Waves slapped the shingled sand continuously, larger waves thundering in menacingly higher up the rock-strewn beach, as ominous clouds threatened from the south west scudding towards the coastline.
Along the shore, rocks of varying sizes had crashed down from the cliffs above onto the already cluttered beach, grey as the sky was now. A few lengthening sunrays had struggled through gaps between the rain-filled clouds, fingering onto the tossing sea, turning silver tipped over the swelling waves. A lone seagull soared & swooped, cawing over the water, flapped, then rose with a circling cry halfway to the cliff top. It glided a little where fissures of clay & ochre colored rock were visible before it reached the top perching on a tuft of low grass, damp from a fine sea mist blowing in from the sea, the wind intensifying.
William, retired now from lifeboat duties & other various jobs he had fulfilled over the years, plodded up the beach keeping a close eye on the weather, accompanied by his dog Nelson. He was so-called after 1st Viscount Horatio Nelson, a British Admiral, often known as Lord Nelson had served his country well, in particular during the Battle of Trafalgar where Lord Nelson was shot & killed.
William had lived in a 200 year old house close to the sea, with his wife Emma. A coincidence, as Lord Nelson's mistress had been called Lady Emma Hamilton, but William had been happily married for a very long time. When he first met Emma, it was on a beach, similar to the one he was walking on now. The weather playing a vital roll as a brilliant colorful rainbow was prominently visible in the sky, becoming a sentimental symbol of their love for each other. They had spent many happy years together & on odd times a rainbow had appeared, William remembered the first time he had met his sweet Emma. She was almost silhouetted against the glowing rainbow, her skirts shifting around her in a stiff breeze, her dark hair blowing out behind her, cheeks rosy as the morning was pink.
Life was filled with happiness & tender moments, Emma worrying each time William had been called to lifeboat duties. In those days the boats didn't have the equipment & safety items they have now. His dear Emma had tragically departed after a short illness not one year ago & he was trying desperately to come to terms with his sad loss.
William had a friend, George, who lived quite close by, being also retired a good many years. He & William sometimes met at the pub down on the corner of a narrow lane at the bottom of a steep hill. The lane lead to the small boat harbor & near the old inn was the launching place for the present lifeboat.
The town sat comfortably nestled on a hill, many small shops & cottages were dotted close to the main road. A sprinkling of small hotels & guesthouses accommodating guests mainly in the warmer months.
William & George sometimes sat close to a flickering wood fire in the winter just departed, putting the whole world to rights, discussing fossils & certain books, amongst other things. George enjoyed a stout mainly, but William would never stray from a single malt whisky when he could afford it. Together they discussed similar interests they shared, one being their almost obsession with fossil gathering. Since George had told William about a book he had read about a young local working class girl, finding the first complete ichthyosaur in the early part of the 19th century, it had stimulated William's imagination. Together they had sometimes gone off in search of fossils among the fallen rocks lying higher up the beach, William was now walking on. George also loved the sea & recently captured a fleeting rainbow with his camera, an interest he had acquired late in life. He particularly enjoyed photographing elusive rainbows, with unusual light playing on the sea. With the photos produced, he had entered them in a few competitions & won a prize, astounding him no end.
George had met up with William, close to where several fossils had been found. Together they dug about amongst the fallen rocks, tapping them with anticipation of finding something interesting, keeping close eyes on the incoming swell rolling onto the shore line, gathering pace with the increasing wind. The weather appeared unpredictable at this stage & both men were not sure if a storm would hit them full on or blow across in another direction & miss altogether.
William was thinking of his Emma, how together, they had experienced many a storm over the years, rain beating against their cottage windows, the wind howling in gasps down the chimney. The cold winter winds licking around the rooftop & an occasional rainbow sometimes appearing from bright sunrays shining on distant rain, brought memories of their first meeting when the weather was fickle, but Emma was radiant. How they had paddled in the sea when young on warm summer evenings, the sun setting late & casting brilliant flashes of color reflected on the water, picnic suppers spent on the beach wallowing in the sand, bare toes buried as they watched perfect sunsets glowing red, the sun melting into the sea.
The seasons had come & gone as each year tumbled into the next, storms would roll in & new spring growth would appear in their small garden. The buds on the trees & shrubs casting winter into oblivion, the weather finally becoming warmer, the sun rising a little higher each day into the heavens. William remembered when Emma would be a little anxious each time he went to sea, helping boats that had got into trouble unexpectedly, sailors rescued from a bubbling wind-torn sea. But William had always been able to account for himself, safe in the knowledge he had been trained well & knew how to avenge the sea of it's menace. He was strong & trusted his dedicated crew, never taking unnecessary risks & abiding by the laws of the sea.
George was almost up to his neck in rubble, closely resembling scree, his hammer carefully splitting the rocks with an air of expectation of finding something of vague interest in the form of a complete fossil. The cliffs had eroded away exposing rock which had broken away, crashing to the beach below. In the past, both men had found the odd fossil amid the rocks, ammonites in near perfect condition. Some small, while others comparatively larger, had left them with an air of expectation & a quest to find something even greater.
William had paused once or twice looking at cloud formations & George at the light glinting on the waves, both with hope of catching another rainbow. But they were as rare as hen's teeth, the wind blowing as it forged toward the land, whipping up waves & foam, scattering it before the swell hit the beach, thundering ever further toward them. The sky had broken with brief interludes of brightness, rays of sunshine filtering through the clouds throwing silvery threads upon the boiling sea. Suddenly a large & perfect rainbow appeared from nowhere, the sun breaking through the upper blue & grey clouds, shining on distant rain.
Both men stopped what they were doing, looking in awe at the subtlety of colors, deep in their own thoughts of its beauty. George put the hammer down & reached for his camera, adjusting the settings accordingly, while William with a tear in his eye, thought of Emma who had become his wife, the beautiful girl with the flowing hair, cheeks like pink roses & now had left him, simply lost without her.
The rainbow glowed brilliant in the dramatic sky, complete in its form & color before it slowly faded, absorbed into the blue & grey hues of the oncoming storm, then disappeared from whence it came.
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