The Memory

It was like time was suddenly standing still. The light breeze that had rippled through her hair just seconds ago vanished. Not a soul was in sight. The salty smell of the sea persisted, saturating the air. But her mind was elsewhere, in a different time, a different place, where she had been a different girl. The surroundings, however, were starkly similar.

She was lost. She let the memory consume every part of her, every molecule of her body. When she breathed, it was no longer just the salty smell of the ocean, but that intermingled with so many other wonderful aromas. When she listened, there was soft, melodious music. Dancing. Joy.

Suddenly, something flickered. The light went out and she could no longer see anything. She groped through the air, as if trying to catch something. The memory was leaving her, and fast - the happiness and laughter fading away. She gasped as she tried to hold on to it, but thread by thread, it disappeared, until she could see the last wisps of it fading into the deep ocean waters; until she realised that it was just that - a memory.