back down. One by one, I felt raindrops hit my face. My freckled nose was busy taking all of the fresh scents that the rain was bringing out, like fresh oxygen in the moist air. My eyes became blurred and I wasn’t sure if it was from the rain or inside. I tasted the salt on my lip and confirmed its source. Tears gushed out as the rain poured down and watered my heart that had been dry for too long. I stood there, not fighting, not hiding, and not squinting. I let it flow through me and refresh my body. I had reached the other side.

The storm clouds lifted off me and floated away to rain somewhere else. I felt better and new. While I was wandering back I noticed that the wind and rain had brushed over the sand and erased my footprints, giving me a fresh start. A different light was shining on my head. I turned around to see a ray of sun stretching out towards me. I felt tingles of warmth climb throughout my body. I was the lake being warmed by the sun. Here, I was okay.