Prompt 27 is to write about sand. Imagine touching it with your hands.
What does it feel like? Write about a sandcastle you built as a kid or as an
adult with your kids. Or about construction sand. Write whatever comes to mind. I'm continuing to build on my character, Kara, from my short story Calm in the Storm, so I guess this is an exert from a not yet written book. Visit Out of the Writers Closet Rise and Write for other posts and prompts.
Sand Castle
Tomorrow Kara and her two younger children would start the drive back, taking at least three days, visiting a friend form college on the way. She wanted to take full advantage of lake today, so had thought ahead when she got up and prepared salads, sandwiches, snacks, and all things necessary to picnic water side. They planned a big meal for dinner with steaks and corn for the grill, so this casual fare worked for the teens as well, who much preferred casual take and eat lunches tot he sit down affairs their grandmother liked to host. Her mother had lunch plans in town with a lake neighbor, and her brother and his wife needed to be back in their home town to settle more business. Her niece and nephew stayed at the lake to hang with their cousins.
The boys were throwing a football around in the water, the girls sunning on the raft, and Kota lay by her side. A boat went by very fast and created a pretty strong wake, causing rippling waves to force the water farther onto the beach area than it had been. The sand soaked in the water, hungry and thirsty. Kara was reminded of how when she was younger, perhaps about the age of her nephew Jack, and was caring for Jim, then already a boisterous six year old, and she convinced him to just stay and play calmly around her by promising to build a sand castle with him. Jim had gathered up old cool whip containers buckets, toy shovels, sticks and anything else Kara suggested would be good tools. She knew if she stretched this out, she could keep him busy at leat an hour, and possibly even tire him out enough that he might let her linger with a book instant of the constant vigil she needed to keep on his every move.
Kara remembered how the sand felt, eyes closed thinking about the sand castle building. The sand, hot and cold at the same time, scooping firms mounds into the bucket, then patting the wet grains down firm. There were others over the years, but this one was particularly grand. they had used the large bucket to create a base, and smaller ones to build the castle higher. She helped Jim create a mote, and then a wall around the moat using cups of sand. strategically placed sticks out of spires of sand were flags. Jim didn't have any medieval knights but he had army men that he brought down from the cabin. Not only did Kara get an hour of busy building, Jim played with his guys for most of the afternoon, pausing only to swim every so often when his body got hot. It had been a good day.
The grown Kara needed some action now. She got off her lunge chair and went over to the waters edge and plopped down on the wet sand. She didn't have any buckets or old food containers, but she began to sculpt the sand with her hands. She made little mounds, and then started to try and mold them bigger. When she got hot, she walked into the lake, doused herself, and then leaned over to get handfuls of very wet sand. She rubbed the sand between her hands, on her shoulders and arms, feet. The course sand felt refreshing as it sloughed a thin layer of peeling skin, remnant from a sun burn the week earlier. one more dunk to get the sand off and back to her building. She fund she had help; Jack had found a bucket and a red solo cup, and was helping to create real sand castle shapes. Kyle, at 16, couldn't resit getting in on it, and brought some sticks over, using a larger one to start digging moat. The girls form their raft looked up to see what was going on. Each waved, but laid back down again. Kara was content. It was a good day.
I must admit to having very mixed feelings about sand, which are, of course, my own fault, and perhaps will feature here at some point in the future. But for now, the part of me that finds sand fun and relaxing and peaceful enjoys your post extolling the wonders of sand. It can have such soothing properties ... provided you find it in the right places at the right times, and not the wrong places at the wrong times. My father once told me of a long walk he took on a rather breezy day in Hawaii ... it seems breeze, dry sand and long walks don't mix, he discovered, as he found walking to be a very delicate affair for the next few days as sand had found itself into the wrong places at the wrong time. Sand ... it can be tricky. :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it! Loved how you tied together the two sand castles and the two good days of Kara's life. I don't remember whether I told you before, but the dog's name Kota sounds to me as a Russian speaker very cute, and a bit ironic - kot means cat in Russian. :)
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