Salt and Ozone
A vignette of sea and storm
Waves crash against the rocky shore and the sky darkens. I stand on the edge of the pier -a safe distance above the roiling surf. The riotous wind pulls back the hood of my raincoat, but I do not care. A sea mist dampens my brow as I look to the gray horizon. The crash of thunder is muffled by the howling wind.
My companion looks to me, battered by both wind and sea spray, "We should go back before it gets bad."
I smile, relishing the smell of salt and ozone. The storm is far enough away, far enough to enjoy its chaos in peace. My anxious heart matches pace with the distant thunder and a smile creeps onto my lips. The fin of a gray porpoise peeks from above the waves.
"Just a few more minutes," I reply, taking a moment to clean the rain off my glasses with my shirt, "then we'll get lunch."
***
For centuries, water has been seen as a liminal place, especially the boundary between sea and land. Everything shifts and nothing is constant.
This vignette is loosely inspired by a moment I had on a pier in Whitby, Yorkshire on a stormy day, rather a propos for a city that inspired the likes of Bram Stoker and that was so important to British maritime history. However, I love sea and I love storms and rarely do I get to enjoy both at the same time and in relative safety.
Above all, I like writing these vignettes as it helps not only with my writer's block but I like revisiting these quieting experiences that I remember fondly and creating little pieces with them.
If you like this vignette, check out my previous one which had been awarded top story in July 2023.
For my full catalogue of Vocal content, read this article:
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Comments (16)
I adore watching storms from afar - and the smell of ocean spray? Gorgeous! Thank you for writing this, Ian!
I know exactly how this feels and you capture it perfectly! I like this idea of vignettes...perhaps more of us should do this when a full blown story or poem is just not coming quick enough. Well done!
Congrats and I love it! ❤️❤️❤️
I loveeeeeeeeee the sea! There's just something so magical about it! I loved this piece so much! Congratulations on your Top Story!
Very descriptive! A beautiful vignette
this is beautiful, Ian! I love that environment.
Very nice. Coastal storms are incredible, especially from the shoreline.
I love the sea and storms, too. I live on the California coast, but storms aren't common here. However when they do happen, I sit myself by the window, or if I'm working with the animals, not a single complaint will come from me.😌 I feel like I'm in my element.
Crazy you talked about posting this and here it is as top story. <3 This piece made me feel very nostalgic. I love stormy days, and this reminded me of some of my own memories being up in Minnesota standing on the rocky shore of one of the Great Lakes. Well done, Ian!
Gorgeous little slice of time, Ian. I love your commentary at the end, too - there's a reason so many people keep writing about the ocean, or water, and I love your description of water as "liminal." It's such a great way of summarizing that pull many of us feel.
I did enjoy it. Keep writing them
Brilliant!!! Loved this!!!💕❤️❤️ Congratulations on Top Story too!!!
Ooh, I was there with you.
Loved this, gave me Senji from One Piece backstory vibes ☺️
Congratulations on achieving top story status! ❤👌👍
congrats on the Top Story my friend!