OCEAN OF JOY

ed against the shore like a mother's embrace. It was the kind of dawn that made you be

The salty air teased her curls as she stared out at the endless stretch of blue. This beach had

was di

of lemongrass. It was from her grandmother, whom she hadn't seen in nearly a

he ocean remembers y

ld life. Her parents had thought she was running away from her problems. Maybe she was. But

't changed much since she was a child: the same blue shutters, the same chip

ce from the porch.

tle frailer, but with eyes just as sharp and kind as she remem

, brushing a strand of hair from

gly. "It always does, to thos

ed. "What d

motioned toward the horizon. "Come,

herbs and something faintly metallic. Her grandmother led her to a small chest hidden beneath a faded t

l to Aanya. "This bel

e was just a toddler. Her father had always been vague about the

s more to her story than you were told.

ed louder, as i

journal, her fi

just into the past, but into a legacy bo

an was