Grabbing the Heart Strings: The Three Things Challenge,

Mike looked at the girl sitting by the sea alone. It was unusual for a woman to be out so late by herself, so he worried that she was hurt or in trouble. At first, he simply kept watch over her, determined to keep her safe from men who may have thought she was easy pickings in the darkness.

But, then, he arose and walked over, and he introduced himself, asking if she were alright. She stood and looked at him, and with the moon shining behind her head, she looked like an angel with a halo.

She told him that her name was Glory. She said, “I’m fine. Thank you for keeping watch over me. I saw you when you walked up the beach, before you settled in behind me. I was a little worried about your intentions, until I saw the look of concern on your face. I knew then that you were a protector, not a predator.”

He shyly thanked her, asking her why she would put herself in such a dangerous situation. As she looked him in the eyes, he noted that she wasn’t beautiful in the classic sense, but there was a sense of goodness emanating from her. He finally understood what his mother used to say to him, “Son, look for the beauty that comes from the inside. It will last a lifetime, not just a few years like outward beauty, which tends to easily turn your head.”

Glory responded, “Thanks for allowing me more time to drink in the beauty of the moonlight on the sea. Because I am thought to be a sex worker trying to pick up men on the beach at night, I often have to leave early. But, it is in this time of utter darkness that the universe delivers her best performance, the stars shine their brightest and the moon reclines across the water in splendid beauty. I do not want to miss one iota of it. You understand?”

He told her that he did and that it was a shame that women’s spaces are so often limited by the behaviors of men. Then she smiled at his insight and wisdom, and the tentacles of love grabbed his heart strings. He knew that from that moment on the two of them would binge-watch the celestial productions together, filling her soul with all the beauty she needed to be at peace in the world.

Fictional story written for The Three Things Challenge by The Haunted Wordsmith, February 5, 2019: tentacle, girl, and sea. Picture above taken in Alicante, Spain on a beautiful moonlit night, walking with my love and thanking God for the the gifts of beauty and love.