The White Room

Prompt: In 400 words create your ideal place.

Source: creativewritingprompts.com

Response:

The sun fell into the room like a brick of gold, filtered by the floor-to-ceiling window. Beyond the glass the ocean stretched out in rolling topography, accented by the white, crystalline beach strand and the few scattered beach houses. The white room caught the sunlight and the reflected blue of the water, painting the walls with living mosaics.

She was curled up on the long couch, wrapped in a light blue afghan, watching the waves as the tongued the beach outside and the trees bobbed in the salty breeze. She took in a deep breath and he smiled. He knew she was smelling the salt in the air – it was present even indoors. Everything smelled like the white beach sand that fell into the cracks of the hardwood floor and the salt that drifted on the wind, sticking to everything with the assistance of the damp air. She loved the smell of the ocean.

He set his briefcase softly on the floor and took off his suit coat as quietly as possible so as not to disturb her reverie. He slipped out of his shoes and crept toward her. He knew that if he could stand near enough he would smell the sea salt and sunshine that curled her hair.

She shifted, drawing her blanket closer to her and he froze, afraid he had been discovered. But after a moment, she leaned against the glass of the window. Sunlight caressed her curls, tumbling down her shoulders and back. He walked past the kitchen divider, past the different-shaped fish bowls filled with clear blue water and golden fish with swirling tails.

He stood by her, engulfed by the concentrated sun coming through the window. He could see a tiny reflection of her face in the glass. Her eyes followed the ebb and swell of the ocean water just a couple hundred feet away.

He moved slowly so that he would not startle her. He stroked a lock of her hair. She leaned into his touch like a cat, smiling. “Hey, baby,” she whispered.

He joined her on the couch, gathering her into his arms. He kissed her hair. It smelled like the ocean – salt and sunlight and beach sand. “How are you?”

She snuggled against him. “Wonderful.”

The sunlight fell over them in gentle waves as they watch the reflection of the ocean’s movement through the window. When she fell asleep, he pulled her even closer, watching the orange sun sink toward the water.