The rising tide surges inky, black and swirling drowning everything in its path with a darkness greater than the beach its onslaught lays waste ending the revelry of summer The choking salt drives all away in a violent steady flood cold, dark, unpleasant and rough up from the shoreline back to their homes The beach is battered like it might disappear forever And then the water at its deepest and most dangerous stops turns back out to sea and leaves the beach alone.