I wrote this for GingerLizzy's 'Describe the Scene' contest. I know I went all-out for the imagery but that was the point - no characters, no plot, just description. Tell me what you think!

Evening Waters

The sky flames with the coming of dusk. Translucent veils of orange and crimson hang over the water like a frozen aurora, tainting the waves with a trail of glittering fire all the way to the horizon. The sun sinks ever lower, a smoldering red eye, stark and vivid against the spiky black islands and amber waters.

Tiny waves lap at the shore, revealing a myriad of seashells in their wake. Wind sighs through the trees and the flute-like notes of a wind chime sound in a nearby garden. All is peaceful, serene.

The clouds darken as the sun is swallowed up by the hills. The shimmering trail across the waters vanishes, and the surface of the ocean turns to liquid sapphire.

In the cover of the trees, nocturnal flowers open, patches of soft ivory petals against the earthy darkness. A dove flits between the trunks, singing a melodic tune. The first stars begin to twinkle.

A slight breeze picks up, stirring the palm trees; the network of doily-like shadows they cast weave and melt together as they sway. Seaweed clings to the rocks in dark green tendrils.

Sand dunes glow pale blue-white in the light from a full moon. Sprinkled with starlight, brilliantly-hued plants hang from the woodlands out onto the beach, their colour dulled by the night.

The last traces of daylight vanish from the world. The moon washes everything in sepia-silver, and the charcoaled waters are dusted with the reflection of a million stars.

All is peaceful, serene.

I've started editing - tell me what you think - and I'll continue it tomorrow.