Another assignment for my writing class. It was a 500 limit…but I kinda ignored it. p

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I was going to beat him. The continuous buzz of rubber skimming across the deserted road was confident that I should beat Chris and all the others. Jack on his bike was further behind and I thought nothing of Nick on his scooter. It was only Chris I was concerned with as I sat atop my bike, gliding across the black asphalt. Hands constricting a black rubber grip, I drove my vehicle faster, faster down the street. The scenery was a blur, a mix of greens and browns on a summer day.

This was about as close to flying I could possibly get.

And I loved it.

Escaping the arms of brown limbs clothed in summertime attire of jade silk, the shadows released us into the vast cerulean sky. We had reached the end of the road where metal fences laid in cement outlined the boundaries of a tremendous cliff. Wheel whirling to the left, we raced until we skidded to a bumpy stop in the shrubs at the foot of the fence.

“I won,” I declared triumphantly, jumping down from the bike.

“What are you on, Katie?” he smirked with slight panting. “I clearly got here before you.”

“You’re just mad because I won.” Rolling my eyes, I motioned for him to follow me. There was an opening, clearly planned out when the fence was built. Although a “No Trespassing” sign and a small boulder obstructed a clear path, no one really cared about breaking the law unless the police were driving by.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Jack and Nick?” he asked as I climbed over the rock.

“They should have been faster,” I scoffed, watching my blonde haired friend step on and over the rock. “Come on, I wanna show you this place.”

Light feet barely touched the dirt floor as the two of us made our way through the trees. Most of them were young, skinny trees and others, saplings with large maple leaves. A blanket of shade sheltered us from the bright, but nevertheless scorching ball of fire in the sky. We met with the sun in seconds after skipping over broken tree branches on the dirt path, beads of sweat slipping down our necks. Unlike before, the sun was no object of irritation: it had transformed into a golden marvel we could appreciate at no other place but this.

The first thing I saw is the sea. Regardless of what is in it or around it, I gazed across the great waters of dark blue. The glitter of sunlight upon its water was like stars in the night sky. It was around noon and the sun, currently flaring its searing rays from the highest point of the sky, admired her reflection in the indigo ocean. Silvery threads laced the edge of each wave until it exploded onto the shore, a pale cloud of foam crawling up the rocks and sand the water had embraced. The serene sea inhaled and exhaled at a steady rhythm, its breathing loud but soothing to the year. Saturated air filled my lungs as I took in the taste and aroma of the salt water from below. I was in love with such warm, humid air at this place, and that’s saying a lot for one who prefers the cold.

Tall white masts set upon every boat were multiple on the cobalt surface a hundred yards below. Although they looked smaller than a fingernail, their number was great enough to pierce the continuous color but it did not disturb the tranquility of the ocean. In the distance was another world, Connecticut, filled with multicolored lights and gray buildings that barely rested over the horizon. Both were not natural wonders of this world but contributed to the spectacular image of my favorite place.

An inlet stretched out upon our view in the shape of a large thumb. Where towering trees stood on the inlet, tiny blotches of viridian sat on its surface like paint on paper from our perspective. Large sand hills, each one connected to the other led from where we stood to the emerald land, creating the actual thumb on the sea. The hills, soaring and steep on either side, provided a flat trail to walk easily along. At the bottom of the inlet was a shore where a crowd of talkative seagulls dispersed as Chris chucked a rock at them from up above.

We stood on the sandstone ledge for what seemed an eternity admiring nature’s handiwork. Finally, when Jack and Nick arrived, trudging through the dirt path behind us, the four of us started for the left. Jumping from one climbable ledge that the yellowish eroded rock created to another, we moved across the bluff to get a better view of the cliffs on the opposite side. Each time we took a step, we sunk into soft yellow grains, heated by the afternoon sun. Because I was the most comfortable and used to traveling this way over sand and rock, I led my friends with lengthy leaps and quick steps. I soon reached my destination upon the elevated surface and Chris, then Jack, then Nick came hurriedly behind. There we stood together, no jokes, no banter, no funny or stupid noises my friends were infamous for. Wind whipping at our faces, ocean crashing in our ears, and a breathtaking sight of Port Jefferson harbor, all at this beautiful, wonderful place. It was here, perhaps for the first time, we shared a solemn and serious moment.