Surrounded By Not So Many As You Thought

I woke up earlier than usual today, I could tell it was going to be a very hot day because the sun shone though my supposedly 'sun block' curtains. There were no familiar birds chirping around my balcony or the sound of people's footsteps as they make their way down the gravel path towards the beach. It was dead silent, however at this point in time I was rather grateful for it. I lay in bed daydreaming for a while and before I knew it almost a whole hour had passed. I decided it was about time to get up.
I showered and left my hair down after squeezing all the water from it. It was quite surprising how much water it could actually hold, after I thought I had squeezed it all out my hair still continued to drip as if more water has been poured onto it.
I changed into my old tights, shorts and a blue halter top. I looked at myself in the mirror and realised how ridiculously pale I was, it looked as if I had never stepped outside my house. I decided the halter top showed a little too much skin and opted for my black vest top and checkered shirt. I was already too hot by the time I had packed my bag and made my way down the path and across the field towards the beach. The path that headed down the sloped field was old and crumbling. I had to look where I was walking all the time because the edge of the steps had begun to crumble and with one slight misplacement of my foot I could go tumbling down towards the sea. There was no time to enjoy the scenery, although there wasn't much to enjoy, it was just a cloud free blue sky and a calm sea. You couldn't see any land beyond the sea so I didn't understand why tourists found it so interesting and felt the need to stare at it and take pictures. Maybe they wanted to get away from their everyday lives like I did, to venture out into the sea and never return. Or maybe they just wanted a picture for tumblr. I looked down towards the beach and it was empty, completely empty, it was such a beautiful day, the tide was exposing the soft new sand out but yet it was empty. There were no boats out on the sea either, there was definitely something wrong here. I must of missed something, it was a Thursday during the summer holidays, the supposedly hottest week of the year. The beach should of been filled with mothers plastering sun lotion on their children, fathers in the sea teaching their children how to swim, people chatting and laughing, teenagers surfing or sunbathing. But it was as if it was a cold winters day and nobody wanted to be there. Not even a single soul. I stood at the bottom of the path for a while watching the tide sweep up seaweed and then dispose it onto the sand. The tide was calm and slow although there was a gentle breeze in the air. A seagull was perched on the wooden benches that belonged to the cafe on the beach front. It's stretched it's wings and hopped off the edge of the bench, taking flight and soaring over the sea. The cafe was open but there were no customers, I couldn't even see Mandy who ran the cafe on Thursdays. This was definitely strange because the cafe was very popular, it served fresh food and was always welcoming. I dawdled along the beach, the tide lapping a few inches from my feet, millions of sea shells and pieces of worn down glass had been washed up. The wet glass made the beach glitter like someone had placed a billion emeralds everywhere. Apart from the wind and the occasional call of the seagull it was dead silent. I stopped halfway along the beach, pushed my still wet blonde hair away from my face and gazed out to sea for a while. I wondered what it would be like to set sail and never return. I pictured myself in a small sailing boat with a red sail hoisted high in the air. I would be able to go anywhere, at anytime, without anyone. Just as I was thinking about destinations the tide came out a little further than expected and lapped at my feet soaking my old converse. I took a few steps back and felt foolish for standing too close even though I was sure nobody was close enough to witness it. The heat was getting stronger now and I was getting slightly dehydrated, I felt my face burning up a bit. I hadn't put on sun lotion. My pale complexion didn't agree with sunlight so I decided it was best to head back. I turned around, quickly made my way along the beach back towards the path. I didn't feel like doing much today, as of any other day for the past few months, and supposedly the next few months. I slowly made my way up the crumbling path and stopped at the same point I had earlier to gaze at the view. Still no boats for miles, nothing at all, even the seagull had found some business elsewhere. Talland Bay was known for its spectacular hillside view of the beach and cafe, you could see for miles along the roads and hills. Yet I couldn't see anyone.

I was sat around a bench at the Talland Bay cafe surrounded by my friends and family. The sun was almost at its peak in the sky and I had just finished my second glass of lemonade. I thought I'd better get some more and order drinks for everybody else so I stood up and walked towards the cafe. As I looked up I noticed a young girl with fair hair admiring the view on the hill. She was on her own and looked a little lost as she gazed into the sea. Talland Bay was a tourist hotspot, there were always people here no matter what the weather. I turned away from the girl and continued my way into the cafe, almost tripping up the steps. No matter how many times I had entered the cafe I always seemed to forget the steps. There was only a small queue of people but Mandy was taking her time serving them. I thought about the girl I had seen, she had a glassy empty look in her eyes as she stared out to sea. I suppose it could of been the wind, up on the hill the wind could get strong if you were facing it, enough so to make your eyes water. Mandy was serving the person in front of me now who had ordered too many ice-creams for her to hold. The customer stumbled out the door almost dropping them as she walked down the steps. Mandy greeted me with a smile as I ordered a few lemonades and beers for the family. She gave me the order number and I walked out to sit back down under the unbearable heat of the sun. Once upon a time there had been sun umbrellas until one blew away on a stormy night and blew straight into a car parked a few meters away smashing it's windshield. Ever since then the council banned them from the cafe for health and safety reasons. My health was in critical condition without them, I could feel the heat on my head like someone had set fire to my hair. As I returned to my seat a huge seagull was perched in my spot on the bench. As I came along it stretched out its wings into the wind , strutted to the edge of the table and flew towards the sea. I sat down and watched it fly in circles above the hundreds of people crammed on the beach. My eyes drifted away from the seagull towards someone staring at me. It was the girl from the hillside. She was wearing a checkered shirt and shorts with tights. Her face was slightly pink where she had caught the sun. I didn't understand how she could be wearing so many layers in this heat, nether the less I smiled at her. She continued to stare at me, no not at me, through me. As if I was invisible. I was just about to ask her if she was alright when she turned away and weaved in and out of people towards the sea. Nobody else seemed to notice the discomforted look on her face, the way she walked with her head down. Or the fact that she was even there at all. Mandy brought out our drinks and set them on our table, placing the bill under the ashtray so it wouldn't blow away. She stopped to look out to sea and muttered something about the seagulls pecking at the leftovers all the time, then she went to serve another table. Mandy always worked hard but never got the credit she deserved for it. I scanned my eyes across the beach looking for the girl again, and sure enough she was standing in the middle of the beach a few inches from where the tide came in. She was staring out to sea, completely oblivious to everything around her. It was as if she was in her own fantasy. She stood out from everyone else, she was the only one completely covered in clothing whilst everyone else were wearing their shorts, skirts, t-shirts or swimming costumes. the tide which was going out unevenly came in a little further than the last time and it swished around her feet then retreated back. This seemed to snap her out of her daze because she took a few steps back almost walking into a man carrying a surfboard. I laughed at her reaction and she strangely turned around in my direction. Surely she couldn't hear me, the beach was packed with people talking and there was almost a full length beach in-between us. Sarah who was sat next to me gave me a odd look which was probably due to me laughing. She had been gazing in the same direction but obviously hadn't noticed the girl. I took a long sip of my lemonade which now wasn't as cold anymore and picked up the bill, luckily I had the cash to pay it and wouldn't have to use my card. I couldn't stay in the heat much longer so I decided to head back home, the beach was getting incredibly crowded to the point where people were sitting on the floor because all the seats had been taken up. The girl seemed to have the same idea as me because she was walking across the beach, back towards the hill. I was extra cautious about the steps and avoided misplacing my foot this time as I walked inside the cafe. I was grateful that I didn't have to queue again because even more people had arrived, it was midday now, the sun was at its hottest for the day so many tourists had been caught in the trap of traveling in the heat without anything to cool them down. I left the money and a tip for Mandy on the counter then said goodbye to her and thanked her for the drinks. I walked outside the cafe to gather my belongings and say goodbye to my friends and family. I noticed the girl was back on top the hill. She looked at me, or through me for a few seconds then turned her back and disappeared behind the overgrown bushes that lined the edge of the hill and also blocked my view.

No matter how many people you are surrounded by, you are always alone.