I step forward into the dark water to discover it is shallow rather than deep. I still hear the drip of water that led me here. Figuring I've come this far following it, I decide to continue following it to see where I end up.

Still, I'm disappointed that I won't be going into the ocean from my dream to see the creature again.

I guess there's still time for that. Whatever time is in this place.

As I move forward the tunnel becomes lighter, gradually I can see more and more of the faded orange walls. I can smell the familiar scent of the shore where I grew up. Though I should by all rights be comforted that it's not so dark anymore and that I have a taste of my childhood home, instead I am overwhelmed by sadness. It feels as if I'm visiting the grave of someone I love, knowing I can never get them back.

I pause.

But what is there to go back to? There is nothing. Surely this is the way.

Looking at the warm, aged, faded orange walls, I recall my youth, the fire I had. Things weren't easy but I still had hope even if I lacked confidence. You just had to work hard, that's what I believed. I thought things would get better with time, not knowing how bad they would get. Working hard doesn't always help. Sometimes it's wasted effort. I didn't know that back then. Do I really want to watch myself learn it?

If you have to live in darkness, would you want to revisit the light just to watch it be extinguished?

And what exactly is the point? I already know what has happened to me...

They say hindsight is 20/20. Maybe there are things here present me would see that past me missed. It's not like I have anywhere better to be.

I forge my way forward once more. The smell of ocean water fills my lungs as I reach the end of the tunnel and the beginning of a sandy shore, to see the blessed sky above me.

It's not a clear sky. It's cloudy and bruised looking, holding the promise of a terrible storm. And things are eerily silent. I can no longer hear the drip. Nothing moves, not even the clouds.

The sand seems too orange, the sky too vividly colored as if I stepped into a painting rather than a real place. In the distance is a squat white house with a black roof. Behind it is a hazy mountain, appearing to be out of focus. Before the mountain is a figure that is impossible to identify. It waves a greeting. I wave back and thunder rolls. Jumping at the sudden loud sound I glance at the sky and see the clouds drifting nearer. When I turn back towards the mountain both it and the figure are gone. There is only the house and endless miles of too-orange sand.

I begin to walk towards the house, seeking shelter before the rain comes. But to my dismay the ground isn't actually sand, but shards of glass. The fragments slice into my bare feet.

If you want me to go forward, why would you make it so hard?

Suddenly my mind goes to video games and how the door or path you need to take will often have some kind of obstacle, be it a monster, a lock or something else barring entry.

Stepping back into the tunnel, I tear the white fabric of my clothes, then clean (as much as I can) and wrap each foot. My steps light and quick I traverse the stretch of glass beach.

As I move forward I start to hear the sound of waves behind me. A glance over my shoulder reveals a dark body of water that goes as far as my eyes can see. There seems to be no end to it. The tunnel is also gone.

Pausing, I ponder if I should enter the water to look for the creature.

The sky begins to darken and a chill runs up my spine. I feel like someone or something is behind me and getting closer as if to touch my shoulder.

With trepidation I slowly turn my head to see who or what it is.