For Indy: Mercer Essay

Indy chose to submit a sample of a descriptive essay from her Creative Writing class with her application to Mercer:

Over the horizon, colors of yellow, orange, blue and purple blend together forming an abstract painting as the pink tinted sun shies away from the moon arising in the east. I sit upon the rocks further away from the shoreline, my body awake but my mind far away. The wind softly blows through my hair, silently caressing my face and cooling the evening after a long summer day. Inhaling the salty smell of the beach releases memories long forgotten and tucked away under the dust of time, replaying them so realistically I forget they are not tangible and reach out to embrace them once again.

Silence creeps in as a shadow of the night while families gather their beach toys, roll up their towels, and drive away. Isolation has never been something I tolerate well, but tonight it is relaxing. After everyone has returned to homes with locked doors and comfy pillows, I slip off my white sandals and walk to water's edge. I press down firmly with my feet and dig my toes into wet grains of sand. Ocean water trickles along my ankles and sends goose bumps crawling over my skin. I walk further along the shore, leaving footprints behind me which are quickly whisked away by the next incoming wave. Shells of all sizes and colors decorate the large expanse of sand. Selfishly, I admire them as I walk on by, not considering their journey ashore. I turn back, still emerged in memories and quiet reflection. Out of habit, I count each step. When I near the rock I sat on before, I wade deeper into the ocean until my knees can no longer be seen. I stare ahead at the darkening sky, watching the last sliver of the bright sunset fade.

As I stand there, the waves remind me of a person, perhaps a person like me. They crash and beat against the sand with a fury uncontained and brutal, only to die down and brush along the shore in apology. Slowly shrinking back into the depths of a sea that carries away pain and misery, the furor has transformed into a sound so peaceful as to lull a child to sleep. At this realization, I raise my fisted hands high in the air, tilt my head back and scream into the distance so powerfully as to make the Earth tremble beneath me. My intense rage escapes with a fading yell and I let my arms rest against my side. A deep breath of peace fills my lungs as my heart yearns to be released from the intensity of hurt feelings and the overwhelming anger of betrayal and lost opportunities. Exhausted, I make my way back toward the rock. I lie down on the soft, welcoming sand and drift off into a calming sleep. In my hand rests a beautiful shell. It is a gift of survival.