The Boat

There was a nip in the air as he hurried after her down to the shore. He shrugged the cold from his shoulders and wished he had thought to wear something warmer. The white mist had rolled in and shrouded the shore like it did every morning.  He caught a flash of her red coat as she swam into the fog and disappeared. He moved along the beach, not wanting to be seen and certainly not wanting to have to explain why he'd followed.  The water lapped at the sand and as he neared the edge, the mist drifted around him, concealing him completely.

It took only moments for the boat to appear. It glided toward where he stood, stopping just short of his shoes that were sinking into the sand. The hull of the boat crunched and grated as it beached on the shore. Here it stopped and casually leaned to one side, as if waiting patiently for him to decide. 

He stared at the boat, and considered his options, his heart thudding away in his chest. He looked around but could see nothing through the surrounding fog. He freed a foot from its sandy grave and stepped over the gunwale and pulled himself in. He sat for a moment and then felt the pull of the tide as it dragged the boat from the beach. He looked through the fog and caught glimpses of the shore as the boat rocked its way toward the place he had feared all his life.