What if..

The phone rang for a few seconds and immediately the recipients on the other end picked up, Jolie squealed with excitement….

Source

“It’s time ladies!”

“Is it time already? I must have lost track of time” Magdalene responded.

“Is it time already?” Angeline mimicked Magdalene, her pitch higher than normal. “You're just a classic latecomer Magdalene dear.”

“Classic latecomer? Coming from someone who hasn't arrived either?”

“At least I'm on my way and I'm certain you're still tangled between your sheets”

“You're not exactly wrong,Magdalene admitted. “But I'll be there in less than thirty minutes, Jolie.”

“Thirty minutes?!” Jolie and Angeline chorused in subtle agony.

“Just hurry up darlings. I called in a favour and we can't afford to be late.” Jolie said.

“Just thirty minutes” Magdalene reassured.

“Alright ladies. Love y'all” Jolie said.

“Love ya,” Both Magdalene and Angeline responded before ending the call.

It was the last day of summer and Jolie planned something “fun” for her friends because this summer was a special one. It was this summer that Josiah, her boyfriend since highschool, had proposed to her. It was this summer that Angeline got the opportunity to work as the assistant to her idol at the fashion design house. It was also this summer that Magdalene got her own apartment after years of depending on her parents. It seemed like things were finally falling in place and they were beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Maggie,Jo and Angie as they fondly called themselves were ladies in their mid twenties who had been friends for roughly over two years but bonded over the love of art and unconventionality. The trio met at an art exhibition. Jolie was there to purchase an art painting for her freshly painted walls. Magdalene came with a man who she would have sworn was her soulmate and Angeline was only there because she was currently working on a project that had to do with art and her annoying boss wanted originality.

Source

As fate would have it, the three ladies found solace in each other's company and wittiness of course.

---

---

The doorbell rang forty minutes after Jolie had ended the call . Angeline and Jolie exchanged glances.

“It's definitely Magdalene.” Angeline said.

Jolie walked up to the front door and opened it to see a Magdalene with puppy dog eyes. Magdalene had an amazing set of eyes which looked even more enchanting when she widened them with her eyebrows slightly raised. However, Jolie had seen enough of Magdalene's puppy dog eyes to fall for them anymore.

“You were supposed to be here 10 minutes ago Maggie”. Jolie said, her pursed lips and furrowed eyebrows boldly stating that she was displeased.

“I'm so sorry Jo.” Magdalene said, handing her a paper bag with Jolie's favourite hamburger.

“So I do not deserve an apology for waiting for you?” Angeline blurted.

“Of course I didn't forget you. I got you something too.”Magdalene said, handing over the second paper bag to Angeline.

“Y'know, if you keep up with the gifts, I may eventually get used to you showing up late.” Angeline jeered.

Magdalene could sense the sarcasm in Angeline's tone but it was typical of her to pass sarcastic comments.

“Thank you for the king's size burger Maggie.” Jolie said. “Martin, the lifeguard at the beach agreed to allow us spend some alone time at the beach tonight and...”

“Wait, why are we going to the beach at night Jo?” Angeline interrupted.

“The waters are more calm, it's more serene and basically we get to spend alone time” Jolie made sure to stress the last part of the sentence.

“So if we're going to the beach at night, why did you make us come here so early.” Angeline asked again.

“I was getting to that part, if only you would let me Angie.”

“Alright. Alright. I would try to remain silent.”

“You all know that I was engaged this summer.” Jolie said, parading her 18 carat ring.

“Of course we do. We're like your only friends Jo.” Magdalene interrupted this time.

“Yeah. Anyways, we all seem to finally be getting our lives together. We have been through a whole lot and at some point, giving up was an enticing option. I remember when I felt I was never going to get married as I didn't find anyone I was compatible with. I remember when Angeline loathed working for her former boss but had to do it either way. I also remember when Magdalene here kept ranting about how often her parents nagged. We barely had time for ourselves as we were all trying to get things right and now we have!”

“Yes girl!” Angeline blurted while snapping her fingers.

“Knowing the type of people we are, we would only keep doing our best to reach our set goals.” Jolie paused for a few seconds before continuing “ Also, Josiah and I may be moving to Brazil after the wedding so, this is technically our last summer till whenever.”

“You are moving to Brazil and you're only telling us now?!” Magdalene snarled.

“Josiah and I only agreed on this last week and we haven't exactly been in contact for a week.”

“Right” Magdalene affirmed. “But I'm so happy for you Jo. This is like your dream come true.”

“It is. It is.” Jolie responded heartily.

“Congratulations Joline. I'm happy for you dear.” Angeline said.

---

---

Source
The ladies spent the rest of the day sightseeing and shopping. As the moon rose and illuminated the sky, the trio drove down to the local beach which looked like a different world at night. The air was refreshing and the cries of the nocturnal animals added to the thrill.

“It’s so beautiful Jo,” Magdalene said.

“I knew you would love it”

“This is the perfect place to spend this particular day Jo. I love it and shall forever safeguard the memory of this day.” Angeline said.

They all took a few seconds to assimilate the serenity before Jolie yelled..

“So what are we waiting for ladies? Let's dive in!”

The next minutes that followed were tranquil. Each lady seemed to be enjoying the dimly lit yet mesmerising setting, till Magdalene blurted..

“Ladies, what if there was another figure here with us?”

“Maggie, great game but wrong time to play it.”

“Whattt? Are we just going to keep floating silently?”

“You know I didn't think of that when I planned all of this.”

“So just go along with me and my absurd game guys.”

“Fine. What if the figure had feathers like a peacock but had the structure of a male mermaid” Angeline chirped in.

Magdalene and Jolie exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

“You certainly have a wild imagination Angie,” Jolie said.

“….at least this look is better than what others had come up with in the past”. A figure, emanating from underneath the water, said out of the blues.

The ladies couldn't believe their eyes. Angeline had created an adorable yet scary looking creature. The all scrambled, trying to run to safety

”C'mon ladies, I do not bite. I'm only here to join in the fun”

After successfully reaching the shore of the beach, Jolie finally spoke up

“Have fun? What are you even?”

“..well, I guess the lifeguard didn't tell you why this beach is called the “fitahw” beach. I guess you thought it was just a silly name”..

“Why the name?” Magdalene stuttered.

“You still don't get it? It basically spells out ‘what it’ when rearranged. This is the ‘what if’ beach and any sentence you make at night that starts with ‘what if basically manifests. However, you need to be careful what you bring to life as certain things cannot be reversed.”

“So you mean we can send you back to where you came from but all we have to say is what if?” Jolie asked

“That's righ…”

“What if you go back to where you came from ” Angelie, who was utterly terrified, hurriedly said before the figure could complete his statement.

“Angie…we were just getting started”. Magdalene said.

“That figure came out of the water Maggie, I cannot go back in there.” Angie said, shivering slightly.

“So what are you saying? We should head back home?”

“That's the most sane option after this encounter. For all we know, that figure could still be hiding somewhere.”

“It's alright Angie. That's more than enough adventure for today. Let's head home.”

“Without saying goodbye to the most feminine yet masculine figure I have ever met?”

“You know where he dwells and it's a few minutes drive from your house. You could always pay him a visit,Maggie.” Angie said, fury replacing her fright.

“Fine, let's head home.” Maggie said.

The three ladies walked back to the sleek compact SUV they had rented just for the day. Although the day ended in an odd manner, it was certainly one beach outing they weren't going to forget in a hurry.

---

---

Love🤍