Salt and Neon

As dawn drew closer, the sea slowly turned a deeper shade of blue. The air after the rain was cold and quiet, and faded neon reflections spread across the wet roads like watercolor. The city lights still trembled in the distance, unable to fall asleep, but the streets themselves were completely empty. The two of them walked along the coastal road without any real destination. Their conversations were brief. Strange little thoughts, meaningless laughter, long stretches of silence. She moved as if she existed at a slightly different pace from the rest of the world — walking slowly, stopping without warning just to stare at the ocean. The waves touched the breakwater with soft, repeating sounds. While watching the lights drifting across the water, she quietly said, “It feels like the sea is always the last thing to let go of a dream before morning.” He could not think of anything to say back. Only the cold salt wind and the faint sound of her laughter remained somewhere inside him. Time moved gently around them, as though the night itself had decided not to end yet. But as the sky slowly began to brighten, she turned away as if nothing unusual had happened at all. Her figure faded into the pale blue haze of dawn until she finally disappeared completely into the morning light. All that remained was the scent of the ocean, the damp air, and a feeling too distant to explain — like someone briefly encountered in a dream long ago.