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lady, running down to the riptide

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"Hey, you! Excuse me!"

I turned and saw a young woman sprinting towards me, her hair flying behind her as she skidded to a stop. I blinked, "Yes?"

"I like your shirt! You're cool. Want to go catch a movie with me?" she had a rapid fire way of talking and it took me a second to understand what she was asking.

She was clearly waiting patiently so I nodded, "Sure, when?" I watched as she whipped out her phone and checked something before tucking it into her back pocket.

"Tomorrow? At noon! I'll see you then!" she smiled brightly then turned and bounded off, earning amused looks from most of the people watching, including me.

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At noon the next day, I walked down to the town's only movie theater. I was unsure of what movie we were going to watch, since she hadn't bothered to tell me, so I stood near the ticket window and waited for her.

Ten minutes later, I saw her. She came walking down the street, moving as if the sidewalk was her runway. She didn't look full of herself but she definitely demanded attention.

No one had seen this girl before and her sudden appearance was surprising, since our population was small enough that newcomers were obvious. My friends had been so jealous when I'd told them I was going to the movies with her, especially since I was scared of talking to girls, especially the pretty ones.

"Hi!" she called, waving enthusiastically as she approached.

I waved back and watched as she bought our tickets and led us over to buy snacks. The movie she wanted to see was some sort of horror movie and I was unsure of how bad it would be. Horror in the absolute dark was not something I was a fan of but I brushed it off, since she seemed excited.

After the movie, she asked to meet the next day. And the next.

And it just kept going.

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She reached for the radio dial and turned the volume up high as she leaned out of the car window, her laughter bright and clear against the wind whipping against her face.

I turned us off the main road and onto the smaller dirt road framed with towering trees while she started to sing along to the song playing, though she didn't know all the words and she kept messing up.

She mumbled through what she didn't know but sang loudly to the chorus, smiling through it all. I sang with her when she knew the lyrics and paused when she did, since I also didn't know all the lyrics.

I loved when she sang, especially the songs she didn't know. Her attempt to try was amusing enough, even if she didn't have the perfect voice compared to everyone else, so I loved everything she sang.

The beach came into view ahead of us and I started to pull the old Volkswagen bus to a stop, cringing as branches scraped the sides. She'd somehow gotten ahold of it for the day from someone nearby, though it was a lot harder to drive than either of us had expected.

The small cove was overgrown with trees that had been slowly trying to take over the sand for ages, though they never seemed to get any closer whenever I'd visit. I'd been going there for years, ever since my mother had showed it to me as a small kid, and I didn't know if anyone else knew of it. Except her, now, of course.

She threw open her door and hopped out onto the sand, running straight for the water while I followed at a slower pace. She'd packed a blanket for a picnic somewhere but neither of us seemed interested in finding it as I chased her into the spray, kicking up water around our feet as sand stuck itself against our legs.

We spent all of our days together, happy in each other's company. I took days off from work to follow after her whimsy and she didn't seem to mind the fact that she job hopped a lot, getting fired from job after job due to her disinterest in actually working.

Just a few days before we'd gone to watch a movie at an old theater a couple towns away that I had remembered recently and had wanted to see again. She'd agreed but she'd fallen asleep before it was even halfway done.

She moved around a lot and the thought of her leaving was constantly over my head, since she'd only been in her last town for a month before she left. She'd been with me for three.

She stopped running and turned around, reaching out and throwing me down into the waves. I laughed and stood back up, splashing after her, before doing the same to her. She shrieked with laughter as she hit the sand.

Her hair was sticking to her skin and I could see red starting to show up on her shoulders, since neither of us had stopped to apply sunscreen.

I followed after her as she went deeper into the water, fighting against it as we tried to run faster than it would allow. She dove into the water and I watched as she swam away, her form rippling in the water.

She had strong lungs and could swim far without taking a breath so I stood and waited for her return, since she usually swim loops around me. I couldn't help but worry when she was going to leave again, though.

She'd said almost nothing about her personal life and all she'd told me was of her travels themselves. She'd once mentioned she'd wanted to be an actress, like Michelle Pfeiffer, and I couldn't help but believe she'd be a wonderful one. She was that kind of person, destined for the big screen and admired by many.

But that means she'd be taken from me.

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The longer she was with me, the more she changed.

She was no longer happy and outgoing. That side of her seemed to have been taken away. She snapped at smaller things and was restless, easily irritated. She didn't want to go out and she hardly answered my calls.

Then, one day, she was gone.

She'd packed her stuff and left the small apartment she'd been sharing with someone else, who later told me that she'd gotten into some bad stuff and it had stripped away what made her her.

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Years later, I saw her on the screen. Her face was the same but nothing else was. Her eyes were cold and cruel and she had a covered up sickly look to her. No one could deny her talent at acting, however, and people hesitantly applauded her.

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taken away to the darkside...

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