Beach Day

• Alex Amon, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2016

The sun was beaming down hard on me as I attempted to jump yet another of the cooling waves. I was gulping down the salty water as each wave came at me, splashing in my face. I wasn’t tall enough to see past the waves but I heard my older brother cheering me on from beyond. I could barely hear him though, after all, the waves were almost like a sound barrier. The smell of the salty water was starting to get to me. I just couldn’t bare it anymore, not being able to get past these frustrating waves. I dive underneath the next wave; my lungs filled to the top with air, and swam. I swam, I swam, and I swam. I was struggling to swim any further, I had to come up. I lift my head, gasping for air, but what I found was rather the opposite. Another wave was crashing onto me. I was choking on the horrid water. My eyes were stinging, my nose and mouth were filling with water as it hit hard against my skin. Wait, no. This can’t be! I’m being bashed by the waves on sand, where I started! How could I have made it back to the start? My brother asks if I’m ok. My brother? I look up. I feel so confused; my brother was up ahead, not behind. I look behind me to find that there is vast open water with a bank of sun yellow behind me. That can only mean… I MADE IT! I made it all the way through the forcing blue to the sand bar. I look back and wave to my parents on the golden glowing sand. Then they’re gone. I look back and my brother disappears. The warmth starts to fade. I look down and see my feet on the soft wet sand turn into … bed covers? “Wake up, lazy head. We’ve got a snow day!”