Mid-Week Flash Challenge - Week 219

This week's photo prompt was taken by Caroline Von Tuempling a London based photographer who works for Getty Images. This picture is for sale as wall art and called Shadow of a Palm Tree on a Deserted Beach. She also worked for the Maldivian Tourist Board, so I should imagine that is where this was taken. Still a place on my bucket list.

No Tricky this week. I did want to go dark, but it just wasn't there, so it's a hopeful tale instead. 

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There is also a Facebook group for Mid-Week Flash, if you fancy getting the prompt there.

Mindset 

She sat in the shadow of the palm tree and looked out at the deserted beach which reflected her life so accurately. It was beautiful and pristine but devoid of life. She marveled at its perfection. It was everything she had dreamed it would be yet it felt like a veneer with no depth. She longed to feel something other than being alone. She could imagine anything she wanted in her head, but it wasn’t here and tangible.

She felt the heat of the sun even though she sat in the shade. She could smell the ocean breeze and feel the ripples of the shallow waves as they touched her toes. She wanted to love this and embrace it, and she did, but … there was always a ‘but’.

She enjoyed being single, living alone, and not having to be dependent or obligated to anyone. She’d done that for enough years. And this was her reward, coming here, ticking this location off her bucket list, but alone it had no meaning. It needed to be shared, whether with a friend or a lover, it didn’t matter.

She stood up and waded into the water until she was knee deep. The wind picked up over the water and she held onto her big floppy hat as she breathed in and stood there enjoying it, refusing to let her aloneness eat away at this moment.

She heard voices and saw two people strolling along hand in hand. Was the universe taunting her? Then she heard the conversation as they passed.

‘I wanted to go snorkeling.’

‘We can do that after we’ve been to the mainland and had a look around.’

‘Can’t we just skip that and stay here and enjoy the island?’

‘We don’t have that much time. We need to see as much as we can.’

‘But we’re here to rest and relax.’

‘There’ll be time for that after.’

‘Will there? We’ve only got five days here.’

‘Exactly we need to make every second count.’

‘So then why rush around a city looking for presents people don’t even want?’

‘That’s a bit cynical.’

‘Is it? We came here for us to get away and reconnect.’

‘And we’re doing that. We’re strolling along a beach hand in hand, aren’t we?’

The forced smiles they gave each other were enough to make her feel grateful to be on her own. She could do what she wanted and go where she wanted without having to compromise to suit another.  

She took another breath and took in her surroundings through fresh eyes. She could indeed do whatever she wanted. There was a wine tasting evening tonight trying out the local wines, and right now she could be enjoying a massage at the end of the jetty.

She took her time going back to the main building, walking along the shoreline in the shallows. It was glorious. And as she walked up to reception to book her spa treatment, she spotted a lone guest reading a book. They glanced at her as she walked by and smiled. She smiled back. Maybe she wouldn’t be spending all her time alone here.