Prolog
The sun lavished its warmth upon Brighton Beach, drawing elongated shadows from the festive throng of beachgoers. Children’s laughter, as they sculpted castles in the sand, intertwined with the gentle lapping of waves at the shore. Couples reclined in shared contentment, while the air vibrated with the soulful strumming of a lone guitarist. Amidst this scene of carefree delight, a more sombre narrative played out, hidden from the joyful facade.
Michelle, Barry, and Detective David sifted through the crowd with a sense of urgency that bordered on desperation. Their quest was not for some misplaced item or a lost pet; they were seeking me—a man fading from the very fabric of time, a man without yesterday. my existence hanging by a thread.
I was nowhere to be found among the sunbathers or the café dwellers. Instead, I was cloaked in the sea’s cool grasp, a silent observer to the world I was slipping away from. My body, submerged and invisible to the beach’s denizens, swayed with the sea’s ebb and flow, an unsettling contrast to the frantic ticking of the clock that echoed in the recesses of my mind.
Every tick seemed to pull me deeper into the abyss. The lively ambiance of the beach transformed into a distant hum, and the vibrant hues of life blurred into obscurity through the water’s filter. The comforting melody of the guitar, once a beacon of solace, faded away, as though it were the dying beats of my own heart.
Inside, a fervent desire to scream surged—’I’m here! Right here beneath the waves, drowning in a sea of time!’ But my words were trapped, dissolving into silent screams that rose as unnoticed bubbles to the indifferent surface.
Michelle scanned the horizon, his gaze missing the subtle disturbances on the water’s surface that marked my presence. The merciless flow of time tugged me further from the sunlit world, erasing my presence as if I were mere ink dissolving in the ocean’s vast canvas.
Is there any hope that my silent calls for help will reach those searching for me? Can Detective David and his team shatter the illusion of this reality and rescue a man lost in time before it’s too late?
by Extension-Grass-7488