Salt water

Salt.

Water.

Salt water. 

Salt water itself doesn't smell like anything, it's what in the salt water that gives it the smell.

Whatever is in the salt water is stale and sulphury. I don't know what in the water that gives it that strange smell. Maybe its dead fish, bacteria or something entirely else. I don't really know, but it's thought provoking.

Did you know that sulfur, the pale yellow element with the atomic number of 16 the one that can be found in soil, plants, food and water is used in a number of things? It's used in matches, explosives, glass, car batteries, fertilizer, bleaching paper, cement, detergents, and pesticides. And gunpowder…

Strange how none of those things are pale yellow despite sulfur being pale yellow.

The smell of gunpowder is metallic and sulphury and when sulfur is burned it creates a huge cloud of smoke.

I stood there in the cloud of smoke of sulfur, I couldn't hear the waves. I couldn't hear the words that left the mouths of the people around me. Who are they? But I could see the cloud of smoke and smell the sulfur.

It made me want to gag. Sulfur. It smells like rotten eggs. And the salt water air made the cloud of smoke stick to me. I did gag, but was it because of the smell?

I could taste something, it wasn't salt, it wasn't sulfur, but it was metallic. 

I could taste something warm and metallic like a mouth full of pennies or iron. I couldn't feel the people's arms or hands on me, but could see them reaching and moving around me.

I could feel the chalky, dusty and gritty sand below me, my hand went from the gritty sand to my mouth.

Sand felt terrible when it stuck to you, made you itch and feel like rinsing off in water that hopefully didn't smell like sulfur.

I didn't like how it stuck to me, but why was it sticking to me? I hadn't gone swimming in the stale and sulphury water.

I looked down at the sand, my head feeling heavy. The sand wasn't a normal white or tan color, it was darker. Not dark like the night sky or dark waves, but dark.

I brought my hand away from my mouth, it had the same color as the gritty sand below me.

Some of the sand mixed with the metallic taste in my mouth, giving the iron a crunchy gritty texture when my teeth met. 

I could feel hands putting pressure on my side, but I didn’t know why. Why was there pressure being put there in the first place? 

But I did know I felt something burning. 

I could hear something, it was a crashing sound. My head turned to the side past whoever was next to me and saw the waves.

The stale and sulphury water crashing angst the gritty and dusty sand. I felt someone's hands on each side of my head.

The touch wasn't harsh, it was stern, but gentle.

The cloud of smoke had disappeared I think, but I couldn't see very clearly still. Dark spots starting to cover my eyes.

The hands moved my head to face them, I couldn't tell who it was, but she was glaring.

Her touch was gentle, but the face was not. It was all scrunched up. Her eyes filled with fear for some reason.

Her mouth was moving, I could barely hear past the crashing waves.

"Don't you dare" is all I could hear. Why was she telling me not to do something?

I didn't think I was doing anything, but I was feeling tired, the gritty sand and crashing waves, the sulfur seeming smaller.

The dark spots gathering until my vision was consumed.

It smelled like soap or cleaner of some sort.

Wherever I was smelling, smelled bitter, and fake as if masking some other smell or smells, but was it better than sulfur? I don't know, but I didn't like it either.

I didn't feel anything gritty like sand below me, it was softer. I didn't taste anything metallic, but it was bright.

I didn't see that dark color staining the sand or my hand, everything was white or gray?

That dark color was my blood, I remember that…

The burning feeling wasn't there, it was dull.

What was that? 

But I did feel arms and hands around me. My friends. 

They were hugging and holding on to me as if a salty riptide was trying to carry me away. 

I could feel wet drops on my skin, they were warm and salty, but not like the ocean.

"What happened?" I wanted to know.

One of them mumbled in my neck as they all squeezed me tighter.

One had her arms around my neck, one had wrapped his arms around my side and held my hand and the final one, he wasn't hugging me, but had his hand in my other one and squeezed it tight.

"You took a bullet for us" 

"Huh.." 

That must have been the burning feeling…

The gritty sand was gone and that terrible iron taste left my mouth.

The burning feeling was dulled by some sort of medication.  

But that sulfur smell was back, but faint even with the cleaner smell couldn't get rid of the sulfur that hung on to three hugging or holding onto me.

"Don't you dare do that again" I heard her say this time clearly without the crashing waves on the sand.

"I'll try not too" I tried to laugh, but it hurt, not a burning hurt, but just dull pain.

Salt water, I still don't know what in the water gave it that stale and sulphury smell, but I do wonder what in me gave me the push to take that bullet for these three.

Was it love? Bravery? Stupidity? Or was I out of mind from drinking salt water? I don't really know, but it's thought provoking.

Salt water.

Water.

Salt.