CÉLIA.
location: lake side beach availability: open
She knows she should stay away—nothing good washes up on the shores here. Even the wildlife seems to stay away. When was the last time Célia saw a set of footprints in the sand that didn’t belong to her?
Despite the warnings, Célia can’t seem to stay away from the beach. It’s laughable, how utterly landlocked the town is even with these flowing waters as a border. She dreamed of building a boat big enough for just her and the family dog when she was young, and sailing far, far away from here.
Obviously, that never happened. She’s propped up in the sand, ways away from the moving shoreline, picking up handfuls of earth and letting it slip through her fingers. This is the closest she’ll ever be to a real beach. It’s a shame; the pictures in the magazines and books all seem so beautiful.
❂⍟❂⍟❂
There was no reason to go to the beach, none at all. That was what Laura kept telling herself in the past five months, ever since her grandma disappeared, and still she kept showing up, she kept checking. To make sure nobody was here. Or, well, nobody who wasn’t alive.
The beach usually was empty, though there were people sometimes showing up for similar reasons, or just because they were curious or simply didn’t care.
She wasn’t alone this time, but Célia was lying down in the sand and understandably, Laura was distracted. She only noticed the other woman once she got so close it was impossible not to. “Oh you’re-- hi, you’re here. Sorry, didn’t mean to be a bother or anything. I can-- I can just leave.” And yet she didn’t. She just stood there, staring over the beach.
The empty beach, as it should be. Because there was absolutely nobody she feared would show up there.














