If of the year.

If….

Then I wouldn’t have returned last night.

And if I hadn’t returned last night, I would have driven south and east.

If I had driven south and east, I would have left the motorway an hour later and taken the road between the two supermarkets.

If the supermarkets had been there, I would of course have already been prepared.

I would have driven along the canal, turned over the bridge and crossed the marsh.

If I had crossed the marsh, I would have come to the harbour and I would have gone to the shop and bought bread and cheese, fruit and water for the morning.

Then I would have taken the track between the fishmongers and the camp site.

If I had done all of this, then I would have driven through the broken barrier onto the sand.

If I had gone this far, I would have driven across the sand, in and out of the dunes and onto the shore.

Then I would have stopped.

Opened the doors and fallen asleep listening to the waves.

If it had been so, I wouldn’t be here this morning looking at a greying sky.

I would be running in the waves.