The Sandpiper

The sandpiper seemed innocent enough, as it trailed the water’s edge. She followed, keeping her distance. It was a beautiful day in April, when the unspeakable happened. A warm sun and gentle breeze comforted her busy mind. Patiently, she followed the bird, feeling the mixture of sand, pebbles, and broken shells beneath her feet. As a flock of seagulls lifted in flight, Her eyes returned to the sandpiper. It had stopped, so she did the same. She noticed that the bird had frozen in mid-step. How cute, she thought. Then a strange feeling passed over her. A deep, mindless fear crept into her mind. She slowly turned her head, her eyes leaving the sandpiper and looking back up the beach. She immediately noticed people frozen in place. EVERYTHING WAS FROZEN EXCEPT HER Two men and a woman behind her frozen in time, arms in mid-stride, mouths open, as if forever in speech, eyes staring into nothing. She looked back to the sandpiper. She felt compelled to walk toward it. Standing, looking down at the lifeless form, she reached and picked it up. The feathers were soft, but, the bird felt hard and solid. Turning it over, her long nail clicked on the metal patch beneath. She turned quickly and faced the figures behind her. She threw the fake sandpiper at the woman, it clanged off her still head. She turned and ran, tears flowing from her eyes. She began to scream. At that moment, a dark shadow appeared over the beach.