I stand on the sandy beach, my toes planted into the rough but also smooth sand. Water licks my feet as I stand there, starring into long endless blue.

The waves started small, barely only touching my toes, I moved a little farther in, feeling for potholes with my feet. A wave arrives and comes up to my knees.

It stays there for a couple of seconds, then it pulls back, bringing seaweed, shells, and rocks that bite at my heels.

Another wave comes in and it feels wonderful.  I stand in one place as it disperses. Then another wave. Seaweed is caught up in it like mermaid hair. I imagine the mermaids, beckoning for me to come and play with them.

I laugh and when the wave hits I dive into it. I surface and gasp for air. Then laugh as the seaweed tickles my feet.

I stand in the waves that go up to my hips for a long time. The morning turns into afternoon and I still stand there. The waves get bigger and bigger as the day progresses.

One gets so big that I run back to the shore. I almost reach the shallower part when I fall in a pothole and water sucks into my mouth. The wave leaves and I spit salty water out of my mouth. The sand brushes against my knees like sand paper.

I run over to my family who happen to be extremely far away from there, but really aren't. I walk over to the tide pools where my family is. I see a towel and run to it. It feels like a warm hug and I sit there for a while.

My mom tells me I need to take care of my sister but I scream and escape, my knees still hurting from my trip. I run back to the waves and throw myself in, swimming to the mermaids who wave to me.

Thanks for reading through that. This is actually a true story of when I went to the beach in California!