Sand Castles and Slides.

“George!” She shouted out to him, motioning for him to go over to the picnic bench.

He rolled his eyes ignoring his mother and continued to build up the best castle in the whole playground. Looking around he realizes his is the only castle in the playground, in fact George finds himself to be the only one playing in the sand at all. Everyone has crowded the swings and the slides leaving the box vacant. This may seem like a dream come true, in a way it was, all this sand, all this space to roam but what was the fun when you had no one to marvel at your miraculous talent? It was a known fact at Kingston Park; George was the greatest castle builder out of all the four year olds. He could mold the most precise detail into the moat, and the windows with his petite hands. But for the last couple of weeks he found a fewer amount of spectators each day. His once loyal followers have moved on to bigger and better things leaving him behind.

George stood up slowly and delicately making sure he didn’t knock the tower over. He began wiping off his jean overalls and the striped red shirt underneath that was coated in sand. He then looked toward the tallest slide in the park, and he glanced at his mother. She was occupied with a fellow parent and surely wouldn’t notice if he made his way over to the “one”. Looking up at the tall feat he had decided to grow up. Move on from the buckets and shovels and experience the thrill and the excitement everyone else was addicted to. He dashed over to the bottom step and looked up counting 15 stairs. Shouldn’t be too hard he thought to himself. But the steps were so high that his small legs could barely reach over to the next without struggle. By the seventh step he found himself exhausted and wondering what the fuss was about. He carried on nevertheless.

After much work and anticipation he reached the top, and looked around. To his knowledge this was the highest he had ever been, in his life. It terrified him. It frightened him so much so that he was paralyzed with the fear. He grasped the two poles and stuck his head in between his knees and quietly decided this was going to be the death of him. At that moment he heard his name “George! George!”

It took all he had to lift his head up, to a crowd of people below. “What are you doing mister?! You come down from there RIGHT NOW!” His mother yelled, causing him the worst emotion of all; humiliation. He then came to and faced a life decision, face the slide, or bow out with his tail between his legs in his mommy’s arms. Should he grow up, become a man, face his death in the eye and laugh? Or do what he so desperately wanted to do and walk back down those stairs? He looked over to his castle, and at that very moment Lucy’s father stepped on it on his way to the slide, crushing Georges work of art. Just like that he realized that sand castles leave, something he devoted so much time on, something he prided himself in, could be demolished with a strong breeze or rain. He grabbed the sides of the slide, the crowd below gasped as he flung his body down as fast as his small arms could push.

As he slid down the silver his stomach flipped and his fear was forgotten. George had beaten the slide, and was now in utter love with the thrill it offered. As he reached the bottom he felt like he was on top, of the world that is.