Message In A Bottle

I had just witnessed the early morning sun slowly appear over the horizon, iced coffee in hand, and nothing on my mind except nature's beauty. There was a chill in the air and I had the entire place to myself; The sand, the ocean, all of it. It had been a while since I had set foot on this place. The last time I was here, we were here. I tried not to think about that, instead I slowly sipped my coffee and soaked in the salty air.

I reached into my bag and pulled out an empty glass beer bottle, the label had been peeled off with such perfection that there was absolutely no trace of it. I had seen this in movies and read it in stories, but never thought to do it myself until now. It was such a simple gesture and probably meant nothing at all, but there was no harm in giving it a try. I reached back into my bag, pulling out a small pad of paper and a pen. The next part proved far more difficult than I had imagined.

The stories and movies made it look so majestic and simple. As I searched my mind for anything profoundly meaningful, all I seemed to get in return was the squawking of seagulls flying overhead. I was unsure if it was the caffeine or the overthinking that gave me the headache, but just when I was ready to call it quits and head back to the comforting solitude of my empty home, it came to me. 

I put down the paper and the pen. 

This was our beach and even though we hadn't set foot on it for too many years to count, many more memories were made here. We talked about our future plans and laughed through embarrassing childhood stories. We fell asleep gazing up at the stars and woke up to sunsets much like the one that brought me here today. Though time had changed things considerably, I could never come here without seeing us. Perhaps it was you and not the sunset that brought me here. 

I looked down at the gold locket hanging from the tarnished chain around my neck. I had taken it off only a few times since the day you gave it to me. I tried not to open it for the picture inside always made me tear up and you know how much I hate to cry. I unclasped the chain and held it in my hand, fumbling with the locket as I contemplated the consequences of open it one last time. I suppose you were laughing, while childishly begging me to do the unthinkable. I grinned at the thought. 

I picked up the bottle and dropped the locket inside, still attached to the chain. I then screwed on the lid as tightly as I could and held the bottle in my hand for only a moment as I stared out at the calm waters. I took a few steps until I felt the cool water against my feet, then drew my arm back as far as I could, and released it as if I were tossing out the first pitch. This is for you. This is for us. 

I turned my back to the water as the bottle made a noticeable splash and was slowly swept away by the current. Along with it, the last physical memory that remained of the two of us and of our time here. I have no plans to return to this place, for there is no longer a reason to. New stories will be written by others, while ours will forever remain locked away inside of a bottle, to perhaps one day begin a new chapter at the curious hands of a stranger.-