The waves smacked against the dock, ricocheting back momentarily only to barrel forwards again, roaring with a thunderous fury. I sat on the bench, transfixed by their motion, by their wrath, feeling miles away from this world. A lone seagull shifted her beak towards me, perfectly still, peacefully gliding the wake of the white water. Then the sea quieted, and I was here again.
I thought of you.
You had only just begun to trust that the small seismic shifts of the ground beneath you were not catastrophic. Now all at once, the Earth tore apart right where you walked, and you were swallowed whole, with your breath catching in your throat.