The Sea Noose

The Sea Noose


My eyes were sore and itchy the next morning. Throughout the night I had watched Vitas kick his leg in his sleep and added a log or two to the fire when it needed one. Around three in the morning I went outside, and took a little walk. I had changed my shorts out or a small pair of shorts, they were more comfortable to move in. I had also changed my tank top for a short, dark blue, t-shirt, barely long enough to go past my navel.

I walked along the beach slowly, taking my time enjoying the moonlight and the sound of the waves rythmetically crashing against the sand and being drawn back out to sea. I shivered, the coldness of the night making me alert and aware of my surroundings. The light mist from the ocean helped my eyes feel better, though they were still a little sore.

I continued to wander along the shore, finding the flat rock I had sat on a few days ago and took a seat once more. I layed down on my back, my arms resting over my waist, as I looked up into the night sky, the stars shining brilliantly. This was one of the top reasons I had bought a house next to the shore so many years ago. There was nothing to dim the lights of the starts at night.

I watched the stars shining in the sky for a long time, though not too long, the moon was still shining brightly, no sun in sight when I started to head back home. Vitas was still sleeping in front of the fire when I got back, my stomach choosing that moment to growl loudly. Vitas' ear twitched, but he didn't move. I sighed.

“So, what? After three days you now decide you want food?” I grumbled at my stomach. It didn't answer me back as I wandered into the kitchen and tried to figure out what I could eat. I found, to my surprise, some fresh apples and bananas sitting on the counter. I smiled when I realized they were some what hidden by Vitas' dog food. I smiled. Cian put them there without my knowing. I hadn't even seen them when I had gotten Vitas' food the past few times.

I picked out a banana from the three on the counter and started peeling it. I took a small bite, chewing slowly, trying to make the banana last as long as possible so I'd wouldn't be hungry much sooner. I paused for about a minute between bites, savoring the flavor of the banana. Cian was smart. He got my the two fruits that I love.

I wandered back into the living room, sitting on the couch and finished by banana. I put the peel on the table and curled into a ball, content with watching the fire and Vitas. I waited for the sun to rise or for Vitas to awake. Which ever one happened first.


The sun was up before Vitas was. I let him outside so he could go to the bathroom. We spent the day playing every now and then, but he seemed content to chew on a bone he found hidden within his blankets and lie in front of the fire. I sighed and let my head fall back against the back of the couch with a soft thump. My hands rested on my stomach and I yawned.

Yes, I was tired, but I wasn't sleepy. There was a difference. I yawned again and sighed, standing up and going down the hallway, towards my room. I stopped in front of the hidden door and unlocked it, the chain still about my neck. I quickly walked up the stairs, leaving the door open, just in case. I opened the bottom drawer on the left side of the desk, pulling out some charcoal paints.

I set them on the desk, pulling out a few soft brushes and closed the drawer. I pulled all of the supplies into my arms and opened the sliding glass door. I set the charcoals and brushes on one of the two chairs and popped back into the room, grabbing the large pad of paper meant for an easel. I brought the paper outside, pulling out a metal easel from a well hidden nook and set it up.

I looked out over the view, cocking me head to the side, trying to decide where I should start. The sun had only risen about ten minutes ago, the morning was still fresh, a nice, light ocean fog lapping over the land. I nodded once to myself, making up my mind. I picked up a piece of black charcoal, swiftly swiping it across the page, making the horizon.

I worked methodically, drawing the outline of the quarter risen sun next, followed by small rivulets in the ocean. My touch was light, the charcoal barely touching the page, yet still leaving a mark in its wake. I continued drawing the small details, the swirl of a wave going this way, the misty fog thicker here than in another place.

I continued drawing the scene slowly, though my movements were swift and fast. The rolls of the waves, the curves on the rocks, the rough looking texture of the sand all came together on the paper.

When the curves of the scene were done, all drawn in the black charcoal, I went back into the room and knelt down next to the bottom drawer on the opposite side of the desk. I opened the drawer and pulled out the water paints that were hidden there, along with an unopened bottle of water.

I took the new items back out to the porch, taking a brush and dipped it into the bottle off water, once it was open. I uncapped the water paints and swirled the brush in the darkest blue there was. I kept swirling the brush in the paint, waiting for the color to become more defined.

I lifted the brush up from the paint when most of the color had blended into the water, making it thicker. I quickly studied the lines of charcoal, observing where the best place to start would be. I decided to start in the middle, where the sun met the horizon on the water, twisting the brush in light circles over the paper.

The paint was dark at the center, showing the spot where the light from the sun had yet to hit the water. I dipped the brush into the blue again, and continued painting the ocean, stopping just short of where the shore line was drawn. I poured a small amount of water from the bottle on to the light, sky blue paint and swirled my brush in that color, mixing the two blues together and coming up with an in between color.

The mixed colors made up the rest of the ocean, over lapping the shore line a small amount.

I continued to color the scene, painting the sun a mix of yellow and dark orange, the sand a dusky brown. The rocks were colored a light gray with a few hints of black dots here and there.