She sat in the straw chair by the screen window looking over the ocean with her eyes out of focus, her mind elsewhere. What seemed so beautiful, so serene yesterday seemed empty today. Yesterday the sunlight shimmering off the salt water in the bay tickled her eyes and her brain with pleasure. Today the same sunlight made her squint and intensified her headache. Yesterday the sound of the palm fronds blowing in the ocean breeze made her feel warm and content. Today they sounded hollow, like the feeling in her chest.
Another tear ran down her cheek, to her chin, and dropped to the floor. She imagined those close-up photographs of water droplets and wondered if her tear had looked the same. She would never know, as the moment was gone forever. She pondered the fact that each moment in her life was completely gone and only existed in her mind. The thought saddened her.
She lowered herself to the floor to inspect the fallen tear. Its surface reflected the light blue sky and she even saw a cloud. For a moment, a smile began to form on her face, but she prevented it. It felt wrong to smile, so she gave her teardrop some friends, then fell asleep, and the trails the teardrops had made on her face dried and whitened.