one day, she reached the edge. the edge of the coast, where the sand met the ocean. the shore.

there was a storm building in the sky. she could see the flashes of lightning and hear the rolling of thunder. she knew she should leave, but she was fascinated.

she took a step and it was one step too far. the world seemed to shift. the sky turned from blue to dark purple. the storm spread out in tendrils.

the sand had turned black.

she saw this and turned to run. she almost missed her window. she could feel the shore reaching out to her, trying to bring her back, but she ran and pushed herself harder than she ever had and she found herself back where the world made at least a small amount of sense.

she stays away from the shore now. she moves inland.

she still remembers how the black sand glittered under the stormy sky though.