Malltraeth Beach, near Ynys Llanddwyn, Anglesey — a cold winter afternoon

The light felt low all day, but as the afternoon wore on, something shifted. The sky began to open — not completely, but just enough to let streaks of gold spill across the wet sand. The tide had pulled back, leaving the beach like a mirror, still cold but catching the sky’s warmth in brief flashes.

There was barely any wind, and the quiet was broken only by the distant wash of water returning. I stood still for longer than I meant to — not because I was waiting for the perfect moment, but because the moment had already arrived.