Every inch of his body could sense her presence. This wasn’t something new for him. He could always feel her near him. This time, though, the feeling was different.

He sat on the beach, surfboard by his side, unable to bring himself to pick it up and head into the waves. The last time he had been here was with Margo. She had dared him into a surfing contest, to see who could ride the shortest wave for the longest amount of time. He told her she was nuts, even a seasoned surfer wouldn’t try that, but she insisted. And he’d agreed. They met at the edge of the beach, surveyed the surf, and waited for the perfect wave.

“Wave?” he joked. “More like a whitecap. You sure you can handle the heights?”

“Keep laughing, surf boy. You’re going down. I’ll show you who’s best!” And just like that she was off into the ocean. He watched her for a bit until he plunged into the water and paddled out to the next wave about to crest. He could see her at this point, and she had a strange look on her face. Getting closer to her, he called out to make sure she was okay. She looked up at him, smiled that sly smile and took off. She caught him off guard and he missed the wave. But there was a bigger one coming in. He’d ride that one and definitely beat her to shore. As soon as it crested, he was up on it, riding back to shore. When he got there, she was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, but still couldn’t find her.

Standing on the shore, he called out into the roar but she didn’t answer. He moved closer into the water, now up to his knees, still calling to her, trying to catch a glimpse of her somewhere, anywhere. If she was playing games with him, he wasn’t finding this one funny at all. Something rubbed up against his leg, and he brushed it away. It hit again. He looked down.

At his feet, bobbing in the water, was her surfboard. She wasn’t with it. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere. Panic set in as he ran into the waters, deeper and deeper, until he could no longer stand without being under. He dove under several times, hoping to find Margo, but she was gone.

Now, as he sat on the same beach, he felt her presence, again, calling to him to ride the low waves. This time, he would answer her call…

January Writing Prompt – Every inch of his body sensed her presence – Day 3/31

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