She paused at the edge of the boardwalk, where weathered wood met drifting sand, and let the salt wind play against her skin. Ahead, the sea stretched wide and unending, gulls rising above its restless surface. For a moment, she stood caught between the shore and the horizon, her heart leaning toward the freedom of the waves. The world behind her was familiar, but the ocean before her whispered of journeys yet to come.
