Silver Sand, Star-Strewn Sky

Amazing things can happen if you keep walking. Walking past the bars, past the restaurants, past the nightclub to where everyone else is flocking. Walking down the lane where the street lamps abruptly give out, past the solitary guard watching over a farm, past his crops swaying in the breeze coming in from the coast.

Past where the road is ending until you come to the edge of the world, or so it seems. Standing there breathing in the sea as everything below is ethereal, bleached of colour by the light of the moon. Making your way down treacherous stairs through silver trees and on to silver sand as the waves slowly crash in your ears. Running the last few paces in excitement as the enormity of everything stretches out in front.

Gazing wordlessly at the sky, more colourful now than the earth, a great rift etched across it with stars spilling out until they meet that great sea. Delighting in the warm breeze ruffling your hair and except for those waves still rhythmically crashing, absolute silence.

Suddenly being brought back to earth instead of getting lost in the enormity of it all. Looking down, instead of tricking yourself that you could see past the end of everything if you wanted. Catching sight of a serene being hauling herself out of the sea and, transfixed, willing her to finish crawling those last few metres up the beach past the debris of the tide until she finds an empty point on which to settle.

Wishing you could be any help at all as it crosses your mind that admittedly here is a creature not built for the land as her blade-like flippers carve circles in the ever spilling sand. Knowing that you have to leave these things well alone, that your intervention would ultimately cause no good. Picturing how far she’s come to make it to that spot. How far she has to go after.

Feeling trepidation as torches suddenly appear down the cove and letting out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding as worried volunteers bear down on you, smiling and shaking hands as they realise that you mean no harm. Waiting with them as the turtle finishes the task she came for and aiding them as they skilfully ensure her well-being before making sure she leaves the land.

Basking once more in the stars, in the sea, in the air. Making your way back up those treacherous stairs, to where electric lights replace the all-encompassing silver. Wishing always to be back where the sky is more colourful than the earth