The Scream / saor alba

The rain bounced upwards as it pounded the hard wooden boardwalk that ran the length of the beach that provided its travellers with a glorious view of the beautiful coastal bay.  Edvard stood leaning on the rail, staring out at the boats that although anchored, were being violently tossed around by the ferocious force of the waves and the howling wind and rain.  Most people would be considered crazy to be out in such treacherous conditions, but not Edvard.  He loved it, he hadn't felt this relaxed and content in months, and despite the fact that all around him was evidence of nature at its most ferocious, Edvard finally felt some peace.

There hadn't been a storm recorded like this since the days of Leif Erikson. The beachfront was deserted. On any normal day the beachfront was awash with joggers, dog walkers or part-time treasure collectors beeping their way around the glorious sands with delusional dreams of finding lost Spanish treasure or Nazi gold, but in reality finding only the odd Euro or some ignorant fiend's litter. Edvard hugged himself tightly under his soaking jacket and made his way along the boardwalk to the wooden pier that jutted out from the shore.

Edvard flinched as a bolt of lightning violently flashed above him, splitting the sky from end to end. He had never been this close to lightning before and a cold fear ran through him but grinning at his foolishness (and considering why he was out in such awful weather), he continued down the boardwalk. Suddenly, between thunder crashes, Edvard thought he heard a scream. He ran to the barrier and leaned over, looking down at the sandy shore and underside of the boardwalk. He strained through the noise of the thunder and pounding rain crashing off the wooden floor and wondered if his mind was maybe playing tricks on him.  But - there it was again! This time he was sure - it was definitely coming from below him. Glancing below, he spotted a flash of bright yellow through the narrow planks of the boardwalk floor. Clambering over the barrier, he leapt into the wild air, and crashed into the dark rampaging water below: within seconds, he was smashed against the concrete pillars of the boardwalk as Edvard became the silver ball in natures pinball machine.

His head pounded and salty blood ran into his eyes from the deep cut above his right eye caused by being tossed angrily in and around the several concrete pier supports by the rampaging sea.  He tread water struggling to keep his head above the waves when just as he violently shook the blood and salt water out of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of yellow and with all his might tried to swim through the dark angry water towards the bright yellow object.  Edvard was only feet away from the yellow object, and as he reached out to grab it, a large wave threw Edvard into one of the rugged concrete pillars knocking him instantly unconscious and leaving him to the mercy of the sea in an underwater concrete maze.

Edvard opened his eyes and stared at the moon above: never had it looked brighter.  He looked around and could see that he had been washed up on the beach and as he looked around the shore for the little girl he was sure he had seen, he was shocked to see a lone bright yellow buoy lying on the beach.  Edvard was sure he had seen a girl. He slowly got up from the cold wet shore groaning as the cuts and bruises that covered his body reacted to his movements.  The rain pounded his face as he started gingerly walking inshore and suddenly was violently sick onto the wet sand below.  Edvard's head pounded from the human pinball under the pier and the several large cuts that he received to his face were stinging from the cold night air and the fearsome rain.  Edvard cautiously hobbled towards the stairway entrance to the boardwalk keeping his body in a rigid stance as possible to avoid skin contact with the freezing fabric of his clothes.  Edvard reached the top of the stairs and struggling to see through the rain and the blood in his eye's, came face to face with an old woman.

"Sorry, I didn't see you" Edvard stumbled around the side of the woman doing his best not to knock her over but almost falling over himself in the process. Edvard wiped some of the blood out of his eyes and stood frozen, wet and in agony.  Needing a moment to take it all in, Edvard leaned over and began holding his knees, violently spitting salt water and blood onto the ground below.

 "Sorry, hope I didn't scare you, I was on the pier, I, I thought, I, I thought" Edvard stuttered as he realised how ridiculous it would sound that he was trying to be a hero, trying to save someone's life, almost getting killed in the process, only to try and save a buoy. 
"What's that dear? What did you think?" Edvard stared back for a second and replied "Its ok, its nothing, I fell off the pier, I'll be fine".
"You really should be more careful son; I lost my Fran in these waters" 
"I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Edvard asked the woman. 
"My Fran, she was 9, she died swimming the pier.  She would have been 25 today.  I often wonder what she would have looked like. I lost her that day.  I didn't even get the chance to bury her.  All they found was this"

The woman was sobbing as she produced a jumper from her bag, it clearly belonged to a child and as the woman turned away sobbing and left to walk along the shore, Edvard stood silently shocked for the jumper was bright yellow.

Edvard removed a blue soggy envelope from his jacket pocket; it was addressed to his parents.  He threw the envelope in the bin and began his long cold journey home.