Ocean View

• Kayla Jillian, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2017

As the sun begins to shine happily on the cool, rippling surface of the sea that continues draws attention to crowds, cars drive towards the nearest parking space like they would never have another chance to see this exquisite scenery. Children run frantically towards the sea, as if they were competing for an Olympic gold medal. The parents are the next out of the sleeping creatures, tangled in the deck chairs, towels and umbrellas they brought with them for such a beautiful day. Mums screech to their children to be careful, clinging onto their infants as they try to stumble after the older siblings. The dads huff and grumble as they are left to carry all the essentials that the mothers had insisted on bringing.
The peace has been invaded, yet the calming sea couldn’t be happier.
A hundred cries of joy drown out all other sounds – the children have penetrated the turquoise swirls of the deep blue floor. The nourishing sea cools and calms them. Some relax, letting the water gently lap at their bodies. Others run riot, splashing about and giggling extremely wild. And some stand at the shore line, letting the sea-cat rub around their ankles and tiny legs as they marvel at its treasures – dead or alive.
Panting as though they were the dogs that have been brought here after a run, the mothers and fathers finally catch up to their small children. They prepare themselves for a nice long sunbathing session, leaving the infants – reeking of sunscreen – to totter off and make sandcastles.
As the hour’s whiz by rapidly, people come and go, parents dragging their children away, whom shriek and plea for “another five minutes”, but they know it won’t work for a third time. They know that parents just don’t understand. Very few appreciate the wonderful feeling of the powdery sand between their toes, or the blissful sensation of the cool waves crashing against your ankles, legs, waist.
When the last person turns to leave, the sea silently whines for them to come back. It runs after them but slips and falls, back to where it started. It tries and tries again and never gives up.
The blood red sky swirls like the sea did blue. The sea kicks over every sandcastle in rage and a petty attempt at revenge before settling down just in time for the Lunar to show off her silver gown. In the moonlight, he cries. In the twilight, he mourns. In the morning, he forgets, ready for yet another day with the such people at the beach.