Escape To Sunset - Sharon Hamilton Page 0,5

It was fascinating to watch his muscled shoulder and huge arm pull back and then toss the fragments from the jar he held. Someone nearby had gasped. People stopped talking. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone point while others softly chattered like birds on a wire.

Growing up on Sunset Beach, she had never seen this happen before. She thought it was against the law.

But then, he began to run North. Her eyes followed him until he was lost in the crowd of sunset watchers. Several minutes later her reverie was disturbed when he came back, and this time, he slowed down, taking a seat a few yards away from her. Her pulse had raced again as she watched for any further advancement.

She drank her ice water as she continued scanning the beach, still searching for any signs of danger.

Had he sat near her on purpose? Had he watched her the same way she watched him, out of the corner of her eye?

After several minutes, her breathing slowed, and her heartbeat returned to near normal. She’d drained her glass of water. It left her chilled.

My blanket!

Her senses, still not returned to normal, began to perk up a tick or two as she squinted, trying to see where she’d left it. She also wondered if the strange man was still there. If he was homeless, he’d most likely be wrapped up in it. Perhaps infesting it with fleas or using it as a place to cover up peeing on himself. She’d brought that blanket all the way from Portland. It was the fuzzy go-to thing she’d always drawn comfort from, nearly as precious as a child’s blanket. She couldn’t let it become fouled by some berserk behemoth who didn’t respect the laws of the beach.

Kiley unlocked the sliding door and stepped out onto her patio. Breathing in the ocean air several times, she felt her soul fill with courage and hope. She was wrapped in her imaginary safety blanket of happy memories from long ago.

The beach heals everything.

The saying had been painted on a plaque on her apartment wall in Portland. It had been in her bedroom growing up, and it followed her to Europe when she did her semester abroad in Paris. It journeyed with her to London and Scotland and throughout Italy as she made her way traveling all summer before the fall semester.

It was the first thing she unpacked when she came back to Sunset.

Carefully, she traversed the soft sand, noticing what appeared to be the discarded blanket off to the left. As she approached, she sniffed but didn’t detect an odor. But she discovered that someone had folded the blanket and left it there for her. As she bent to pick it up, a male voice behind her whispered, “I’m glad you came back for it.”

She whirled around, clutching the blanket to her chest. She wished she had a knife or a pair of scissors or something to defend herself. But she was going to face this person no matter who he was. She was tired of being so frightened that she could hardly think. She couldn’t sleep. She was exhausted from running, hiding.

Before she could get the words out of her mouth or scream for help, he approached her. His huge shoulders and upper torso blocked what little light came from the stars and the crescent moon rising above him. His size and girth registered quickly. She would not be able to fight him off or outrun him.

“Leave me alone!” she yelled.

“Hey, I mean you no harm.”

“I said leave me alone, “Kiley reiterated, holding her palm out in front.

“I scared you. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to. I apologize. Please, it upsets me to know that I scared you. That’s not me.”

“Did you not hear me? I want you to leave me alone.” She turned to go.

“Wait. Please. Don’t be frightened.”

She hesitated and then rotated halfway in his direction, still ready to run if she needed to.

“What—what were you doing out here with that…” She pointed to the metal canister barely visible tucked under his arm.

“I came to carry out my best friend’s wishes. My buddy lost his life overseas, and I returned him to the sea, to the gulf. This is where he grew up.”

She noticed his English had a slight accent she couldn’t make out. She corrected her focus.

“I’m sorry. But this isn’t a good time for me.”

“Nor for me. But please accept my heartfelt apologies for scaring you. It would