There are always a few special birthdays we are eagerly waiting for. The age you start to go to school, the first year of being a teenager and ultimately to reach the age where we are officially “adults.” Even though deep inside we might never want to really grow up. Photographer Lauren Engel provides an insight into those special moments of opening a new chapter in her life. Her 21st birthday.
“The moon casts a dark purple shadow across the sky as I favour the last moments of being 20. We slam the van doors shut as we tred under the moon’s guidance towards the rocks and sand until the beach water graces over the tips of our toes. The wind whispers in our ears, quietly, slowly, the only other sound we could hear was far away, nearly covered by the sounds of the sea. The beach looked scary but something about the water gently brushing the sand made it look comforting. Malibu found its way into me, maybe a bit too much. My back soaks into the sand as I lay down and stetch as my fingertips fill my palms with sand. For a moment, silence passes us as we take it all in. The drinks start to kick in and the second later I feel my dress unraveling around me until it falls on the sand next to my feet. I clutch my breasts above my hands and bow down, creating a shadow covering my body as we race into the sea. The cold sea water drenched me and as the water touched every part of me, I felt safe. It’s quite ridiculous, feeling safe during midnight at sea. We laugh at each other, naked, tossing water onto each other, until it soaks our skins and then our hearts. We filled every corner of the lonely and deprived beach with youthful cries of freedom. As the wet sand curled under my feet, I cried a little, ever so little, the freedom and youth was what I wished for for a very long time. A new chapter in my life. 21.”
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all images by www.engelauren.com
