Waves broke and foamed towards the white sand, leaving shells and bits of seaweed on the edges. I watched the sun dipping behind the mountain.  The sky turned a rosy hue and one delicate cloud floated across the deepening sky.  I wrapped my towel around myself and pulled my legs up on the warm rock.  Oyster catchers pecked at mussels clinging onto the rough surfaces and scuttled off when I stretched for my basket.  The rock was losing its warmth rapidly and it was time to make my way home.

The Catwalk was emptied of its many strollers.  Seagulls shrieked their way across the white horses and waves began to crash against the stone wall.  The sea breeze filled my nostrils and I took deep breaths as I walked.  The sun had energized me.  I reached the sand and lurched into a cartwheel.  I lingered for a few more minutes.  Pumpkin would be waiting for me outside the cottage.  He always wanted to be stroked and cuddled, before Henry the Maltese, had his turn.

I turned back for one last gaze at the sea. The sky had turned hazy and a thin film of mist hovered over the waves.  I squinted automatically and in the distance  a spurt of water shot up from a circle which had appeared.  I dropped my towel and jogged closer to the sea edge.  When I waded in a little way, the soft but distinct whale cry echoed across the water.  No other sound could match the mysterious, soothing connection with the deep.  I stood mesmerized and waited for movement.  It came. From the ocean a colossal creature shot up and suspended its magnificence for a moment, before it entered the waves and water washed over it.  The circle was absorbed once more but I didn’t move.  I wanted more.  I kept my eyes on the spot and waited for another sign.  It came in the

form of a longer call and I could feel the presence of others.  They were sending me a message.  I was not alone.

From the depths of the ocean, these gentle giants had come up to breath, to communicate with me.  They had connected me to the universe.  I closed my eyes and listened.  The sounds vibrated through my body, sweeping away doubts, soothing frayed nerves, filling every hollow cavity with love.

I floated home and picked up Pumpkin, who was already on the doormat.  He purred into my neck and stayed on my shoulder while I heated up some chicken soup. I prepared for an early night and Pumpkin curled around my ankles.  He waited for me to get under the duvet, so that he could nestle into the curve of my back.

I dreamt of whales breaching and re-entering the water.  Sprays appeared in different places in the distant ocean.  Universal sounds called to my soul and reassured me.  I was supposed to be here, in this place, at this time.  The whales had re-connected me to the earth and I awoke with an urgency to begin my new day and fulfill my purpose here, where I belonged.

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