The Challenge

Sun, sand and seagulls. The little Boy squints as he makes his way from the shadows of the beach front apartments, across hot sandy pavement, to the soft yielding sand. It is soft, but hot on the surface, and he hurries down toward the cool moist sand at the edge of the sea. He carries a small bucket and trowel he has promised his Grandmother to return at the end of the day. His feet are relieved, as he stands wiggling his toes in the wet sand, frothy water lapping around his ankles. The sea gently surges in and out, almost as if it is breathing. Gulls cry out and circle overhead, the sound of the pounding surf growls in the distance as a light breeze cools the Boy's skin.

He looks up and down the beach. Other children have built elaborate sand castles (he thinks of them as forts) in the damp sand. Location is important since the moisture allows the sand to mold almost like clay. However, too close to the water, and the occasional surge from a spent wave laps over the structure engulfing it in flood, and washing the efforts of it's builders back into the sea. After a brief survey, the Boy picks his spot, and starts to dig.

His mind empties as he molds turrets of wet sand in his bucket. Walls, shaped by hand join the towers. He is immersed in his task, smoothing the sides of the structure, and digging a deep moat all around the perimeter. The sun beats down on his darkened skin as it maintains its course across the sky. Construction continues.

A rogue surge moves further up the beach, hissing softly and surprises the Boy, splashing his feet, and inundating the outermost moat of his creation. He quickly digs the moat back out as the sand has filled in the trench. He digs it deeper, then continues adding detail to his creation, crenelations around the tops of the towers, to give cover to the castles defenders, small windows and doors.

Suddenly, another splash, and this time the water courses through the moat and laps up onto the outer wall. The Boy jumps back into action, making repairs and realizing that the tide is moving in. He knows that an invader more powerful than any imaginary army is attacking his creation. Defense of the fort is impossible, for the sea will ultimately overcome. He smiles and thinks " I can do this!"

Time disappears as The boy focuses on defending the castle. His repairs must be made rapidly to deal with the increasingly frequent assaults from the sea. He deepens the moat again, and buttresses the walls. As the surges become stronger and more frequent, he begins to mutter encouragement to himself: "never give up, you can do it, work harder, move faster!" He manages to keep all but a few waves out of the castles inner sanctum, frantically repairing the walls and moat after each relentless attack.

Suddenly, a powerful surge breaks through the moat, and over the top of the wall, flooding the castle. The Boy reacts immediately, ferociously digging at the wall to drain the sea, then digging out the moat. He bends over, back to the sea, feet spread and digs like a dog flailing away at the soft sand and spraying it back in the direction of the ocean.

"Never give up, never give up, never give up...!" He repeats this mantra over and over as he frantically repairs the damage. Just  in time, he looks between his legs and see the next surge coming. He quickly lays down in the sand between his creation and the wave. This deflects most of the water around, and only minor damage is done. Back up and digging, adding sand here, a second wall to take the brunt of the next assault.

He hears the slap of a wave breaking behind him, and lays down again as the hissing foam engulfs him and pours into the castle. He's up immediately, and digging again. "Never give up!" He looses track of time, and the fort takes more damage, he continues his dogged defense. The sounds of the gulls, and the surf seem to fade as he pours all of his energy and concentration into his hopeless defense.

"Quite a battle you have going there son!" The Boy looks up, startled back into the here and now. His Dad looms over him with a huge grin on his face. "Time to come back and eat dinner, you've been down here all day" his Dad says. The Boy stands up and notices that his castle is now well within reach of the waves, damaged, but still holding out. "OK Daddy!" The rolling roar of the surf is louder as he rinses his hands. "Come on, we got hamburgers on the grill!"

He feels a pang of hunger, grabs his pail and trowel, takes his father's outstretched hand, and they begin to walk away. Suddenly he stops, turns and looks back just as a large wave inundates his architectural creation, wiping it like a giant hand. As the water recedes, there are only traces left of the fort. Soggy lumps of sand, and flooded depressions stand out from the smoothed and leveled beach. He turns back and they continue up toward the apartments.

"Have a good day Son?"  The Boy smiles, "Yeah Daddy, it was great!"