Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Device

        Ever since Max had moved to South Carolina ten years ago, he had fell in love with the beach only miles from his front doorstep.   He belonged there.  The ocean called to him.    Even when no one else ventured to the beach, he was there.  During storms, he would go suited up in rain gear to take pictures and watch nature’s fury first hand.  It was there that he could forget for a moment that Beth was gone from his life forever.  It was also where he allowed his heart to remember her and ultimately mourn his loss.  It had been years since the hurricane’s humongous waves had carried her away and drowned her.  He had wanted to photograph the hurricane’s fury first hand.  When everyone had evacuated to safety, he had convinced Beth to stay and see it with him.  How ironic that the place where he found her would ultimately be the place he lost her as well.


       He scoured the beach for the treasure that would wash up on shore with the tide.  He was never quite sure what he was searching for, but in the deepest depths of his heart he felt empty and knew he had never found it.  Instead, he had a vast collection of colorful beach glass, fragments of seashells, and driftwood that he had collected over the years.   Unfortunately, all the beach glass, shells, and driftwood in the world wouldn’t bring back his precious Beth. His guilt had ate at him ever since.


      One bright April morning he headed to the beach like any other for another leisurely stroll where he always ended up taking more pictures of everything he seen there and adding to his ever growing collection.    He bent to pick up what he thought was another piece of driftwood.  That is when he found the device.  He felt the hair on his neck stand up on end while he looked at it.  It was pulsing in his hands, as if alive.   Nervously he looked around and found the beach as deserted as it had been moments before.  Eerily enough, he felt as if he was being watched.  He thought about Beth as he pushed the buttons randomly wanting badly to share his find with her.    He heard a crackle, and his breath caught.  Beth was walking towards him.   His Beth!  But that was impossible!  He had lost his true love to the sea years ago…still here she was defying all common sense and reason.

         Unable to believe what his eyes told him were true, he ran towards her, the device completely forgotten where he had dropped it in the sand in his shock.  Her smile lit up the beach and warmed his heart.  He wrapped his arms around her and melted into her soft loveliness for the first time in forever.  It was like coming home.  Tears fogged his vision as he took in the essence of her.   The fragrance she always wore enveloped him and filled his senses.  Such joy filled his heart as he kissed her and drank her in.  There was so much he wanted to say, so many questions he wanted answered.  Still he couldn’t find the words.  His ability to form coherent thought was lost to him.  He lifted her in the air and twirled her around as he had always done, overwhelmed with the joy of finding her once again.  She had come back to him!

        He grabbed her hand and led her to the device lying on the sand where he had dropped it, picking it up once again.   He wanted to show it to her, show her this miraculous piece of treasure that had brought her back to him.    She suddenly looked frightened.  Shaking her head frantically she dropped his hand and backed away.  He didn’t understand.  She turned and walked back toward the sea from where she came.  This time he wouldn’t let her go! Determined to not lose her again, he went after her with a sense of purpose he had never felt before or since, pushing the buttons in desperation.  He disappeared, lost forever to this world, his insatiable curiosity finally getting the best of him.   She never looked back, she just kept walking.


      

50 comments:

  1. You really have a creative mind as is seen in this touching story. Guilt ate away the poor man and you described that so well Kathy.

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    1. Michelle, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story! Your kind words mean an awful lot. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  2. I like how you wove the gadget in and gave it the property for Beth to return. Such a fantasy for the man, it would seem to be a dream sequence. Good write.

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    1. Ann, I am so happy you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for stopping by and making my day with your comments. ♥

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  3. Oh my gosh what was it that he found?! Is that what brought her back? This is a great story, but so very sad! I esp. enjoyed the beach glass (as you knew I would)!!

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    1. JoJo, technically it took him to her or to a time where she was. I wrote it with you in mind and the way you comb the beaches for treasures! I am so pleased you liked it! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  4. How tragic! Rewind, rewind!!! Or just pause. Maybe that would freeze the moment and keep her there.

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    1. Stephanie, if only we could go back, or freeze in a moment in time. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments. I am so pleased you liked my story. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments. ♥

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  5. Nice work with the illustrations.

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    1. Jacqueline, I'm pleased you liked it. I am a very visual person, so picking the perfect illustrations matter to me. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  6. sad story - did he disappear or she? great use for the device

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    1. sassyspeaks, where she went, he followed this time so now they are together...forever. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  7. Sometimes the mind holds on to lost love unwilling to accept the loss... Loved your narration Kathy!!

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    1. Reshma, I am thrilled you enjoyed my story. Thank you so much for stopping in and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  8. Ooh, this is really cool and kind of creepy. Wonderful take on the prompts, Kathy! :)

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    1. Suzanne, I am so pleased you liked my story. Thank you so much for your sweet comments. They mean an awful lot to me! ♥

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  9. Wow, what a haunting tale. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed this read!

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    1. Trisha, I am so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  10. Hmmmm maybe the gadget was cursed

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    1. Pat, very possible!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  11. How sad her homecoming was cut short by the intrusion of the device. Sometimes our curiosity does get us into trouble, but without it, we would miss out on so many learning opportunities :)

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    1. jannatwrites, I agree. Curiosity can be a double edged sword. Thank you so much for stopping in to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  12. Nice blending of the prompts, Kathy! I wanted to try my hand but just didn't get the thoughts to flow. This was a great job! Nicely done!

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    1. Shailaja, I am so pleased you liked my story. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your encouraging comments. They mean an awful lot! ♥

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  13. Superbly creative, Kathy. A tale of love beyond the human flesh that u made so engrossing and engaging through the sheer power of ur imagination. Simply superb and never a dull moment:)

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    1. vishalbheeroo, wow, what a lovely comment! Thank you! Thank you for stopping by to make my day with your kind words and genuine support of my writing. You will never know how much I appreciate it! ♥

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  14. Wonderfully described feelings of love lost and reunited!!

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    1. nibhz, I am so pleased you liked my story! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  15. Aww, Kathy, this is a very emotional story, but so sad. Loved your take on the prompt.

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    1. Usha, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  16. Super creative Kathy! Loved it and great flow too!

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    1. Aditi, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your lovely encouraging words. They mean so much! ♥

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  17. Engaging and touching story. Nicely done!

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    1. silverleafjournal, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping in and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  18. Woow.. beautifully written!! Sad and touching but definitely loved it!!! :)

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    1. taleoftwotomatoes, I am so thrilled you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping in and for your encouraging comments! ♥

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  19. Nice story Kathy! But was she really there? She didn't speak...

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    1. Joseph, you are observant!! But yes...she was...but it could have been that she was there in his mind. I wrote the story with the idea that the device had brought him to her, or rather her to him. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  20. You got my vote :) Great job with the prompt

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    1. Carol, you are too kind! Thank you so much for stopping in and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  21. Reminds me the movie by Adam Sandler with a remote to control life.. Nice !!

    PhenoMenon
    http://phenomenal-cuisines.throodalookingglass.com/2014/05/naga-chef-tastes-from-the-north-east/

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    1. Pheno, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments. Your encouragement means so much! ♥

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  22. Very creative but kind of spooky too.

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    1. Suzy, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! They mean the world to me♥

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  23. I was hooked from beginning to end! Sad and fascinating all at the same time.

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    1. Debbie, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments. Your encouragement means more to me than you will ever know. ♥

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  24. O wow! This is a remarkable story, and so well narrated. Loved reading it. There is something so beautiful about its simplicity, but there is also a unique depth of feeling and purity to this love story. Excellent!

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    1. Beloo, wow. Thank you so much for your lovely comments. You have rendered me speechless and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for stopping by and making all this once again seem worthwhile. Thank you so much! ♥

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  25. If only we could re-wind and re-watch those moments that mean to much, and are now gone. It leaves me wondering what is next.

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    1. Susan, there are a lot of moments I wish I could rewind and go back to. We take them for granted while we are living them and then all of a sudden the people are gone. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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