I was engaged in the most perfectus of elements; the ocean sliding against the sand with its liquid hands as if it was massaging each and every grain. The salt of the sea twirled into a seemingly never ending tempestuous dance until it relaxed upon the surface of my skin. The air was astringently sweet in the heat of july days, never stayed to keep me tame. And here i was. All I had to do was experience it. All i had to do was take in the sights and sounds All i had to do was exist here.
Its a funny thing, these feelings. I don't remember them at all. Or rather, I shouldn't remember them. I can't even recall the place i'm in, but its nice. I open my eyes and scan the area to see naught but an empty strip of sand and water. Gradually but surely, the sand seemed to get hotter beneath my feet. I didn't envision the beach being this hot in July, nor the salt on the wind being so rough and felt compared to what it was a few moments ago. Whatever tranquil lining i had found was slowly diminishing as I began to notice something was unbalanced. I looked to the skies, only to see that the rays of the sun had faded behind the foreboding clouds that came fast upon me. My stomach was unsettled along with my heart. I didn't like this… this feeling. I wanted to get away from it.
I did little to notice the change in the water. No longer could i see its smaller inhabitants that dwelled towards the surface. Black marred the entire coast like an accidental oil spill. No.. it wasn't oil. Soot and ashes were the element that pooled around my ankles; and it was hot. The contaminated water was hot! Every bone in my body pushed themselves back to escape the now steaming water. My first instinct is to find the rest of my family to tell them what's going on. I push myself towards the house a few feet away from me, now barely distinguishable from the smog that clouded my eyes. With every step my body grew hotter, my right side particularly feeling like it was blistering. With every instinctual notion for safety i sped towards the establishment only to be halted by the horrifying sight. The flames had gripped the wood in its grasp, crushing beams of every kind, tearing away the wallpaper in one fell stroke and the supports behind it.
Everything transitions so quickly here. My first initiative should have been to calm myself and get out with my family. Yet there I was, running frantically from room to room trying to seek them out before the house became my tomb. Alas i saw them…..
Standing upright, but unrecognized and diminished of any human normalities. Their skin was consumed by the fire, kept intact by the sinew and veins holding them together. Their eyes were melted beyond anything I could bear. I wanted to scream but my voice had been enthralled by the horror. Soon i could feel my own body being immolated. My entire being consumed by the flame. Was this a series of unfortunate events I welcomed or was it a vision of things to come? I couldn't get an answer out of myself. All i got was the ray of the evening sun illuminating the table I was sitting at and the tears that had soaked my half eaten sandwich.