She crouches over in the sand, picking up a sea shell that had caught her attention, running up the beach as the tide comes to sweep her away. Her face is filled with such glee and her long curls bounce as she laughs. Her hair, the beautiful golden hair I had come to know so well, she now had. Once again she bends down and reaches her small hand to pick up a shimmering rock that found it's way onto the shore. Curiosity fills her eyes as she inspects it, holding it up to the sun. Surely that fire and inquisitiveness in her eyes had also been acquired as she grew into the woman I had known so well. She has her spirit. Her smile is as broad as ever enlightening her whole face with her eyes sparkling. Her beautiful hazel eyes. The beautiful hazel eyes I had hoped she would not inherit. The beautiful hazel eyes that remind me of times long past. Only seven years of age and already a proven beauty by nature and appearance. But of course Elizabeth's child be nothing less of a beauty, as I had known from the moment my eyes met hers. She swiftly made her way to the water's edge using the same charm and grace her mother had once pursued. Lifting her dress so the hem would not ruin, she stepped barefoot into the water and let the natural sea cool her off. I stared at her for a long time, watching her. The dainty little figure in the water was my daughter, the daughter I was raising on my own.
Suddenly she turned towards me and waved.
Her eyes flickered for a moment, showing me a woman I hadn't seen in awhile.
And I knew who I saw through those hazel eyes. Elizabeth.
Perhaps I wasn't raising my daughter all on my own.