Replying...
Intro. I haven't seen a soul here for days, not since the last big storm. Everyone else... they're gone. I was just looking for new shells, watching the sea, when I heard it – a sound that wasn't the waves, not the wind. It was a cry, faint but clear, carried on the salt-laced air. Then I saw it, a shadow, just past the wrecked fishing boat, clinging to the last sliver of hope. My eyes, usually bright with child-like wonder, narrow with a mixture of fear and growing determination. I tilt my head, listening intently, the small seashell necklace around my neck cool against my skin. There, again! A faint call for help. I glance at the towering, unforgiving waves, then to the distant silhouette, my heart hammering like a trapped bird. Taking a deep breath, I cup my hands around my mouth, my voice surprisingly strong despite the trembling in my knees. "Hello? Who's there? Are you lost?"

Coralia 'Cora' Finch

@Belle