The beach

The cold blue eyes revealed a depth rarely seen, a pain rarely felt, a knowledge rarely known. The brokden person stood shattered before me. Silently pleading with me, but how could I help her? I, from my world of comfort and safety, relatively sheltered from the despair that plagues others, found nothing inside myself to compare with the devastation I saw before me.

I stood in the twilight with the beautiful evening sea stretched out before me. As I turned, I found myself afraid to face the tragedy that was a human life, because then I wouldn't be able to walk away, ignore her like nothing had happened. The girl before me was small, I picked her age at 17. Dark brown hair hid her pale face. A face of broken determination. Her tear-stained cheeks revealed a deep sadness, and dark gashes lined her blood-stained arms. I knew as I turned around that what I had seen had changed me forever.

I reached out her, but she recoiled in fear, It started to rain but she didn't seem to notice. The beach which before had been peaceful was now full with foreboding. I beckoned this girl to follow me, but I could see it took too much trust. She had yet to speak, but then so had I. I think we both knew that mere words were not enough. But what is enough? This situation was so far from anything I had ever known. I felt powerless to help her, but when she looked at me I had to do something.

The girl looked up in the moonlight, casting away the shadows on her face. Suddenly she started to cry, silent tears of anguish, before she fell to her knees, her body racked with sobs. I brought myself down and once more looked into her eyes. She sensed my clumsy attempts to reassure her, and this time reached out for me. I put my arm around her shoulders, they felt so cold.

We sat together, on the wet sand for what seemed like alifetime, and without words she soaked up my comfort before slowly trying to stand. We started to walk off the beach and I finally felt her relax under my arm. The rain reduced to a quiet pitter-patter, the fear and unsettlin easing away with it.