old story (written in 2006)

Nostalgia

Leaning against the weather-worn rails, I stared angrily towards the ashen skyline. Nothing had changed; the beach, the tree and the sand was still in the same place, yet everything was so drastically different. A lot had changed in the past few years. The familiar shores were filled with an air of melancholy. The harbour looked inanimate, like a movie freeze-frame. I remembered a time when the sea glittered during the brief hours of sunlight, and glow when the moon cast its radiance over the waters. But now, it had the look of a brooding child, silent and secretive. The monochromatic clouds draped low, as they were a thick, smothering blanket. The majestic Kauri tree used to stand unwavering, even during the harshest of gales. And now, it was reduced to a bare stump. I doubt it would survive the next storm.
I crossed the old boardwalk tentatively. It was overgrown with green, twirling moss clawing its way through the creaky wooden boards. The familiar landscape brought back shards of memories from days long gone.
Laughter and dazzling sunlight filled the air. The mere sigh was mesmorising. The waters were a pure blue, unblemished by urban pollution and careless visitors. I could literally taste the energy and anticipation surrounding me. The sunlight streamed through the tree branches. Spots of white light danced amongst the shadows of the Kauri leaves
All that was left now was the overwhelming emptiness. The trees had long since abandoned their coat of green leaves, leaving behind only the gnarled, almost macabre twigs and grotesque looking tree trunks and an excess of peeling bark. The beach was transformed into a barren place, devoid of seashells, but filled with infinite specks of sand. The wind whispered no more; the cicadas’ song was only a passing thought. The only voice left was the suffocating silence, even that in itself was frustrating. A droplet of rain now fell and trickled slowly down to my sneakers;. More followed. It seemed like they, too, were mourning for an irreplaceable loss. The murmur of wind that had only begun a few moments before now swelled into a vehement, hateful howl. And there I stood, alone. Amidst all the frenzy created by the incoming storm, I was brought back to reminiscence. The images beckoned me towards a time when we were children, naïve but carefree.
Outlines of the desolate scenery blurred as once again the vibrant colours appeared. As if I was in a dream, I saw children playing chase, giggling. The atmosphere was saturated with excitement. I waded through the thick long grass as fast as I could, stopping only to catch a breath. The aroma of barbecued pork filled my nose as I staggered towards the picnic area.
After the hearty meal we discovered some sea snails lying on the shoreline. Their hard shells made them an ideal object to throw at each other. Each time the shells hit the target, a jet of water would be released. By the end of the day our clothes were soaked through with stinky seawater
Looking back now, it seems like the good times were probably only a façade. Our innocence shielded us like a veil, which eventually wore away to reveal the miserable truth. The seemingly impenetrable barrier dissolved in front of our eyes, pushing us reluctantly onto the ugly, lonesome path to the so-called ‘growing up’; the complex world of adulthood. We were children once, but time had caught up with us, leaving behind ghosts filled with old memories. True, we could look back at the photographs, but they could never recapture the joy, for they are still made of paper, which is insubstantial and flimsy; they could never illustrate the emotions we feel.
The sickening smell of wet sand brought my head back to reality pretty quickly though. The unforgiving wind seeped through my thick jersey and into my skin, cutting into my nerves, my veins like a bloodthirsty knife. A small puddle of rainwater collected at my feet. Reflected in the puddle was my face, pale and tired. The footprints I left imprinted in the damp sand were now being washed out by the incoming tide.
I scooped up a handful of icy sand and hurled it into the grey waters, watching closely as it settled quietly into the depths , without so much as a ripple or splash. Feeling shattered, I walked back home, turning my back from the sad waters, leaving it all behind me.