I sit on the edge of my towel with my feet buried in the sand. The tiny grains become too hot to touch and I quickly retreat back to the safety of my towel. I take in my surroundings. The faint noise of a child whining about she doesn’t want to go home, the waves crashing against the pier, the obnoxious screech of seagulls overhead, the lingering smell of overly greased burgers for the nearby food shack. I get up and walk towards the water. I get close enough to feel the water wash over my feet; chilling me to the bone. I pick up a shell and run my fingers over each groove and chip; admiring its beauty. I let it drop to my side and continue to walk forward. I’m completely submerged. I go deeper and deeper until the immense pressure on my lungs in unbearable. I open my mouth letting the murky saltwater stinging the back of throat and filling my chest cavity. I soon begin to feel myself drift away from the life I once knew. I wake up drenched in a cold sweat and my heart is beating erratically. After calming down I take my surroundings and breathe a sigh of relief. “It was just a nightmare.”