"A Peaceful Sleep" by Sarah Moon

A Peaceful Sleep

by Sarah Moon

The sun was high in the sky, the sand warm, and the surf broke loudly against the sandy shore. Penny dug her toes deep into the sand while the cold water pooled around her ankles. She liked the suction beneath her soles, and the momentary nervousness at the thought of what if she got “stuck stuck” and Mom and Dad weren’t quick enough to grab her.

She looked back towards her parents. Mom was lying on her beach towel in her bright pink bikini looking up at the sky, her eyes hidden behind oversized, yellow-framed sunglasses. Dad was in his new contraption of a chair. He was always making silly, over-the-top additions to something basic. This time the improvements were an attached mini cooler, a pillow headrest, three extra cup holders, a footrest, and a giant neon green umbrella that shaded the whole thing from the sun. If he patented it, he’d probably be a millionaire in a few years.

Penny squinted to get a better look. Dad’s nose was still shoved in his book. She rolled her eyes. She hated reading, especially since it was always forced on her in school. She didn’t understand how Dad could sit for hours without moving so much as a muscle.

With both parents preoccupied, she could go a little deeper. Always one to break the rules, she enjoyed pushing her luck and gaining little victories over Mom and Dad. She wiggled her toes, breaking up the suction beneath her feet. In a few moments, she was ankle-deep in the sand with a satisfied smile. She lifted one foot, then tried to lift the other, but it stuck, sending her forward into the shallow water. She caught herself with her hands, her blonde curls dancing just above the water. She never liked getting her hair wet, it felt icky and clung to her neck and shoulders. The salty water was freezing as it swallowed her petite wrists, making her body shudder from the sudden surprise and cold.

Penny struggled to pull her other foot from the sand, looking at the incoming waves to time how long it would take before the next big breakers poured over her. The sheer size of them was frightening. She yanked harder, trying to free herself, but the suction had her foot in a vice grip. The wave gained more height and started to curl, seaweed and flotsam peppered the bright blue water. Panic set in as her hands melted deeper into the sand, her loose foot flailing in the air like a fish out of water. The tide receded a little, leaving a froth of bubbles behind in the wet sand.

Penny looked back at her parents, letting out a cry for help that was muffled by the loud snap of the incoming wave. They were unmoved by her calls as the water engulfed her. She held her breath, the cold biting at every inch of her body. Her ears filled with water, and she heard the sound of the ocean, the same sound she loved to listen to when she held a conch shell up to her ear. This time it wasn’t so pleasant. The wave slowly rolled back out into the ocean, allowing her to take a massive gulp of air.

Her salty tears mixed with the briny ocean water that dripped from her face and she whimpered loudly. Sand and bits of seaweed clung to her hair, she wiggled her toes and fingers to break free from the sand to no avail. Her worst fear, the one she worried about but never thought could actually happen came to fruition. Penny was “stuck stuck”. She cried harder, but the calls of seabirds, the pounding of the surf, the chatter of kids playing and adults calling to them swallowed her small voice.

Penny looked down the beach hopeful, but no one had seen her. No one was close enough to help. She grimaced, her chest tightening in panic. She opened her mouth to scream but felt a sudden light touch. Something gently stroked her arms just above the sand she was sinking into. She fell quiet, sniffling and blinking away tears that blurred her vision. Tentacles from something unseen had sprouted and, one by one, they moved up her arms, embracing her in a kind of hug that was comforting. Penny observed the arms slowly creep over her own, making their way towards her shoulders.

Her hands loosened in the sand, the grains releasing their tightened grasp. Penny pulled her arms back, only to be suddenly jerked back down. She led out a welp as the suction cups of the creature yanked her in closer. Another wave brought more shallow water rolling in. Penny’s face hovered centimeters above the watery grave but just enough to breathe.

She looked down into the sand as if gazing into a fishbowl. Two eyes with slit pupils surfaced between her hands causing Penny to let out an ear-piercing scream. This time her cry gained her parents’ attention. Dad threw his book aside and Mom jumped to her feet, her sunglasses falling to the ground. They ran towards Penny calling her name, the panic in their voices brought the eyes of others to dart in their direction.

Penny listened to her parents’ wails as they struggled to get to her in time, she knew all too well how hard it was to run in the sand. As her parents inched closer, Penny was pulled in deeper.

Then all was quiet. The sounds of the ocean became nothingness. Her vision black and her eyes unable to open under the force of the sand. The creature burrowed deeper, and Penny burrowed with it.

There was something peaceful about those final moments, she wasn’t alone. The creature was with her, embracing her in the comfort of its many arms lulling her into eternal sleep beneath the sandy beach.