She couldn't guess how long she had been there. It could have been an hour...it could have been fifteen minutes. On her little rock by the ocean, wearing her blue-gray dress, bare feet, and a smile that seemed to reflect off the water like the sun, she sat with her head cradled in her hands. Her dark hair was strewn across her shoulders, tousled by the strong breeze that caressed her skin. Her eyes were focused on her own reflection, a rippled image of herself. So many times she had gone to that beach, to sit and watch the surf chase the sandpipers; to watch the seagulls soar above her with a childlike carelessness, calling down to her as if inviting her to join them. When she was a little girl, many times, she imagined that she could. As she had gotten older, she no longer let her mind wander that far in the clouds. Instead she focused on the more obvious things: the ripples of the water, the sound of the ocean lapping against her special rock, tickling her feet and calves as she leaned over the rock's edge. It was sunset. The time she enjoyed most. The time when the stars dotted the sky like flowers in a green meadow; the time when all of the creatures tucked their little ones in for the night and slept, in wait for another day to begin. She remembered when she was a young child, and how her mother would take her to this exact spot. She would tell her tales of the sea - of mermaids and fisherman and dolphins and whales; all fabricated to influence a young one's curiosity about the world around her. Indeed, her mother had succeeded in rousing her creativity. The sun sank low over the horizon and she sighed. So many times she had gone to that beach, so very many times...that exact spot, with the waves crashing, with the gulls speaking to her, the ocean mist spraying against her cheeks. So many memories to cherish and hold dear lay on that very sand; one for every small grain, she reckoned. "Grandma!" The old woman's head turned, and her smile widened when she saw the little girl running towards her special rock. "Grandma, it's time to go," said the little girl. A reflection of the old woman...dark hair tousled, eyes shimmering with glee...a reflection of the years gone by, of memories to cherish - one for every small grain of sand on that vast, glorious beach. The little girl led the old woman off the beach and into the car. Taking one final look at the place she had called her own, the old woman smiled and closed her eyes. So many times she had gone to that beach, and finally she was ready to say goodbye.