Ashes

By Katie Cheyne

The sickly sky hung despondently above the tired skin of the steely ocean, and the waves polished the dull sand, closer to my feet with every caress, until small waterfalls flooded my footprints.

As the wind brushed my hair off my shoulder, I closed my eyes imagining it could have been you; perhaps your shadow had remained to encourage me. The realization hit that I was chasing something that was already gone. And with a heavy heart, I lifted the lid off the urn I cradled and let the breeze carry the embers of your fading light off into the horizon.