My body felt alien to me . I might as well have had scales .
Pebbles bulged between my fingers and beached driftwood shaved the skin on my shins . Blood warmed my numbing hands as my fingers finally brushed the beach . I dug my elbows into the sand and pulled myself off the rocks .
Exhausted , I twisted onto my back and my limbs drew towards my torso like weeds . My teeth clattered inside my mouth , as I sucked in icy air . The cold grated my throat making me wheeze .
My body continued to betray me ; convulsing and writhing ; I was nothing more than waste washed up by the waves . I compelled my neck to slacken and my head rolled lifeless on the sand .