She walked along the beach, stooping occasionally to pick up a shell and turn it over in her fingers.

Her life had become as empty and void of meaning as the shells she examined. How had it happened? When had it happened? She couldn’t even pinpoint one event or time in her life when everything had started to fall apart.

Once she had dreams and ambitions. She had wanted to be somebody. All her dreams had been washed away, like sand on a beach. She sighed and stopped walking, looking out over the grey water.

She felt helpless to change anything. It was as if she were caught in a riptide. There was no way out. She didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. She didn’t want to fight anymore.

She walked into the cold, November water and never looked back.