Dark Clouds Rolling In

Emmy had always loved the beach ever since her parents had first taken her there as a small child. Despite having her own child now, she could still vividly recall many happy, cherished memories, of playing gleefully on the beach with her first bucket and spade. The sound of the waves, the smell of the salt, the feel of the sand between her toes. It was her happy place, her escape from the stress and chaos of her life. She had come here every summer since she was that young child, and now she was sharing it with her own daughter, Lily.

They had rented a cozy cottage near the shore, with a porch that overlooked the ocean. They spent their days building sandcastles, collecting shells, and swimming in the clear water. They ate ice cream, watched sunsets, and read stories by the fireplace. They were having the perfect vacation, until the day the dark clouds rolled in.

It was a sudden change. One moment, the sky was blue and bright, the next, it was gray, angry, and ominous. A strong wind picked up, whipping the sand and the sea into a frenzy. It was supposed to be high tide yet the waters had rapidly receded leaving nothing but wet sand as far as the eyes could see. The temperature dropped, a sudden and unexpected chill ran through her bones. She grabbed Lily's hand and ran back to the cottage, hoping to beat the vicious storm that was brewing.

They made it inside just as the first drops of rain began to fall. She locked the door behind them and closed the curtains. She turned on the radio, hoping to hear some news about the weather. But all she heard was static.

She tried to call her husband, who was supposed to join them tomorrow after he had finished work, but there was no signal. She checked her laptop, but there was no internet connection. She felt a surge of panic. Were they cut off from the world?

Emmy tried hard to calm herself down, not simply for herself but for Lily who was tightly huddled against her legs and was beginning to tremble in . It was just a storm, she told herself. It would hopefully pass soon. They had enough food and water to last them for a few days. They had books and games to keep them entertained. Yet most importantly, they had each other.

She hugged Lily and told her everything was going to be okay. Lily smiled and nodded, trusting her mother's words. She suggested they play a board game to pass the time. Emmy gently bundled her young daughter up into her arms grinning at her and gently planting a kiss on her left cheek, and wiping away her tears from her face at the same moment.

"Shall we play a game of Monopoly Lily, you always love beating me at it!"

Lily eagerly nodded at her mum. Her face suddenly Putting beaming at her.

Lowering her daughter gently to the carpeted floor, Emmy reached up to the shelf to grab the game of Monopoly, and set it up on the coffee table.

The two of them played for just over an hour, laughing and joking as they moved their pieces around the board, as Lily eagerly continued to pile up the play money. Both mum and daughter forgot about the storm for a while, losing themselves into their game, until they both heard a loud and distinctive thud eminating from outside.

Emmy jumped up and stared out the window. She gasped at what she saw.

A huge wave had crashed against the cottage, breaking one of the windows and rapidly flooding the porch. The water was rising fast, threatening to engulf the whole building.

She grabbed Lily and ran upstairs, hoping to find safety in the higher level of their cottage. She opened the door to the master bedroom and threw Lily on the bed. She anxiously scanned around for something to block the door with, but there was nothing. Fear had once again engulfed the young girl and her sobs were uncontrollable this time around, the fun and cheer that had moments earlier successfully occupied her mind, had vanished just as quickly as it had come.

Both Emmy and Lily heard more sounds of whooshing crashes downstairs, followed by a powerful splashing noises. The water was coming up the stairs.

Emmy quickly pushed the dresser in front of the bedroom door, hoping it would hold, but fearing in her heart that this action was not going to effectively stop tidal waters from breaching where they were. Emmy's motherly instinct had kicked in, and she attempted to show her daughter that she was in perfect control of the dire situation, hoping that this would help to lessen the fear and panic in her daughter. She climbed on the bed with Lily and wrapped her arms around her.

"It's okay, sweetie," she whispered in her ear. "We're going to be okay."

She didn't believe it herself yet hoped against hope that her little girl would, despite her own voice starting to tremble with mounting anxiety herself now.

She heard another thud against the door, louder than before. The dresser shook and slid back a few inches.

Both mother and daughter screamed.

The door burst open, sending water and debris flooding into the room. The dresser toppled over, hitting Emmy on the head as he instinctively threw herself in harms way to shield Lily.

She felt a sharp pain and then nothing.

She woke up in darkness.

She blinked and tried to focus her eyes. She saw nothing but blackness.

She felt cold and wet.

She tried to move her limbs, but they were numb.

She tried to speak, calling out her daughters name, but no sound came out.

She realized she was underwater as she gasped to rise above the waters desperately trying to refill her lungs with air and expel the saltwater from them.

She panicked.

She remembered what had happened.

The storm.

The waves.

The water.

Lily.

Oh my God, where was Lily?

She reached out with her hands, hoping to feel her daughter's body next to hers.

But all she felt was emptiness.

Emmy couldn't find her daughter. For the love of God, Emmy had lost her precious daughter to the onslaught the waters had brought.

Emmy fought no more. Engulfed by the waters, blackness shrouded her once more... peace descended forevermore.

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