Richard

Floating.
Richard was floating deep within the sea. An endless navy blue cocoon surrounded him with only a faint bubbling noise reaching his water-filled ears. Most people would revel in such a comforting dream but to Richard, the world of water brought nothing but terror. He flailed his arms and legs in a panic until real water splashed onto his face and snapped him out of his sleep. Still breathing hard, Richard sat up and shook his head as if to loosen the dream’s hold on his reality. He looked around and found himself laying on a small beach half emerged in water. The sun sparkled over top of the gently undulating surf. Standing, Richard walked further inland, and surveyed his surroundings. He appeared to be on a small flat island floating alone in the sea. He wouldn’t call it anything more than a glorified sandbar if it weren’t for it’s half-mile diameter. Going further up the shore, the sand beneath his feet became denser. Ahead, the island’s rocky interior was comprised of volcanic rock the color of rust. Richard discovered hundreds of little pools of fresh rainwater as he ran his hand along the rock’s sharply pitted surface. He tried to stick his head inside to get a drink but gave up as the water was settled too far into the pits.
Not knowing what else to do, Richard climbed the rock face to get a better view. As he came to the top of the rocks, the tree line of a larger landmass came into view. Hope swelled as he excitedly scrambled higher but his heart dropped when he saw a similar rocky beach running below the dense line of trees. The distance of ocean separating him from the mainland appeared insurmountable. He was about to climb down in defeat until he spotted another person lying along the opposite shore of the island. Hope renewed, Richard began to make his way across the rocks.