Slowly setting one foot down in front of the other, she strode along the
empty beach with renewed tranquility and repose. Almost as quickly as her
feet were imprinted with each step into the cool, white sand, the tide
would wash her marks away. It was as if the ocean moved solely for its
partner, the sand; with each step, each blemish, the tide rose up to revive
the beach's delicate and perfect exterior. The beach, in turn, stretched
her wide arms as far around the waves as she could, holding the water as if
to say "This is where you belong," but never fully able to contain its
intensity on her own.
So the beach sat content with the waves lapping up against her, the tide ever returning to her to give her strength; protecting the sparkling sands from the vicious rays of the sun and imprints of those who have been blessed by its gentle touch.
Gulls squawked overhead and the breeze rolled playfully through the trees, soon whirling through and tangling itself in Aria's long, dark-chocolate colored hair. She stopped and turned upwind, allowing the air to comb her hair backward so she could wrap it up loosely in a hair binder. She looked out at the turquoise sea and sighed deeply, knowing she'd found her place on this earth. The sands of Puerto Plata the Dominican Republic felt serene and so very surreal. "la Republica Dominicana. . ." she repeated to herself. She enjoyed the way Spanish rolled from her tongue. While she'd learned quite a bit of Spanish in high school she had forgotten the vast majority of it. After spending a few days on this island and listening to the locals, she wondered why she'd ever let that knowledge go.
She sat at the edge of the tide, allowing the salty water to rise around her as it did the beach; she'd gone out there to be alone, to think and organize the untamed thoughts in her head. For once, though, she couldn't find a single thought worth a moment's passing. A vacation it was. This part of the island made it difficult for her to remember that it was a family vacation she was on. Thoughts of her parents and younger brothers scampered through her head but only fleetingly. They were probably back at the resort, wondering where she was; if they were even back by that time.
Extending her long, slender legs, she lie down onto the soft beach and let her deep brown eyes slide shut. For once she could see nothing behind her eyelids but visions of the ocean illuminated by a magnificent sunset.
The waves crept up around her restlessly, splashing lightly onto her tanned skin. She awoke to water dripping from her face from a fresh wave. It seemed the tide was looking out for her, also. Darkness became the place she was in and the moonlight illuminated her path. Knowing it was probably late, she began moving in the direction from which she had come.
As she neared the resort she noticed a small boat that had been pulled up onto the beach. She didn't recall seeing it there the first time she'd passed but made a point to remember that it was there. Upon arrival to her suite, her mother, Carol, rushed toward her with a concerned expression. "Aria! Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for hours!"
Aria sighed and looked at her mother. "I just fell asleep on the beach, is all. Sorry, Mom. I was just really tired from all the sun."
Carol ran a weary hand nervously through her short, chestnut hair and wrinkled her brow. "It's fine, we were just a little worried. We went to dinner without you. I don't think you really missed anything but if you're hungry, you're on your own." Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked her daughter's long, slender body up and down. "You are definitely your father's child," she chuckled, "it's amazing you haven't gotten sunburned at all yet. Keep it up and you'll be as dark as your grandma by the time we get back to Minnesota."
Aria also chuckled at this. Her dad's mother was a full-blooded Oglala Sioux. The blood that ran through her veins held much representation but the Sioux in her shone through her dark eyes, rich skin and her spirit. Her ideals, on the other hand, leaned more toward the Bohemian in her. Art, music, love. . .all things she kept so dear to her heart. It was her ideals she held so deeply inside that no one could shake, for her center was so deeply embedded into all that she was.
Still sleepy, she kissed her mother goodnight, slipped into her suite and quickly dozed off. In the depths of her slumber she dreamt of the ocean; even in her dreams her place was along the beach.
When morning came, she awoke with an energy that surprised even her. For so long she'd submitted to a tranquil, underlying energy but today there was a viciousness, a yearning creeping through her veins, a pulsing she couldn't ignore. She showered and dressed in a clean bikini and black Anthropologie capris, fixed a bag with various items she planned on using at some point during her day, and bounded down to the beach.
It seemed that the days in Puerto Plata were all exactly the same. Every day of her stay the sky had been clear and bright, the rays of the sun warm and welcoming. The ocean lapped onto the shore with the same tranquility as it had the day before. The breeze was more slight, however. Aria began walking the same path she'd taken previously, hoping to find the boat still there. After an hours' walk she came upon what she'd been searching for. The boat was still there and appeared untouched.
Although her conscience had been dreading this, Aria's adventurous side pushed the boat just a tad closer to the tide and helped her hop in. She was not as far from the resort as she had been yesterday, but she was far enough. The boat may belong to someone but what was the worst that could happen? They'd tell her to get out of their boat? She smugly set her canvas bag down, tied it into the boat and stretched out on her back inside the boat, looking up at the sky and enjoying a clear mind.
Her eyes soon drifted shut and dreams once again began to overtake her thoughts. The waves gently rocked the boat, sending her into a deep, unshakeable sleep.
The tide soon became stronger and more turbulent, breaking the small boat loose of the beach and carrying it along with its current. A strange haze colored the sky and a vast expanse of clouds appeared ominously over the ocean. Aria woke with a start as lightening crashed and sheets of rain cascaded down over her, tossing her little boat into the deep abyss, farther and farther from shore. The wind had begun to gust and she could hardly see beyond her boat. Her mind flew into a frenzy and she panicked.
She cursed herself for falling asleep and letting her guard down. Not knowing what else to do and fearing that she'd be dead in a matter of minutes, she threw herself down onto the floor of the boat and held as tightly as she could. She could see nothing; she could hear nothing over the roar of the rain and the clapping thunder; the lightening illuminated only the rain pouring down around her. The dark, angry waves threw her tiny boat about, swallowing it up only to spit it back out again. She tried to hold tight to the boards, clenching her eyes shut, fear clouding her head; the strength of the storm was too much. She flung around inside, praying the boat would keep its composure. Soon, though, her tiny vessel struck a rock and threw her from her hold.
The cloud of fear in her head was quickly overtaken by darkness.
So the beach sat content with the waves lapping up against her, the tide ever returning to her to give her strength; protecting the sparkling sands from the vicious rays of the sun and imprints of those who have been blessed by its gentle touch.
Gulls squawked overhead and the breeze rolled playfully through the trees, soon whirling through and tangling itself in Aria's long, dark-chocolate colored hair. She stopped and turned upwind, allowing the air to comb her hair backward so she could wrap it up loosely in a hair binder. She looked out at the turquoise sea and sighed deeply, knowing she'd found her place on this earth. The sands of Puerto Plata the Dominican Republic felt serene and so very surreal. "la Republica Dominicana. . ." she repeated to herself. She enjoyed the way Spanish rolled from her tongue. While she'd learned quite a bit of Spanish in high school she had forgotten the vast majority of it. After spending a few days on this island and listening to the locals, she wondered why she'd ever let that knowledge go.
She sat at the edge of the tide, allowing the salty water to rise around her as it did the beach; she'd gone out there to be alone, to think and organize the untamed thoughts in her head. For once, though, she couldn't find a single thought worth a moment's passing. A vacation it was. This part of the island made it difficult for her to remember that it was a family vacation she was on. Thoughts of her parents and younger brothers scampered through her head but only fleetingly. They were probably back at the resort, wondering where she was; if they were even back by that time.
Extending her long, slender legs, she lie down onto the soft beach and let her deep brown eyes slide shut. For once she could see nothing behind her eyelids but visions of the ocean illuminated by a magnificent sunset.
The waves crept up around her restlessly, splashing lightly onto her tanned skin. She awoke to water dripping from her face from a fresh wave. It seemed the tide was looking out for her, also. Darkness became the place she was in and the moonlight illuminated her path. Knowing it was probably late, she began moving in the direction from which she had come.
As she neared the resort she noticed a small boat that had been pulled up onto the beach. She didn't recall seeing it there the first time she'd passed but made a point to remember that it was there. Upon arrival to her suite, her mother, Carol, rushed toward her with a concerned expression. "Aria! Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for hours!"
Aria sighed and looked at her mother. "I just fell asleep on the beach, is all. Sorry, Mom. I was just really tired from all the sun."
Carol ran a weary hand nervously through her short, chestnut hair and wrinkled her brow. "It's fine, we were just a little worried. We went to dinner without you. I don't think you really missed anything but if you're hungry, you're on your own." Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked her daughter's long, slender body up and down. "You are definitely your father's child," she chuckled, "it's amazing you haven't gotten sunburned at all yet. Keep it up and you'll be as dark as your grandma by the time we get back to Minnesota."
Aria also chuckled at this. Her dad's mother was a full-blooded Oglala Sioux. The blood that ran through her veins held much representation but the Sioux in her shone through her dark eyes, rich skin and her spirit. Her ideals, on the other hand, leaned more toward the Bohemian in her. Art, music, love. . .all things she kept so dear to her heart. It was her ideals she held so deeply inside that no one could shake, for her center was so deeply embedded into all that she was.
Still sleepy, she kissed her mother goodnight, slipped into her suite and quickly dozed off. In the depths of her slumber she dreamt of the ocean; even in her dreams her place was along the beach.
When morning came, she awoke with an energy that surprised even her. For so long she'd submitted to a tranquil, underlying energy but today there was a viciousness, a yearning creeping through her veins, a pulsing she couldn't ignore. She showered and dressed in a clean bikini and black Anthropologie capris, fixed a bag with various items she planned on using at some point during her day, and bounded down to the beach.
It seemed that the days in Puerto Plata were all exactly the same. Every day of her stay the sky had been clear and bright, the rays of the sun warm and welcoming. The ocean lapped onto the shore with the same tranquility as it had the day before. The breeze was more slight, however. Aria began walking the same path she'd taken previously, hoping to find the boat still there. After an hours' walk she came upon what she'd been searching for. The boat was still there and appeared untouched.
Although her conscience had been dreading this, Aria's adventurous side pushed the boat just a tad closer to the tide and helped her hop in. She was not as far from the resort as she had been yesterday, but she was far enough. The boat may belong to someone but what was the worst that could happen? They'd tell her to get out of their boat? She smugly set her canvas bag down, tied it into the boat and stretched out on her back inside the boat, looking up at the sky and enjoying a clear mind.
Her eyes soon drifted shut and dreams once again began to overtake her thoughts. The waves gently rocked the boat, sending her into a deep, unshakeable sleep.
The tide soon became stronger and more turbulent, breaking the small boat loose of the beach and carrying it along with its current. A strange haze colored the sky and a vast expanse of clouds appeared ominously over the ocean. Aria woke with a start as lightening crashed and sheets of rain cascaded down over her, tossing her little boat into the deep abyss, farther and farther from shore. The wind had begun to gust and she could hardly see beyond her boat. Her mind flew into a frenzy and she panicked.
She cursed herself for falling asleep and letting her guard down. Not knowing what else to do and fearing that she'd be dead in a matter of minutes, she threw herself down onto the floor of the boat and held as tightly as she could. She could see nothing; she could hear nothing over the roar of the rain and the clapping thunder; the lightening illuminated only the rain pouring down around her. The dark, angry waves threw her tiny boat about, swallowing it up only to spit it back out again. She tried to hold tight to the boards, clenching her eyes shut, fear clouding her head; the strength of the storm was too much. She flung around inside, praying the boat would keep its composure. Soon, though, her tiny vessel struck a rock and threw her from her hold.
The cloud of fear in her head was quickly overtaken by darkness.