Drowning in Desire

Illustration: TBS

Three brown women, two divorced and one disgruntled, frolicked in the waves on a secluded beach in Valencia as if there were no tomorrow. The forbidden beach was their secret haven for indulging into the realm of firsts – Tina's first sea-swim, Dee's first bikini photoshoot, Pam's first beach fling. Pam and Tina took instant liking to each other, having overcome the challenges of their failed marriages. Dee with her seasoned wisdom and touch of bitterness from her two decades of marital woes, added an intriguing dynamic to their trio. Together, they formed an unstoppable and playful team. 

The beach was unlike the environment back home. They had encountered not a single soul in the last four days until today. They squealed with excitement as they spotted a handsome man positioned on the deck of an abandoned boat anchored just a hundred feet away into the shallow water. He faced the ocean. The girls talked and laughed exuberantly to grab his attention, but he did not look at them once.

Three voluptuous half-naked women and no appreciative gaze! It did not go well with Pam who was accustomed to men flocking all around her.

"The sun is setting, let's head back. Dee nudged Tina, averting her eyes from Pam adjusting her outgoing bosom. 

"Not before I bring the mystery man to his knees.  How about I drop my bra? No man ever resisted a size 40 topless mermaid," Pam interjected, bubbling with excitement. 

'Better stick to your bikini, it hardly conceals', Dee retorted, aghast at the sheer boldness of her choice of swimwear.

'Come on, Dee! Who wears bikinis to conceal? And I'm not here to be a nun!' Her retort was bolder than her attire.

'Freeing myself from burdens, I'm unencumbered,
Let me savor paradise, for my days are numbered.' 

Pam declared, licking her salty lips. Her poetic resolve disarmed the two women as they submitted to her whims. They resorted to stargazing in the moonless night while Pam swaggered her way to the Greek God!   

His white outfit – the t-shirt, shorts, shoes, and hat radiated a luminescent quality in the post sunset darkness. His muscular triceps emitted a mesmerizing golden glow.  The back of his t-shirt had a print of two black centipedes intertwined in a cross.   The velvety beach sand under the shallow tingled the toes of her bare feet, the cool sea-breeze electrified her damp body as she inched closer to the alluring scent of his pheromones.

 As she tapped on his shoulders, her expression changed.  The printed centipedes on his t-shirt wriggled and moved away. The mystic man moved too, lifting his hand and interlacing his cold fingers into hers, holding her into a freezing embrace. The most kissable lips on earth were poised to lock hers. She moved in a trance guided by the flutter of her heart and the numbness of her mind. And then something flickered from underneath the hat. Her eyes dilated and mouth opened as a pair of luminous green light beamed from beneath the hat illuminating her face. 

"Help! Help! A distress call from a distant sliced the air. It was Pam's.
Dee's heart raced as she turned her attention towards the source of the distress. The voice came from a distance. The once-calm ocean seemed turbulent all of a sudden. The boat and the man were nowhere to be seen. A vague unformulated dread swept over her.

Pam!' Tina and Dee called in unison, the roar of the sea suppressing their voice. 
At a distance, they spotted a head bobbing up and down in the water. The two girls dove in. The waves were pushing them back, they powered through the choppy waters to bring themselves closer to the figure. It was Pam clinging to a wooden raft, looking exhausted and terrified. 

With their combined strength, the two brought their friend safe to the shore. 
'Diego! Pam pointed; her voice filled with fear.  A shadow materialized before them and grew longer—a tall, gaunt man with long muscular arms and a hat.  A dank and musty smell filled the air mingling with swirling grains of fine sand.

'Run!' Pam screamed; her voice laced with panic. The three women sprinted for their lives, reaching the resort and locking the gate behind them. 

Diego had been a lifeguard who had taken his own life after his wife eloped with his younger brother. His body was never recovered, and his spirit had haunted the beach ever since. Every new moon, he would visit the beach and try to lure unsuspecting women into his embrace. Those who succumbed to his charm would be pushed into the treacherous sea.

Pam lay huddled on her bed, wrapped in a blanket holding Tina's hand as they gazed out of the window. Dee pulled out her phone and reconnected with home.  The cacophony of voices she had fled from, felt soulful.  A sense of peace settled over her—a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.  

This story is part of a collection developed in a creative writing workshop run by Shazia Omar. If you would like to join the next workshop, please email her: shaziaomar@gmail.com