~ ~ ~ Floridian Flashbacks
~ ~ ~ Chapter 1
~ ~ ~ Scenic
Nature sprawled out in every direction; flat, green and still. Stands of mangroves dotted the layout, giving variety to the plain, swamp landscape. The freshness and moistness of the grass and the woods could be felt even from afar, as if they raised an invisible hand to touch me. There I stood, on the road that singularly sliced through the wetland and divided it into seemingly equal halves. The one control in a vast expanse of random life. Mother nature as the most prolific of scientists, experimental life forms branching out indefinitely.
The air was barely moving, yet felt cool and steady against my face. I had no idea how long I'd been standing there on the side of the road, staring at the horizon. A car finally passed by, like a rock into a quiet pond, sending little pebbles scuttling against my legs. The man driving the car merely glanced at me as he passed, an expression of diluted disgust on his face. Perhaps he thought I was only watching the sunset. For a moment I actually thought I might.
It was a long walk back to the docks and I was better off getting started. While I walked the sun actually did set, although I didn't really notice, and more cars continued to pass by. Their headlights became all that was visible of them until they neared, streams of light that shone across the sides of the road, grazing the edge of the flora that swayed in the wake. There was no stopping them, I could only try to ignore them as I walked.
The night came gradually, a luxury afforded by cloudless skies, near-zero elevation and lingering sunlight bending through the earth's atmosphere into reddish hues. Eventually even that was gone and the sky returned to its quiet state of blue- as deep as the sky was high. It began to get a little cold, and I put my hands in my pockets and turned the collar of my shirt up to keep warm. I wondered why I hadn't taken a jacket while walking at night.
The ugly, medicinal white lights of the bait store parking lot were the first thing I saw as I neared the dock. An old pick up truck was parked in front of the store and there were a few boats resting at the dock. I walked up the gravel lot and into the store. It was warm and smoky inside, I looked over at the shopkeeper, his hair was bleached by the ocean and his shirt worn and dirty. I grabbed a bag of peanuts and a can of Arizona tea and left the store feeling somewhat fulfilled.
I sat on the pier with my legs hanging off, drank my tea and ate my peanuts. The two boats docked there were small, but enough for any hardened fisherman, I supposed. The smell of water was like an old relative, it was good to have it there every now and then, but you didn't want to have to deal with it all the time. The waves made the little bits of garbage and driftwood bob at the edge of the pier. The black sky looked down at me, it was no longer intimidating to me but it still tried its best.
There was a commotion in the parking lot, two men were carrying on as they clambered into the pick-up, carrying boxes of fishing gear. I tried to forget they were there and looked at the dark water. It was was neither an enemy nor a friend to me, yet its indifference was enough to make me wary. It was curious how the sky never scared me, but the water did. A few clouds had popped up on the horizon, made visible only by the moon. They were like ocean-liners in the distance, on some clandestine cruise into infinity. I crumpled up my can of tea and dropped it into the water, not wanting the litter that gently swayed on its surface to get lonely.