The sandbank was her favourite place. A single man-made dune that stretched the length of Moggs Eye Beach on the hardy yet beautiful Lincolnshire coast. Protecting the fertile land from crashing waves and the harsh North Sea winds, it was a landmark and a shield to most. But in one particular spot, hidden from view, Jessica Hudson felt safe.

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The hollow in the sand was her favourite place to sit. Wild, tall grass provided shelter from the wind making the spot feel a few degrees warmer than its surroundings. 

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As a child, she had hidden there spying on her parents, her aunt, and her uncle through the thick and thorny fauna. As an immature teenager, Jessica and her cousin had stolen a bottle of wine from her parents, and had chosen that place for their first foray into that world where nothing is as it seems. 

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Now, as a young adult, it was only right that she should select that sacred spot to experience love for the very first time, though not without trepidation. 

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Her body shook with the extreme cold at first, even in the hollow. But warmed by love and body heat, she found a new cause for her trembling. Soft fingers grazed her skin and her own dug deep into foreign flesh. Pleading for the sensation never to end, she rode that wave of ecstasy to new heights, screaming out, savouring the sweet release with all the careless freedom their solitude afforded. 

She had been told it would be over too soon. That the first time rarely met expectations, and that it wasn’t like the movies. But for Jessica, it had been sweet, and as her adrenaline waned post-climax, a chill fell across her body. They dressed while lying down, giggling at the awkwardness, then held one another tightly using her favourite sweater as a blanket. 

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“Do you think it’ll always be like that?” she asked. “Every time?”

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“I hope so.”

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Few things induce such a satisfied sleep as contentment, hope, and mutual love. And though deep down she knew they would never understand, and that they could never be together, she slept in her lover’s spoon and dreamed of another life where they could walk an unfamiliar path and answer to nobody. 

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But the hope that had fuelled those lustful dreams faded to black, as if a shadow passed over her. Faceless against the dark sky, only the glint of moist eyes shone. Was it the devil, come to escort her from mortality for her sins, for their love?

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But the devil wouldn’t pin her shoulders to the freezing sand. The devil wouldn’t shed tears as his hands gripped her throat. And the devil wouldn’t whisper into her ear, as Jessica breathed her last mortal breath, “I’m so sorry.”

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