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A Day at the Beach With Father (Short Story)
by Alex SmythShe delighted in the way the sand tickled between her toes
as she crossed the taupe carpet. Spreading her blanket,
she turned in awe to the dancing grey waves of the gulf,
above that the broad strokes of blue with neon white tufts
of impertinence daubed in for whimsey.
"It is more beautiful than I imagined." she said.
"Just a little something I threw together." he replied.
"A breeze right now would feel good, wouldn't it?"
She held out her arms as the wind circled round,
tasting the salt it brought on her lips. Realizing she was hungry,
she reached for her purse. Finding the money she tucked there
this morning for the hot dog stand, she thought of the job
that had appeared just on the edge of desperation.
"You planned ahead for me, didn't you?" she asked.
"I always do." he said indulgently.
Later she drifted to sleep on her blanket warmed by the sun,
listening to children playing, families laughing,
and the thump thumping of waves- a father's muffled heartbeat.
"Wake up and see this!" he called.
Wake up!.. Wake up! .. Ha-KAA!..Ha-KAA!
She opened her eyes to the flock of gulls. Children throwing bread
had brought the greedy clowns undulating above. Performing an ariel
ballet, one would grab the bread, fly upwards, then drop it's prize
as it took a bite. The others did a roll barrel formation as the next
underneath would grab, fly, bite, and drop; grab, fly, bite, and drop.
When the bread was gone the flock would rush back to hover
over the heads of the wide eyed children, demanding more.
"What a show they put on!" she said.
"Thank you," he said. "I trained them myself."
As she gathered her belongings, she thought of all the
gifts freely given her today, of the miracle of their creation.
"I feel like the most blessed on all the earth" she sighed.
"Of course you are." he replied.
"You say that to everyone!" she laughed.
"Of course I do." he smiled, and blew a feathered caress
across her cheek as she turned to walk away. 06/17/2004 Author's Note: With a curtsy and nod to Graeme Fielden, my favorite short story writer.
Posted on 06/17/2004
Copyright © 2025 Alex Smyth
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Graeme Fielden on 06/18/04 at 12:40 AM *Bows*...I really enjoyed this Alex. Your vivid, descriptive language brought this piece to life - Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! I certanly hope to see more of your prose in the future! ;P |
| Posted by Charles E Minshall on 06/18/04 at 02:53 AM Good tale Alex....Charlie |
| Posted by Mara Meade on 06/18/04 at 07:35 PM Wow. So much is said with so little. I am amazed at your talent! |
| Posted by Mara Meade on 06/18/04 at 08:09 PM Amen. Just Amen. |
| Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 01/13/05 at 01:17 PM thoughts cannot help but they would cross his mind, to think how fortunate, your children and children's children, to have a lap such as yours, from whence were told such delightful tales as this. |
| Posted by E. A. Pugh on 02/27/11 at 04:53 AM Lovely story of caring so much for a child to give her wind, safety and trained greedy clowns, I most enjoyed the painting you drew of the children and gulls. |
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