Neverending Love

• Makayla Brannen, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2018

I had woken up early, the rest of my family sound asleep. We were on a vacation at a beautiful resort surrounded by palm trees and the sound of light waves crashing on the shore. My family and I have come here every summer for many years, and one day hope to live here permanently. Bored and wide awake, I decided to go to the beach. I got dressed, brushed my knotted hair, walked downstairs and grabbed the spare apartment keys. Locking the door behind me, I debated going back inside to lay in my warm bed. The cold wind blew widely, tangling my hair around my face, and making me shiver. I chose to tough it out and warm up with a jog along the beach.

When I arrived at the beach, the sun was beginning to peek out above the horizon, turning the water a murky blue colour, sparkling with a white shine from the sun’s morning rays. I began running along the shore, kicking a trail of sand behind me with every step. I wasn't sure how long I had been running for, but after a while, I began to slow down to a walk, then eventually to a stop. Looking around, the beach had become more crowded and the sun was higher in the sky. ‘How long was I running for?’ I wondered to myself. I stood facing the ocean, watching the waves crawl onto the shore when a voice startled me.
"Hello dear."
I turned to meet an elderly lady's blue eyes, silver glasses, and grey hair. I had been coming here every year for eleven years, yet I had never seen this lady among the other familiar faces. I didn't want to come across as rude and leave the lady waiting, so I replied with a friendly smile.
"Hi. I’m Skyler. How are you?" I said.
"I'm very well, thank you. I’m Margret."
"Hi Margret." I smiled. Margret. What a nice name.
Margret was incredibly kind. She and I walked up and down the beach together telling each other about ourselves. Margret was 63 with three children and seven grandchildren. She had a husband named Stephen who passed away last year. Margret had released Stephen's ashes in the ocean and every morning she came to walk along the shore to say hello to her husband. What Margret was doing was the nicest thing I had ever heard of. The connection she had to her husband was so strong I couldn’t help but smile.
After some time, I noticed that the sun was directly overhead and that I had to return to my own family.
"I should get back to my family, but I hope you have a lovely conversation with your husband. Tell him I say "hello" please." I said, sad to leave such a nice woman.
"I certainly will, dear. It was a pleasure to meet you."
I gave Margret a quick hug and turned to walk back to my apartment.