THE LADY IN THE BEACH HOUSE

I never knew what to think of doomsday, the end of the world, or what it all meant. Many stories have been written about the end of times, a life beyond, fantasy, science fiction, and I never understood dystopia until I got a job as a toll collector on the beach. The first time that I had seen the ocean, I was in awe, amazed, and lost in its infinity. I knew that this was where I wanted to be. It all began one day when I had met a woman, Labella. She was tall, thin, and very attractive. She wore a long beach dress which flowed in the wind. She was laden in dangling earrings, necklaces, and rings on all of her fingers. She lived in a large house on the beach which resembled a castle.

I fell into a trance. I became prince Alfred and she was my princess. We were the rulers of the waves, the tides, and the ocean. I imagined us fighting sea serpents, sharks, and evil pirates. The wind wisped through her hair, tossed her flimsy dress, and she struggled to fix the chiffon.

"It's hot and I thought that you might be thirsty," she aspired, handing me a bottled water, licking her salty lips.

What was it about this woman? I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. The thing that caught me most was a locket which she had around her neck. It had some kind of inscription, a heart or something, and it glimmered in the sunlight. "Thanks so much," I said, accepting the liquid.

"If you ever need anything, let me know. My name is Labella," she said, shuffling away.

As the days went by, I often looked for her. She lived in a huge beach house across from the booth. There were many windows and I often imagined seeing her in one of them, smiling, looking at me, and waving. Then it happened, and she reappeared. There were other employees and she often brought them drinks. She walked toward me and handed me an orange soda. She smelt divine.

"Labella, what kind of perfume are you wearing?"

She approached me and touched her lips. "A woman never tells."

"What do you mean?"? I said, confused.

"When you smell this cologne, you will know that it's me," she said. walking away.

Her words took me by surprise and I was astounded by her. She looked beautiful in a colorful new dress, dangling jewelry, and sandals. I noticed the locket and wondered what it meant. All I new about her is that she lived with a mean ogre who was very controlling, demanding, and secretive. He often yelled when she was out for too long. I might have to fight him to get my princess, Labella. It was a never ending battle, I imagined, and we were fighting the elements. We were great together and we fought the wild sea, the winds, and the tropical storms.

One day she came running in hysteria, waved to me from the yard. and looked very paranoid. "There's a hurt bird at the swimming pool. I left my booth and immediately came to her rescue, checked out the bird, and made her calm down. I took a picture of it and sent it to beach patrol. They arrived and took the injured bird away. I felt like a warrior, helped my princess in distress, and she was so grateful. I went back to the booth, looked across the yard, and she threw me a kiss. "My hero," she called.

A few days later Labella appeared dressed exquisitely, jewelry hanging everywhere. and I knew it was her by her scent. When I was with her, it seemed like I had left this world and went into another realm. It was high tide and the beach was closed.

"Alfred, would you mind being with an older woman?" she smiled, grasping her heart shaped pendant.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I didn't have a husband, would you be attracted to me."

"Labella, I think you're beautiful, classy, and refined."

"You know I have such a crush on you. I have never met anyone like you."

"But Labella you're married and have a husband. Yet, you take me far away, away from this place, and I like it there."

"I feel the same way and somehow you take me into a fantasy, another world beyond, and like me the ocean has you in its grasp. "

"How do you know this?"

"I can see it in your eyes," she smiled, scooting away. The heart shaped pendant glistened on her neck. There was something about the locket which fascinated me.

Days went by and there was no sign of Labella. I often stared out to sea, listened to the waves, and somehow the wind was calling to me. Sometimes it got very breezy and almost knocked me over. I always believed that there was a better place than earth. I wasn't sure of heaven, its meaning, but the world was getting worse and if God was coming back; why? When? and why not now. A strange light appeared one night and I wondered what it could be. It hovered and went away.

Labella appeared many days later and looked exquisite; always garnished in pearls, diamonds, and colorful stones; rings, bracelets, and necklaces. Her hair and face were fixed and defined. Her eyes glistened as she smiled and looked at me. The tide was very high and the ramp was closed.

"Have you ever had a Greek kiss?" she smiled.

"No, what is it?" I wondered.

She came forward, stepped into my booth, and looked at me, She grabbed my face and kissed my mouth, each cheek, and it was sweet and gentle. Her eyes glistened as she waited for my response.

"That was wonderful," I gasped.

"Now do it to me," she smiled, puckering.

I pulled her forward, kissed her mouth lightly, and then her cheeks.

A strong wind brushed across the shore, rain began to fall, and lightning hissed in the sky. It got very dark. She left me, ran to her house, and went inside. The beach was closed and red lighted for storms. and they did this for safety. I locked up the booth, rushed to my car, and went inside still stunned from the kiss. The storm ended and I went back to work. The employees asked me about the occurrence, but I shunned them away.

I hadn't seen her for days. It was cloudy and rainy. The ocean was rough with high tides. An ambulance came to her place and I wondered what was happening, couldn't see the front of her house, and it troubled me. The medics claimed that it was her husband. That was a relief. I wanted to go to the front door, confront Labella, but I hardly knew her except for our brief encounters.

Several days later I saw something in tall beach grass, a bright ornament, picked it up and it glistened in my palms . Now. I had an excuse to see her and go to her house. It had a latch on it and I opened it. Inside it said, "DOOMSDAY, 20...." and the other letters were faded. I examined it, tried to decipher more, but it was impossible to read. I felt very defeated. I couldn't tell her that I had opened it. I went to her house. There was a man outside tossing things into a dumpster, looked at me, and I approached him.

"I found this amulet which I believe belonged to your wife," I explained, showing it to him.

A strange looked covered his face as he replied, "Labella died days ago. I have no need for it. You may keep it."

"Do you have any idea where she had gotten it?" I said, teary eyed.

"I take it that you've opened it and read it."

"Yes, I have," I confessed.

"Here's her story. You can believe it or not. She claimed that she was walking on the beach one night, a light appeared, hovered around, and she fell into a trance. A strange creature handed that thing to her. She always wore it. Where did you find it?"

"It was in the beach grass near my booth where I work."

"She said that if someone found it, they knew," he said, walking away.

I couldn't speak, lost for words, and I waved and went away. I didn't know what to think, couldn't believe that she was dead, and the worst hurt was that I would never see her again. I held the locket in my hand, kept it with me, and wondered if I would ever meet the person who had approached her on the beach. Was it the end of times, doomsday, a fantasy, or just a weird phenomenon?"