Introduction
The Player and the Tide

I stood on a deserted beach, towering over a giant chessboard. My powerful hands moved the pieces with military precision, each move calculated to annihilate my invisible opponent. In this black-and-white universe, I was the supreme strategist.

The ocean rumbled in the distance, a dull roar drawing inexorably closer. Absorbed in my tactical battle, I did not immediately notice the water beginning to invade my territory. My concentration stayed anchored to the board, to each methodically executed move.

The tide gathered strength, like an enemy army. The waves, bolder and bolder, carried off my pieces one by one. I fought to hold on to them, my heart beating to the rhythm of the struggle against the elements.

A breaker, mightier than the others, suddenly swallowed the whole chessboard. By instinct, I dived to save what could be saved. In an instant I was submerged, dragged into the depths by merciless currents.

At the heart of this watery chaos, a strange serenity came over me. I gave up the fight and let myself be carried away, discovering a harmony with nature that I could never have imagined on my so carefully ordered battlefield.

When the sea finally cast me up on an unknown shore, I rose, transformed. My gaze, used to analysing a board with fixed limits, took in the wild expanse before me. The horizon no longer had bounds.

A feminine presence took shape in the morning mist. Her perfume drifted on the salt air. She smiled at me and walked slowly away, inland. I followed her naturally, without questions, leaving behind me the remains of my former world.