Gemotions

The wind whipped around him, carrying the scent of salt and decay. He stood at the edge of the abandoned pier, the grey water reflecting the overcast sky. The sea always seemed to mirror his mood. The weight of it. The unending expanse of it.

He kicked at a loose plank, and his foot struck something hard. A metal tube, half-buried in the sand. A time capsule. He’d never been one for such things. He stared at it, a knot forming in his stomach.

Inside, there was a worn map of the world. A small, empty bottle. And a message: “Adventure awaits.” He looked out at the vast ocean, the vast expanse of what he hadn’t done, what he had missed.