Every morning, a wheelchair-bound woman and her devoted dog sat by the sea to enjoy the waves. One day, though, the dog started barking frantically, and the woman noticed something frightful in the sand.
A terrible accident split my life into a “before” and a “after.” The sea has always been a part of my spouse and my life; it is our element and our hidden strength. However, after a storm one day, the boat we had brought out into the ocean overturned. My spine was severely damaged, yet I was saved. I was unable to walk after that day, and my husband’s body was never located.
We had to bury an empty coffin, which was the most agonizing aspect. His body was never found again, nor was even a piece of his clothing. Without my spouse, without assistance, and with a huge void inside of me, I was left all alone.
After his death, our dog was all that was left. He seemed to comprehend everything. We visited the shore together every day. I sat in my wheelchair, gave the dog a cuddle, and looked off into space. I thought I could still feel my husband’s presence during such times.
Months went by. My suffering and my hope were both embodied in the water. Like the protector of my soul, the dog was at my side no matter what. It was quiet and devoted. However, everything changed one day.
As if sensing something, my dog started barking loudly and racing tensely along the shore that day. He ran to the river, back to me, and then forth once more. It wasn’t until I saw something odd close to the water’s edge that I realized why he was acting so weirdly.
I kept a wary eye on him until I also noticed an odd silhouette in the sand. My heart fell.
I let out a yell.
There was a body there, near the water’s edge. Time and the water had changed his face, but I could tell right away that it was my husband.
Waiting for months, crying in vain, talking to the sea… And there he was. Found, but not alive. I simultaneously laughed and sobbed. As though I could still thaw his icy hands, I caressed them.
And I experienced both agony and relief for the first time in many months. He had finally returned home. I could finally say good-bye.
As though he understood that we had finally discovered what we had been looking for all along, the dog sat next to me and remained motionless.
