The beach was a perfect temperature, there weren’t a lot of people around, and there were countless bodies in the water. For as long as John could remember, there had always been bodies in the water. It had been the main reason he had avoided the ocean or other large bodies of water his entire life. He really thought he could keep this streak up, but then he met the most extraordinary person in the world. She was the living embodiment of having a good day. So, when she suggested a beach date, he was skeptical but gave in after days of begging. Now standing face to face with the waves, he was brutally reminded of his condition as he tried his best not to look at any specific corpse for too long. He had made that mistake a couple of times when he was younger and had the realization that the corpses were of beloved people in his life. He took some shallow breaths and waded towards his date, who had already swum out into the deeper section of the ocean. The good thing was that no matter how hard he tried, he was not able to physically touch the corpses. They always seemed to float away or sink into the water whenever he got close to touching them. There was also no awful smell, which he was very thankful for.

As he swam out further into the ocean, that disgusting feeling didn’t seem to leave him. He kept seeing the bodies in the water and for a second, he swore he saw his mom too. No. He was going to enjoy this day at the beach with the girl of his dreams. There were no bodies in the water. His mental fortitude was thrown out the window when he felt something brush slightly against his foot. The shriek that came out of him was involuntary and embarrassing as people nearby had turned to look at him. His breathing was erratic, and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he continued to swim towards his date. When he finally reached her, he grabbed her arm gently as he tried his best to tread water and calm down slightly.

John managed to formulate words between the desperate gasps for air and sniffling from a stuffy nose from his crying, “I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you, but I’ve got like the worst fear of the ocean, and I thought I’d get over it, but this is awful. Can we please leave?”

The woman held his hands and regretfully said, “Oh! John, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were afraid of the ocean, but I guess anyone would be if they could also see them.”

John’s expression shifted as the shock paralyzed him to the point, he could only let out a single word, “What?”

His date smiled at him in return, “You know what I mean. The bodies in the water.”

Before John could answer, something swept him off his feet. He let out an awful scream followed by a split second of thrashing before a new body was added to the water.