Pier 39

By Isabella Dale

The mild wind, blowing in from the clear waters of Pier 39 engulfed the souls admiring its scenic beauty.

Bodies stood in respect, watching the world pass by one second at a time. Children played, tourists snapped memories into their digital cameras, and old lovers sat on worn out wooden benches gazing upon short waves fighting their way to shore.

Nothing could alter such calmness.

As the peacefulness blew in; hardships, turmoil, and the catastrophes of life no longer seemed existent among such stillness.

For once in a long time, I felt at ease.

Credits: tripadvisor.com

The feeling of longing took over me in an instant. Soon, I would have to leave this wonderful place. I would have to say farewell, and farewells were few and far between in my world. I lacked the ability to confront the last with an acceptance that still allowed me to move on with positivity. 

Therefore, farewells scared me to the core.

I asked myself the question: what happens after everything becomes a memory?

Do the photographs diligently taken through my camera truly justify the feelings I felt while standing there breathing it all in? No. No, they do not. 

And that was what scared me.

No matter how beautiful it all was, no matter how much better it felt compared to the existing reality I was faced with, time always has a price.

I wished right then and there that everything would stop, that this world would become my reality. 

But it seemed, the more I wished the further it ran from me, and slowly but surely, my true reality set it. 

As I took one last breath before turning away, I promised to capture this beautiful moment in my head, and hold on to it for the rest of my life. So that maybe one day, when my hair turns grey and my life becomes a routine of ignorant bliss, I'd still be able to recall the clear waters, the picturesque skies, and the smiles of those around me hoping for the same.