Wild Swimming by Lesley Bungay
Without you I am adrift. The memory of where we began washes over me. I hear the ocean’s susurration calling. For years I’ve resisted, choosing to live far from temptation. You found a secluded house in a land-locked county, where we built a life – the two of us. Despite hoping.
Our bodies grew old, our love did not. Impulsive spring days floated into comfortable rhythms through summer and autumn. Now alone, with the season changing, my stiffening limbs long to glide, once again weightless. When the first snowdrops emerge like white waves breaking through frozen ground, I know. I must surrender to the whispering in my heart before it’s too late.
I head east, the stars navigating me back to the same secluded cove. You were a strong swimmer then, but the current was stronger, your body struggling against the power of the rip. We washed up on the shore, your arms entwined with mine, hands tracing over shimmering skin. As the sand gave beneath my unsteady feet, you swore to keep me safe. I promised you, one day, we’d swim together again.
The beach is deserted. The rising sun splits the horizon, a welcome glimmer on the rippling surface. I scatter your ashes, watch the stirring of the sea release your spirit, and take a final step into the cool water. The salt sears, peeling away the years with my skin. Morning light sparkles like dewdrops on silvery scales. With a flick, I dive deep beneath the surface, returning with you to the ocean, forever swimming wild.
Lesley Bungay writes novels, short stories, flash fiction and the occasional Haiku. She is represented by Intersaga Literary Agency Ltd
Photo by Hilli McManus
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