There are very few things in this world that are as fickle as human life. Like the ephemeral flame of a candle, our light can be suffocated at any moment. We often take this fact for granted and live as if we have been given the blessing of immortality. This fallacy, however, is exposed every so often.

Be it in the fall, when discolored leaves drift away from the branches of trees, or perhaps as we travel down the highway late at night, and our headlights bring the corpse of an animal into sight. For me, it was when I witnessed my brother die before my very eyes.

My toes sank into the warm grains of sand underneath my feet. I sat on a towel, my chin resting on the palm of my hand. The gentle motion of the waves carried the pleasant aroma of saltwater towards me. I closed my eyes and bathed in the sunlight, smiling to myself as I enjoyed that perfect day. That pleasant moment, however, was short-lived.

Suddenly the brilliant warmth that had soaked my body disappeared and was replaced by a large, looming coldness. As my vision returned, I saw a large shadow standing over me. I spun around, but it was too little too late.

I sprung into the air, screaming bloody murder. A cold liquid drenched my skin and clothes.

"Holy fucking shit," I cried, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around my body. The rough texture of the sand ground against my skin, but I overlooked it for the time.

A burst of booming laughter erupted from the burly man in front of me. He hunched over, one arm covering his mouth, the other gripping a bright red bucket. I rolled my eyes, sighing heavily while drying myself off.

"Mr. Funny man over here thinks he's a fucking comedian," I muttered under my breath. I lifted the black strands of hair that covered my face and tossed them over my shoulder, revealing my eyes. I gave him my signature death stare, which had been meticulously crafted over the course of nineteen years of enduring dumbass pranks.

"Come on man, lighten up. You're always so up-tight about everything nowadays. Not everything needs to be so serious," he said, dropping the bucket and placing his hands on his hips. He pretended to give me a stern look before chuckling to himself once more.

I turned my head away from him to showcase my disapproval. Admittedly, he was a pretty funny guy, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing I thought that. Instead, I shifted my attention to the blue cooler that sat to the right of us.

"Yo, I brought that with us for a reason. You wanna have a drink, or do you just wanna act like a dick head some more?"

"Who says I can't drink AND act like an dick head," he replied in the snarkiest tone imaginable. For a moment, he broke through my defenses and elicited a smirk from me. I hoped he wouldn't notice it, but judging by the pleased grin on his face, he caught me red-handed.

We clinked our glass bottles together and took a swig of our beverages.

"Hey, you didn't get that zero calorie diet coke shit did you," he asked, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

"What the hell are you talking about? This is the real deal," I responded.

He folded his arms and glared at me, scrunching his nose up in disgust.

"You... do know I'm trying to lose weight right? I'm getting fat, man."

I sarcastically nodded my head in agreement. Of course, the gym rat of the family would need to "lose weight". Standing up, I walked to the edge of the water, looking down and viewing my reflection. My brother soon arrived and stood by my side, placing an arm around my shoulder.

"Look at us, man."