*I'm trying to write a story for a story writing competition, but I seem to be stuck. I'm not writing as well as I used to. But anyway, this is a short part of the possibly long story that I'm writing for the competition, and I was hoping that you guys would read it and tell me if it's any good. It's not much of anything yet, but it's the start of something. The middle and end are yet to be written.*
The waves pounded furiously towards the moss-covered rocks, washing away some things of the past, leaving behind the foundations to create a new beginning. Lily loved to watch the tide come in and out, watching it leave behind the mysteries of the lake, bringing in the memories of long ago. The leaves had begun to fall towards the ground all around Lily, surrounding her with what felt like a protective hand, shielding her eyes from reality.
She had lost track of how long she had been sitting on that rock. She’d lost track of time and space: of life itself. She was so, utterly alone, and in the end, so was everyone else, no matter what lies everyone told themselves. It seemed like life was a runaway train, skidding along the tracks, finally ending in a great cacophonic burst of ardor; people were merely the wheels that helped the train reach its inevitable end. Yet, there she remained, completely alone, without a soul in the world knowing where she was. The city was behind her, absolute freedom before her. Her thoughts began to consume her being, forcing her to forget everything and everyone, even herself. She wanted to stay that way forever; nothing had ever been more comforting.
It wasn’t as though anything had even happened. No one had died, no catastrophic events had transpired, and no heart-ache was at hand. Lily had suddenly, randomly come to the conclusion that maybe our everyday existence wasn’t everything it was cut out to be. Maybe our actions and reactions were merely just that; perhaps they were absolutely trivial in comparison to the rest. And this unattainable echelon was incomparable to the world around her. Yet, she would sometimes question her own credibility as to whether this impossible something really existed. If it didn’t, did the “possible” exist? For if one didn’t trust their own mind, then who was there left to trust, if, in fact, we were alone?
As she glanced precariously over the bay, she noted a painfully happy woman with her perfect baby strolling along nearby. Lily didn’t know why, but she cursed the woman’s happiness with every ounce of her soul. This wasn’t necessarily out of jealousy; she just knew in her heart that there was no way that this woman would ever see much in anything. And worse, that she remained cloaked in her utter unawareness with every intention of staying that way. Similarly, the baby was entrenched in blissful ignorance; completely pure and innocent, shrouded in a veil of safety, but for how long? How long would that baby be sheltered by his sickeningly perfect mother?
She looked back towards the water and wondered what could drive people to become so unreservedly afraid of themselves. The waves crashed unrelentingly, splashing Lily with the tears of those forgotten memories that could never be avenged. They felt like broken shards of glass against her raw, exposed skin, leaving her with the feeling that she carried their burden deep within her soul where her mind rarely wandered; that surreptitious place where stories are born.
Lily stirred at the sound of voices behind her. A group of teenagers, around Lily’s age, all sauntered by her, heading towards the alcove that they had made their own. She noticed they carried two large bags, undoubtedly filled with bottles teeming with alcohol. Its use was intended surely for some sort of veneration on Monday morning, by talking about how much they didn’t remember from the tumultuous weekend before. She was grateful when they passed by her, in search of their more appropriate drinking spot.
As the sun set, Lily felt comforted by the approaching darkness; a close blanket to shield her from unfriendly eyes. Dusk was upon her, and the waves seemed to die down, blending into the horizon creating a solid block of nothingness before her eyes, destroying the line between truth and imagination.
