Chapter 13
Found Amongst the Pools
Sarah rushes to the cove. She finds Lily, safe and sound, mesmerized by the tiny creatures in a tide pool, oblivious to the panic she caused. Relief washes over Sarah.
Sarah’s heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the roar of the wind and the crashing waves. The cove, usually a place of gentle lapping and sun-drenched sand, was now a churning cauldron of grey water and spray. Panic, cold and sharp, clawed at her throat. Lily. Where was Lily? The image of her daughter, so small and vibrant, swallowed by the vast, indifferent sea, sent a fresh wave of terror through her. She’d been so close, just moments ago, her laughter a bright thread weaving through the salty air. Now, only the wind’s mournful cry answered Sarah’s desperate calls.
“Lily! Lily, darling, where are you?” Her voice was thin, almost lost in the tempest. Every shadow seemed to hold a glimpse of her daughter, every glint of water a mocking reflection. She stumbled over seaweed-slicked rocks, her eyes scanning the churning water, the empty stretch of beach, the imposing cliffs that loomed like ancient sentinels. Her mind replayed the last few minutes, the way Lily had been captivated by a particularly iridescent shell, her mermaid tail swimsuit shimmering even in the dimming light, her heart-shaped sunglasses perched precariously on her nose as she’d peered intently at the sand. She’d just… wandered. As Lily often did, lost in her own magical world. But this time, the world had seemed to swallow her whole.
Sarah pushed aside a curtain of sea spray, her gaze fixed on the jagged rocks that guarded the entrance to a smaller, more sheltered cove. It was a place Lily loved, a miniature world teeming with life, where starfish clung to rocks and tiny crabs scuttled sideways. It was also a place that could be treacherous when the tide turned. A surge of desperate hope, tinged with dread, propelled her forward.
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