Sandcastles and Sunrises, Cassidy Shay [highly recommended books txt] 📗

The morning air sends shivers down my spine and makes goose bumps appear on my bare arms and legs. The wind carries the smells of the lake to my nose and makes the shovels in the bucket shift positions. The waves hit the soft sand, turning it into the perfect building material. I smile at him and his excitement over something so simple. I didn’t know that sandcastles and sunrises could be so exciting.
We start by making the big one in the middle. Towers and hallways, a castle fit for only the best kings and queens. Next we build the wall around the kingdom. Not to keep everyone locked inside, but to protect our happy sand people from the dangers outside. We don’t talk as we work. We don’t need confirmation from each other about if it’s big enough or right shape. Somehow, we just know.
Finally, the fourth side of the kingdom had its wall, and we move on to what’s inside. We talk now, about the lives that the people will have. The good and bad, but it’s mostly good.
We dig our roads and create our pathways, decide which mound of sand is what building. When it’s finished, we stand back to admire our work.
From where we stand, we can see the sun rising behind the kingdom, waking all the people up. As the warmth of the sun hits us, so does reality. We have to stop being little kids now, go back to our adult lives. But no matter where we are or how long it’s been, we’ll always have this sandcastle, this sunrise. This memory.

Text: Cassidy Shay
Publication Date: 03-19-2012

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