Ocean Eyes || Freminet

1

I met a boy in the summer.

In the small, coastal town that I called my home. A place where the ocean tenderly kissed the shore and the air smelled constantly of salt and the sea.

Gray-blue eyes, freckled skin, and pale blonde hair.

He was the ocean—vast, mysterious, and beautifully unique. And I, I was the sand—constant, monotonous, and forever shaped by the waves of the past.

The sun was just beginning to rise, casting long shadows on the sandy beach. I was there, as always, standing at the edge of the water, my heart pounding in my chest as I contemplated stepping into the vast unknown.

He was there too, as he often was, although I didn't know it yet. 

A silent figure that haunted the waters, his presence as constant as the push and pull of the tides. His eyes were like the ocean, deep and full of hidden secrets. I had never heard him speak, and he was rarely seen on land. His whole existence seemed to be intertwined with the rhythm of the waves and I wondered at times if he was really human.

With each step I took along the shore, I tried to steady my racing heart. The sound of the waves, that once terrified me as a child, was now a rhythm I was learning to understand. Or at least, I was trying to. 

It was difficult. 

My fears ran deep, like the ocean itself, and it was a long journey to overcome them.

That day, like many days before, I stepped into the water. Just a few inches, but it was progress. 

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to sync my heartbeat with the flow of the tides.

Inhale.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Exhale. 

One. Two. Three-

A wave, larger than the rest, rolled in. It crashed onto the shore, the icy water lapping over my feet and soaking the hem of my dress.

I screamed and stumbled backwards, tripping over the sand and falling onto the wet ground. Panic surged through me as I frantically looked around, my eyes wide and my heart racing.

My breaths came in short, sharp gasps as I tried to regain control. The ocean, once again, had reminded me that it held power beyond my comprehension. I decided not to disturb it any further, for fear it might decide to swallow me whole.

I sat there, soaked and shivering, hugging my knees to my chest, swaying myself gently back and forth.

The memories came flooding back. The desperate struggle to stay afloat, the chilling feeling of water filling my lungs, the darkness closing in. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness and terror as the ocean tried to take my life.

But just as the tide recedes, so did the panic. The sound of a light splash in the waves pulled me back to the present. I glanced up, blinking away the tears, and noticed a small mechanical penguin figurine lying next to me on the sand.

Its eyes, two blue dots, were kind, and its beak seemed to form a gentle smile. I reached out a hand and touched it gently, my trembling fingers running along the smooth metal surface.

With the small mechanical penguin clutched tightly in my hand, I slowly rose to my feet.

I looked out towards the ocean, squinting against the bright morning sun reflecting off the water. That's when I noticed the ripples, spreading out from where I had heard the splash.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice carried away by the sea breeze. There was no response, just the sound of the waves lapping against the shore and the distant cries of seagulls.

I looked down at the penguin in my hand, its kind blue eyes seeming to sparkle in the sunlight. "Who left you here?" I asked, more to myself than anyone else.

But the ocean kept its secrets, the waves rolling in and out in a rhythm that felt almost like a soft shrug. Whoever had left the figurine was gone, swallowed by the vastness of the sea.

I began to walk back up the beach when I heard a faint splashing noise behind me. I turned, but saw only the water, sparkling in the morning sunlight.

It was only later that I realized I hadn't been scared. 

I probably should have been, considering I didn't know who or what had left the penguin. Whose eyes had looked at me with kindness. But instead, I had felt a sense of peace and safety.

Like somehow, somewhere, I was not alone.

"Thank you!" I shouted suddenly, my voice echoing over the empty beach. I didn't know if they could hear me, or if they were even there, but it felt right to acknowledge their act of kindness.

With the mechanical penguin still clutched in my hand, I turned away from the ocean and began the walk back to town, a small smile forming on my lips.

Tomorrow, I'd make it a little deeper into the sea.

Maybe, if the ocean willed it, I would find whoever left the penguin.

And perhaps, with time, I would no longer be afraid.

But until then, I'd remember the kindness of the stranger, a silent figure who haunted the waters.