Chapter 5: The Beach

Fraser's eyes were hit by the sun, partially blinding him, as the two vacationers paced out of their resort and into the street laden with palm trees. The Mountie tried not to squint.

Ray, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber. He fit in the scene perfectly.

The two were going to check out Ocean Drive, one of the most popular spots for dining, clubbing, and beautiful people.

"Sweating there, Benny?" Ray asked, amused.

"The brightness of the sun is a little overwhelming. Although in the north, the sun reflects quite greatly off of the snow-" Fraser started to inquire.

"Hey. No mention of snow, alright!" Ray frowned.

"Understood."

Ray then broke back into a smile as he gazed around. It was in the middle of the afternoon when they finally turned a corner onto Ocean Drive. He could see a photo shoot taking place with a beautiful, tanned model in a white swimsuit.

As they came closer, Ray put an arm out to stop the Mountie and proceeded to shush him.

Fraser looked at him quizzically, but turned his gaze ahead.

The photographer was encouraging the woman as he snapped photos. Not too many others had gathered to watch, Fraser noticed. They must see this kind of thing all the time.

The Detective then signaled to Fraser that they could continue walking, as they were meticulous in their maneuver around the photo shoot.

"What a sight."

"It was quite interesting," Fraser put in.

Silence fell over them as they checked out the rest of the scene.

"Hey Benny, wanna hit the beach?"

"Sure, Ray. I'd like to see the Atlantic."

The Mountie kept up with Ray's pace when they ultimately hit the sand, crossing over from Ocean Drive.

There was an average amount of people spread among the area, mostly those in their 20's looking for some social fun.

The ocean was a bright, crisp blue as it lapped up onto the shore. The sand was a natural ivory colour with few sea shells. A breeze went by.

"I can't remember the last time I saw the ocean," Ray sighed.

The Mountie went deep into thought. "I suppose this is my first sighting of it."

The Detective's eyebrows went up, followed by an understanding look. "Oh yeah. The Northwest must only have lakes or something."

"Well, it was very landlocked," Fraser responded.

They rented a couple of beach chairs and positioned themselves right in the middle of the beach. There wasn't any talking, for they had a silent understanding that Ray just needed to rest and relax.

Ray closed his eyes, taking the sounds of the beach and the ocean all in. A couple minutes later, he dozed off.

Dream Sequence

Ray awoke to see he was sitting in an empty room, except for four walls (no doors) and the chair he was sitting on. The room was 8 foot by 8 foot, and there was just enough visible light to look around, despite the fact that Ray had no idea where the source of the light was coming.

Although Ray was confused, he also was hit with familiarity at the pit of his stomach, as if he'd been here this whole time.

The Detective closed his eyes tightly, and then opened them again to see if he was observing correctly. Yup, he was definitely in this mystery room.

He looked down and noticed that he was in black clothes. Well, this is predictable, he thought sarcastically.

Feeling another presence, Ray suddenly looked up. Out of the shadows, a figure slowly approached him, but kept its distance.

As the light finally hit the figure, Ray realized it was the Mountie. Except he looked quite different from himself, clad out in dark blue clothes.

The Detective rolled his eyes. Wasn't Fraser suppose to be wearing white or something?

"I'd suggest you listen to me."

Ray started at the sudden statement. He finally made eye contact and realized that the Mountie kind of had a towering presence. Oh yeah...that's right. Ray was sitting down. But he couldn't bring himself to stand.

"You better-" the Mountie started to say, but was cut off by a similar voice that was echoing.

"Wake up…wake up…wake up…"

End Dream Sequence

"Wake up, Ray," Fraser gently shook the Detective.

"Huh?" Ray's eyes slowly fluttered opened. He looked up to see the Mountie hovering over him. The shock of the dream hit him, remembering that the Canadian was a part of it. "Ahhh!"

Fraser, confused, jumped back. "What is it?"

The Detective shook his head and placed a hand on it. "Weird dream," he mumbled.

"Must have been. You were murmuring something while you were sleeping. I couldn't understand it."

Ray didn't respond. He was still trying to sort everything out. There goes his peaceful nap.

"Why don't we go to dinner?" Fraser suggested.

"Gladly," Ray muttered.

Side note: This dream idea just came to me! I would have titled this chapter "The Dream", but I didn't want to give it away upfront.