The way the waves slowly faded back as the tide went out left Ally with a sense of wonder. She watched it flow in and out, each progression a sign of something new. Small crabs appeared in one clump of sand only to go back into hiding before the next wave crashed. A crescendo of bubbles and water leaving behind shells, seaweed and whatever else it could drag to shore. The beach was quiet. No one had time for it anymore. The fishing boats took off from down the shore and the art of surfing was lost to time. Ally laid back into the sand, the sun touching her skin with crispness, and she would need to be careful not to burn. She closed her eyes and listened to the waves. How many thousands of years did they hit this beach? How many times did they recede and come back with fury when the tide returned? A rebirth every time. A rebirth. Ally thought about it all, and decided that if nature could do this like a clock, twice a day, what was stopping her? It was time to get ready for a new life. She stood, shook as much sand from her hair as she could and turned and left the ocean behind her, the sounds carrying with her for the rest of her life. The sounds of rebirth.