Buried in the Silent Tide

A short thriller by yours truly!

I can’t believe you packed this! Francine held up a sexual romantic game she found in his bag. Ted looks up and starts blushing and shrugs his shoulders, “why not?”. I started laughing and put it back. Our marriage is sort of on the rocks lately, being married for over fifteen years, it needs some polishing. That is why we are here at this resort for a getaway and recharge. I don’t know about that game, but I am excited to go to the beach and just have fun like old times. I will admit I have changed as I am getting older. I probably seem boring to him, but it’s not like he is a bundle of excitement either. This will be good for us. Ted is handsome and an accountant. I am still attracted to him, but it’s just the way he goes about it. Now he seems more dominant which he was never like that, so I don’t know if he’s going through a middle age crisis like they talk about.  

I am a hopeless romantic, I guess. He was always so romantic at the beginning, however lately, he has been trying to be more aggressively sexually and that is just not my taste. So, I hope we can get back on the same page over our mini vacation. We decided to go to the beach and hang out there for the afternoon then head to dinner at one of the fancy restaurants in town. The beach is beautiful! There is a gentle breeze that is perfect for swimming and laying out under the warm sun. We get out of the car and start walking up and I awkwardly grab his free hand like a teenager. Surprisingly, he grabs my hand back and we both look at each other smiling and my heart flutters. His smile was always perfect, and his cheek dimples were just adorable. We find a perfect spot and put down our things. We brought two chairs, drinks, snacks, and reading material. I love bringing my romance novels while he reads business magazines which I only read that type of stuff to fall asleep to.  

We walk up to the beach and put our feet in the water. I feel the water surrounding my feet and it is slightly warm, but yet has some chilly sensation to it. I love that feeling…I couldn’t wait to get into the water. I brought my goggles and snorkel because I love to swim around and look at the corral and fish. We put our arms around each other just enjoying the view and feeling the warmth of the sun on our backs. He leans in and kisses me on the temple and that makes me tingle all over because it’s been a long time since he has done that type of thing. I love this trip already. There was no one else there on the beach near us, there were a few families further away playing with the sand and building sandcastles. Laughing and running around, it made my heart happy. I sadly could not bear children. We tried, but it was me and my genetics. I know he wanted to be a father and that I will forever feel guilty for even though there was nothing I could do about it, but it’s one of roles women play is to have children and I can’t. Thankfully, he does not blame me for it. We walk back to our chairs, and I want to get into the water and explore the coral reef.

He decided to stay there so I headed back to the water. I see the water sparkling like diamonds on top of the water and it’s mesmerizing. I looked back at my husband and he was watching me, and it made me blush. I wave back at him, and he does the same. I blow him a kiss like a fool, and he blows one back. Everything is going to be OK. I have a sense of relief and happiness wash over me knowing we are going to be just fine. I look back at the ocean and take a deep breath and smile. Smelling the water and the salty air and taking in this moment. I start walking more in the water as the waves come in and flow back out. I always was fascinated with the ocean. So many questions and wonders, what is actually out there? I have seen a lot of documentaries about mermaids living in the deep, Megalodons, and tons of other creatures or monsters some people call them. Mermaids yes, I agree are a bit of stretch, but the documentary made sense. And honestly, how are we 100% certain? We only know like about 11% of what is in there anyways. I am waist deep in the water, it feels amazing! It’s a little bit chilly, but I am getting used to the temperature. I run my hands face down on the top of the water as it moves around me. My hands skim the top then my fingers dip in the water, breaking the water tension. I can feel seaweed (I hope it’s seaweed) rubbing against my legs. I can see them for the most part because the water is so clear.  

I moved closer in the ocean, and I am neck deep and now I am feeling more push and pull from the water. The ocean shows no mercy. I consider myself a good swimmer, however, I am always cautious swimming in the ocean. I put on my goggles and snorkel and dunk my whole body under the water. There is a whole other world under there and my thoughts run wild in my mind. It is quiet here and peaceful. Still feel the water pulling me out further in the ocean and I let it. I don’t swim against it because it is so inviting. For now, I just let the ocean take me and I surrender to it. I leave all my worries and stresses behind and let the waves take them away from me. I gently swim over to the rocks deeper where the coral reef is.  

My head goes underwater, and I am seeing the world of the sea. This little city under the water, I notice all the tropical fish swimming around or nervously hiding from my intrusion. I observe the coral reef; how beautiful it is. The different textures and colors. I always was fascinated with marine biology, so I was just head over heels. I don’t get to the ocean often living in Minnesota. I reached out slowly and glazed my hand softly on the algae and soft coral that was swaying back and forth. Trying to imagine a fish’s life and having the freedom to swim and go as I please. Although, I see trash and plastic bottles stuck in the crevices of the buildings of coral which I will pick out later when I leave for the day. Still in a daydream, I notice something shiny in the sand. I study it and I swim over, and I start moving the sand away and here is a silver cross necklace that was a bit tarnished from the sea salt water. I take it out of the sand and try to clean it. It had a strange energy to it; one I have never felt. It looked feminine because of how the cross was smaller, but yet it had curves where it was gentle and comforting. I rubbed the cross and it was rough, like it had a whole other story to it. I put the necklace in my pocket, the cool metal pressing against my fingers like a secret. I picked up the bottles and trash around the reef and started heading for the surface to show Ted what I found.  

Ted wasn’t as excited as I was about this necklace, and I didn’t really expect him to. I mean, it is just a necklace, however, I felt drawn to it. We went back to the hotel room and showered. I got a bit sunburned, but it was well worth it. We decided to go out for dinner, and it was nice, but I kept thinking about that necklace. Who did it belong to? Did someone just randomly lose it while vacationing? That happens often. I just feel that was not the case. I wanted to go back and search some more. I am usually not like this, but something is drawing me back to that city underwater. We get done with dinner and walk back. I am enjoying my time with Ted. It seems like he is as well, but he is quiet. He may just be tired. I tried to broach the topic of the necklace, but Ted brushed it off, steering the conversation to safer, emptier topics. I felt the gap between us was widening again, despite the idyllic setting.  

We were sitting, watching TV and I grew restless. I said I am going back out to the beach for a little bit and see it at nighttime.  

He asks “why?”. 

“I just want to see the moon and go for a night swim.” He didn’t resist and he just said to be careful and take the flashlight that was in the car. I already thought about that before he even offered. I kissed him goodbye, and I grabbed my stuff and left the room. I got to the beach and put my stuff down. It was eerily quiet, the moonlight casting long shadows across the sand. I felt a chill as she approached the spot where I had found the necklace. The water was freezing, but my adrenaline was high because I was also worried about sharks and whatever else was in that ocean with me. I kept looking around me with my flashlight in the water. I wouldn’t say it was the greatest flashlight to take on an exploration trip like this one, but I made do. My curiosity got the best of me, and I didn’t want to wait. I was looking around the coral reef and scanning the sand for any clues and I didn’t find anything. I just had this uncomfortable feeling that someone was watching me. I could hardly see anything anyways and I kind of regret coming out here and I could tell I was disturbing the fish and their night routines. I was disappointed then all of a sudden, I felt something pass by me. I have no idea what it was, but my heart started racing. I started scanning the water with my flashlight, however, the darkness beyond the beam felt oppressive. My pulse was quickening, and I think I saw something or someone.  

And then, everything went black. 

The next morning, Ted woke to find Francine’s side of the bed empty. At first, he assumed she had gone for another swim. He was thinking how she was starting to obsess over that beach. Ted waited a bit longer because he knew she would probably want to eat breakfast together, but she never showed. Panic started to set in. He took an Uber to the beach because the car was not at the hotel. He raced to the beach, calling her name. All he found was the flashlight, lying abandoned in the sand.  

The police arrived within hours. The locals whispered about tourists disappearing, about the dangers of the currents at night. The officers searched the water and the shore, but there was no sign of Francine. One officer shook his head solemnly. “The tide’s strong here. If she went in, it’s unlikely we’ll find her.” 

Ted put on a convincing act of worry and despair, but the officers weren’t entirely convinced. Then, just as they were about to conclude the investigation as a tragic drowning, one of them spotted something half-buried in the sand.  

A wristwatch.  

Ted’s wristwatch. It had an engraved that wrote “I love you always Ted. Yours truly, Francine.” It was his tenth-year anniversary gift Francine had given him.  

“This yours?” the officer asked, holding it up. 

Ted immediately grabbed his wrist and froze. “Yes, but… I don’t know how it got there.” 

The officer’s gaze hardened. “Strange place to leave a watch, don’t you think?” 

Suddenly, the tangled threads of the story began to unravel. The officers asked more probing questions, and Ted’s answers grew more inconsistent. Why had he let her go to the beach alone at night? Why hadn’t he gone looking for her sooner? And why did the watch have traces of blood on its strap? 

Ted stammered, his calm facade cracking. “I didn’t… I mean, I…” 

The silver cross necklace Francine had found was brought up as well. One officer suggested it might belong to someone else who had gone missing in the area. It all painted a chilling picture: a husband, harboring dark intentions, who saw the vacation as the perfect cover for murder.  

As the sun set that evening, Ted was led away in handcuffs, his protests drowned out by the sound of the waves. Somewhere, beneath the endless blue, the ocean kept its secrets.  

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