Diamonds in the sand
Scrambling out of bed, a tangle of girls head outside.
It is the brightest of days, and my feet are on fire.
The sand is white hot burning soft glittering joy running ouch.
I skip, then sprint to the water’s edge, and plunge my feet into the sea. Relief pours through me as the sweet salty breeze assails my every last nerve, and I drink in the scene.
Grey and white seagulls are diving swiftly. Some float on an unseen wind; others perch on a piece of driftwood.
They confidently hawk insects in mid-flight and hover-dip fish from the sea.
I dig and dig and dig, but the pooling saltwater destroys my humble castle built with scorching grains of rock.
Can a castle exist in a state of humility?
Thousands of tiny diamonds sparkle in the sand. Elusive, I cannot catch them, and I retreat from the twirling sands.
I am eleven and twelve and suddenly a teenager on the shores of North Carolina.
Its series of islands are home for a week in the course of a year. Treacherous open sea and wide expanse of sandy beachfront give me pause to consider what has secreted itself during the school year.
Pink seashells and pirates and ponies, wild, freerange, sun-struck.
Like the gulls, we swim and duck and dive and rest until the sun goes down.
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- Tagged: adolesence, birds, Castle, childhood, Diamond, flight, Gull, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, OBX, outdoors, Outer Banks, Sand, summer, tiny diamonds, vacation
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing such evocative memories
Thank you for your kind words!
There’s something magical about the beach, especially during the summer when you’re cradled by the sun and have all sorts of time. I really liked this line:
They confidently hawk insects in mid-flight and hover-dip fish from the sea.
Because really? I don’t like seagulls, but this line made them dance on the wind in my mind’s eye.
Indeed. I love the combination of sun and water and wind. Thank you for writing!
I like the line “Can a castle exist in a state of humility?”. Because castles are supposed to be strong and shield you from the world, it clicked immediately, what you are saying here.
Thank you – I love it when words resonate with others.
Loved this sketch of your life as a child – you brought the experience to me. Just lovely!
Nicely done! I love what you did with the prompt. Your voice in this was pure silk and it was a joy to read!
You’re too kind. Thank you very much!
I, too, loved this line:
They confidently hawk insects in mid-flight and hover-dip fish from the sea.
It describes them perfectly – even as annoying as sea gulls can be! Nice job!!
Thank you so much!