He had been waiting to go on this trip for years, saving when he could and working an extra weekend here and there to pour directly into the travel fund. It was worth it. The bright turquoise water felt perfect against his skin as he waded into the warm tropical sea, the hair on his legs and arms swaying gently in the currents as he relished in the feeling. He smiled to himself as he adjusted his snorkel and goggles before diving in.
It felt incredible, surrounded by warmth and life as he gently pushed his way through the shallow water, his breathing slow and steady through the plastic tube as he glided under the lapping waves. He had heard of a small cove near the resort from a couple of young women who were working the kitchen and dining area that morning. He had woken early, and had been charming and funny, joking with them as they were setting up the breakfast buffet. They had recommended it as a great place to swim and be alone in the sea as it wasn't found in the brochures or promotional material, and he intended to find it.
He had told his partner where he thought the cove was and was planning to spend a few hours exploring along the beach while she worked on a deadline her boss had insisted could not wait. She told him to go, to have fun, and she'd catch up with him when he returned for dinner. He had given her a deep hug, a kiss, and told her he'd be back before dark.
For the first hour or so he simply swam and walked along the beach, getting further and further South of the resort. By the second hour the tourists had thinned and he found himself at the end of the beach, with a large upthrust of rock disrupting the sand and pushing out into the sea. At first he thought he could swim around it, but after a few attempts, he realized the formation moved out even further underneath the surface and went farther than he was willing to go. He had just about given up when he saw a break in the rock wall, a small cavern that barely peaked above the waterline, and was only visible between waves. He swam up to it and saw that it was wide enough for a person, two or three in fact, and dipped downward but appeared well illuminated from the other side. The young women had told him that the cave was easy to navigate, and short, going down just a bit before moving upward again inside the rock formation, with a small, sheltered cove on the other side.
As he braced himself against the opening and pushed into the entrance of the small cave he looked down into the water and noted that the cave only went underneath for about five feet before pressing into the sand below, and while it was brightly lit, he was a little concerned that he couldn't see the exit. He furrowed his brows as he considered the risk, but knew he could hold his breath for a few minutes and that if he couldn't find his way in half a minute, he was confident he could turn back with enough time. He put his hands into the slightly cooler water of the cave and muttered "here we go" before diving in, feeling his skin pucker at the change in temperature as he pressed downward.
He moved deeper into the cave and found it fairly easy to navigate as he descended to the sand, then tilted his head and shoulders upward as his feet pressed into the bottom and pushed back up for the second leg of the tunnel. He felt some disappointment and mild concern as he did not see bright sunlight streaming in from the other end of the tunnel, but rather the dim lighting of reflected sun illuminating about a ten foot length that reached the surface. He covered this distance quickly, his head breaking the surface of the water less than fifteen seconds later, and instantly realized something wasn't quite right. The cove was there, exactly as the women had described it, and while the sun was not washing over his face, it did cover roughly half of the small, crescent beach and much of the opposing wall. But something felt off, the air wasn't as warm and the hair on his neck was standing on end.
He shook it off as nothing and swam over to the small beach, feeling the warm sand under his hands followed by his feet as he pulled himself out of the sea. His brief moment of concern felt silly now as he found himself happily exploring the small cove. In less than ten minutes though, his limbs started feeling heavy and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He attributed the sudden exhaustion to his early rising and jet lag, and decided it would be a great idea to lay on the warm sand and take a short nap.
He found a good spot near the center of the beach, where the sun would likely not be blocked by the rocks on either side, and laid on his back, the warmth and soft grit of the sand feeling welcoming and safe as his eyes quickly closed and his breathing softened. Just before sleep overtook him, he heard a soft sort of fluttering that briefly woke his concern again, but the feeling lasted only a fraction of a second before he was deep in sleep.
...