Snippet #1047369

She took off the covers and pushed herself up from the bed. She carefully walked to the mirror and saw the shadows under her eyes. She looked very fragile and weak. Her body was slim...very thin.
Tears streamed down her face. She had dreamed again of the beach. Of the waves crashing against the sand and taking her away. She pushed herself away from the mirror and sat on her bed. She felt very weak . She no longer wanted to get up from her bed and the tests did not work.
It was the year of 1998 and Josephine had lived approximately sixteen years and she no longer wanted to suffer.

Her mother found her laying in a fetal position at the end of her bed.
"Jo...Jo what's wrong" She said kneeling net to her.
Josephine turned away and whispered between choked sobs "what's not wrong mama...I am dying ever so slowly and nothing works. I want to die happy mom.."
Her mother was crying "don't...please don't say that"
Josephine sat up and trough tears said "give me this summer...no more treatments...no more anything...just give me this summer...I want to die near the beach"
Her mother slumped near the bed and hugged herself "I can't give you up"
"You must...you must let me go...I want to die happy...I want to die with my family around me...there is nothing else...I am so tired mom..so tired"
There was a silence for a long time and Josephine rocked herself on the bed until her mother stood up and nodded her head "a summer at the beach...oh Jo...why? why?"
But Josephine just smiled.

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They arrived on may. The house was of two floors with a wide porch on the front and very close to the beach. It was a rental and her parents had pooled all their money to rent it for the whole summer. Her sister came unwillingly, rebelling against everything and would remark on anything with dry sarcasm. her little brother held Josephine's hand.
She had gone trough a rejuvenation some barely believed. Her hair was now blond and her face fresh but the bags were still there. She wore loose sundresses and when they arrived at their summer house, she grabbed a pail and ran out to meet the waves.

She spend the whole day collecting shells and wetting her feet. Her parents were watchful of her and when it began to grow dark she went inside.

The next few days they did not go to town but then growing reassured of her health they would leave her alone to meander about the beach collecting algae and stars and shells.
She wore a wide brimmed hat and barefoot she at on the sand making castles.
She had stopped crying a long time ago, now she just sat there, staring at the sea. With her finger she wrote out her name and the waves washed it away. She wrote it again and once more the waves came.

She stood up and walked down the beach leaving her house behind. Down she went passing sea grass and sea oats growing in the dunes. The sea spray lighted all round her. The wind pushed her skirt and her hair but she did not mind for the sun was hidden and it was very cool. She passed a little shanty just out in the beach. Maybe a hobo lived there.
There was a small boat out in the sea and someone was rowing it to shore. She stood solitary upon the sand and waited to see the person in the boat but then she became restless and turned away to the seagull flying about. Their cries were shrill but she welcomed them. From her pocket she pulled out a piece of bread and threw it at them. They all gathered about it and Jo laughed happily. She turned to the sea and the boat was closer "hey there" She cried out.