There I was, looking up at the monstrous sand castle rising at least 500 feet into the air, and to think, I had to climb it. It was moments ago that I had been sitting at the top of this sand dune soaking up the suns rays, wishing that the moment would never end. I saw the beautiful waves crashing onto the shore below, and my curiosity had gotten the best of me. The trip down was a breeze, it was the trip up that I had underestimated. With every step I took, the sand kept pulling and pulling me down, back into its reach to the point where my calf was no longer visible, I have to fight it, I thought, I have to fight the urge of giving up. As I looked down at the crashing waves once again, that had drawn me here in the first place it reminded me of something I so desperately needed, water. Oh just the thought of water made my hands tremble with excitement. Who would have thought that such a basic need could be so far out of reach.
“No”, I said to myself.
I had to keep my mind on the task in front of me. Focusing would be the only thing that would keep me sane. But I was not alone, my father, mother, and younger brother had decided to take this treacherous journey with me.
“Halfway there!” my father had called out.
But we had barely made it 100 feet from where we had started. Although I hated his optimism considering the circumstances, the thought of getting this overwith was such an empowering feeling. I could not wait to look down, and with a slow, and steady gasp say
“ I did it. “
Of course that feeling was about 400 feet up, but I hated the feeling of being trapped. It made me insane. It made me feel like a caged animal. But the feeling would end sooner or later, How much longer can my body take this?
I shook my head. No, no more distractions I thought. Focus Sylvia, Focus. The sand and all of its contents were tickling and pulling my bare feet deeper and deeper into its grasp, it was certainly a challenge, but I had to win the battle. Every step I took felt like torture, constant poking and scratching of who knows what, and the only escape was finishing what I had started. I have to make it, I have to make it. I thought to myself.
“Almost there!” my mother informed us.
I felt a burst of relief that it was almost over, just one more step I kept saying to myself hoping that sooner or later that last step would eventually come.
“Are we there yet” I screamed with the last bit of energy I had.
“Not quite” my mother replied.
I could not wait to give my aching legs a rest. The joy of almost finishing gave me so much energy.
“I can see the top!” my brother screamed.
“I can see it too!” my father had replied.
“What a relief!” I added.
And there it was, the top. A tear nearly dropped down my face with the thought that my agony had come to an end. When I reached the top, I turned to my mom, dad, and brother, and said with some empowerment,
“Lets never do that again”
“agreed” they all said, one after another.
As we walked down the trail to our car, all with our knees practically dragging on the ground, we had realized another trail that had led down to the exact same shore we had to go up and down that huge sand dune for.
“Maybe we should have taken that map after all...” my dad said.
We all glared at each other, took a huge sigh, and kept walking.
