The sound of water soothed her, washing ashore and pulling back, over and over and over.
The smell of the brine pricked at her nose. Sometimes she even sneezed after taking a deep breath of it. He would laugh and tease her about being allergic to the sea.
The breeze – sometimes gentle, sometimes rough – always surprised her. On gentle days, it played with her hair, pulling it across her face. On rough days, it tugged at her jacket as if she shouldn’t be wearing it at all. It blew her hat from her head as if to confirm that opinion. He would retrieve it for her, always.
“I told you not to wear it,” he would remind her. “You need to get one of those hats that ties under your chin.”
Those hats look so silly, she thought.
The sun at the beach was hit or miss. More miss than hit it seemed. Occaionally, it blazed down, threatening to burn her fair skin. Usually it jostled with the clouds, trying to elbow its way through. He used to make up arguments that took place on high.
Cloud: Hey, I saw you sneak a few rays out! That’s not fair!
Sun: Well, it’s my turn! Move aside!
He would give Sun and Cloud funny voices that made her laugh.
She missed him so much.
She could feel the sun setting. It was time to go.
She sighed and took her white cane to make her way off the beach.
This is my submission for the Unicorn Challenge. It’s a simple challenge: no more than 250 words and use the picture for a prompt.
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 
A lovely story Sally
Now this is weird*
“Those hats look so silly, she thought.”
Something in that simple line triggered an ‘uh oh’ on my part as Reader.
Compliments on engaging us that quickly (and solidly) that the can’t-prove-it-objectively hint of …dissonance, shaped the rest of the story for me.
v cool
*lol, no, wait… ‘considering the source isn’t fair’!
This is quite moving, Sally.
The white cane at the end…..very telling.
Wonderful write.
The warmth of their relationship shines right through, Sally, making ‘She missed him so much’ even sadder.
And you evoke each of the senses so vividly that…
Wait!
The ending completely took my breath away.
Beautifully written.
Oops, missed out a line – Wait! Such vivid descriptions that I didn’t notice that not all were there.
This is so sad – obviously she’s blind which makes me wonder if she is missing a spouse or the sun and clouds…. Good job Sally!
I believe the proof of a life well lived, is memories of a love like this. Well told.
Touching piece, Sally
What sweet memories to comfort her heartbreak. Beautifully written, Sally! 💞💞💞
A delightful story, and the unexpected ending gave it completely different feel.
I enjoyed this little piece. It made me feel so much in so few words. ❤️