Before the sun rose, Peppy and Josh swam silently through a mill pond of sea.

Now she let the warm summer breeze caress her face, and she inhaled the saltiness from her unwashed hair.

Settled on the terrace of their rented summer cottage, she ate a bagette filled with creamy ripe brie and smoked jambon.
The freshly poured glass of rosé wine, smelt of strawberries and thyme. She put the liquid to her lips and savoured the taste.

Peppy recalled her travelling adventures, that had fed and helped her realise many long-held dreams.

She had learned to trust in life, and, after many romantic encounters, she had found love with Josh.

Pulled back, she observed the bustling wide-open spaces of the beach.
Horses galloped over sand, dogs barked, racing each other to catch a ball or, they bounded into curly waves and rising froth.
Teens and adults alike swam, or, sat on paddleboards gliding from one side of the sheltered cove to the other.

Peppy continued to eat and sip a second glass of the chilled wine.
Captured by the sound of children’s laughter; they splish…splashed at the water’s edge or jumped over the waves before they reached the shore.

Some little ones sat with brightly coloured buckets and spades, ready to dig deep into the velvety wet sand. Others, impatiently called out to their parents, “Mummy, Daddy, hurry. Come, you have to help us make a fairy tale sandcastle.”

But, before the day ended, and after the tide rolled in; sandcastle magic would disappear. Some of the children would shed tears, not understanding that tomorrow would be another day, and they could start over.

That is what had transpired with her and Josh.

“Now that I found you again, I’ll never let you go. We are meant for each other,” he’d whispered one heavenly night, by the calming sea. Under the luminous stars, they lay in each other’s arms, wrapped in a blanket, until dawn.

Her heart flipped with love for the man she never thought she would marry.

But for reasons unknown, Peppy abruptly fell into unchartered thoughts. This love; transient like the sandcastles, and without due care, their bond could also disappear.