You're at the beach with your family

Your parents have beach towels set up on the sand for each of your family members, you're sitting close nearby with your digging utensils in the sand, thinking of making a sandcastle.

Everyone except for your sibling is chilling where the towels are.

Mom: Hey can someone bring back, I need to put sunscreen on you two so you don't get sunburnt

Sorry I meant to do it earlier.

Father: Oh yeah I'll go get them

Mom: C'mere

Yes Mom!

Your mom got some SP4F-something, maybe 5. She takes a few drops and dots them along your arms and forehead, and continues

Mom: You'll need full coverage it's gonna be really sunny out today.
Okay Rub the dots around your skin and turn around lemme get your back too.

You turn around and now you see your sibling's walked up, slightly startles you how quick that was.

: Ughhhhhh I'm hereee

Mom: Alright all done, go play.
Alright now your turn sweetie.

You're closer toward the shore, you're trying to find a spot to make a good sandcastle... You have to go grab your utensils first then you turn back around.

I don't want any stupid sunscreen I can handle it on my own

Mom: You know that's not true

: Whatever just, fine... I wanna go play in the waves.

Mom: You can play after...

(...)

You're walking too far away to hear what they're saying now but you can tell your sibling's standing there eagerly waiting for it to be done.

Now you've made it to a good spot, not too far out, not too close.

The sand is a little mushy, pretty much perfect condition for your plastic pail and bucket to make a dent and make a mean castle.

Waves rush up, they're small, it's improving the conditions.

You start digging.

You spot your dad out of the corner of your eye standing out in the deeper waves, unsure what he's doing, he hasn't gone back inshore from getting your sibling.

You remember how both you and him share a fear of the ocean...

But you're too busy to be thinking about that...

You're setting up some sand in your bucket, making a decent crater in front of you

A wave comes inshore, some water gets trapped there and the rest gets pulled back out.

You feel the ground around you is moist enough to cover bits of skin that come in contact, so as you're sitting you can feel your legs are pretty mushy

It's a conflicting feeling, because you don't mind making sandcastles, but you don't like the texture.. it's pretty distracting...

Ha!

Even so you turn over your sand-filled pale, set it down to the side, and marvel at an admittedly simple sandcastle, much work to do still.

A few more and I'll-

Father: Whatcha making?

Uh- A sandcastle!

Father: Awesomeee!

You feel happy that he shares your enthusiasm for sandcastle-making.

Father: Can I help?

Oh sure!

Father briefly takes your bucket, efficiently scooping up piles of sand into it while it's on its side, then tipping it up to fill it to the brim

He packs it with his hands, then nearby your first sandcastle structure he tips it the other way and makes a second, he pulls it up and makes another

Woahh

Father: Just watch we're gonna make the greatest sandcastle ever

YEAH!

You can hardly contain your excitement, you love him.

He finished making a third bucket full of sand and places the next structure on the other side to make a 3-segment sandcastle each structure with equal sizes

You feel so accomplished, but you don't have much else to put on it

Father sets down the sandbucket and gives you your pale

Hmmm

Father: What's up?

Need to uh, shape it more, give it detail, help me with that?

Father: Oh yeah, yeah

You scooch closer so you can sit leaning over the first structure you want to focus on

You use your pail to scoop and shape bits of it

Your father sits nearby focusing on another using his fingers

You're both just doing your thing

Another wave comes in,

It pulls your sandbucket Father left nearby out as the wave gets pulled back, but you don't notice this. You're too busy, so is he.

Eventually the two of you sit back and marvel at your cooperative efforts to make a darn good sandcastle together

It's still admittedly pretty basic but the bonding experience means more, you don't know this type of perspective yet.

You're too focused on how much fun you're having with Father

You add the finishing touch, not knowing what else you could use. You stick your pail into the top of the middle structure, it's facing up like a flagpost.

You're proud.

He's happy.

You don't notice that your sibling's finished putting on their sunscreen and your Mom's now watching you two.

Woww..

Father: Oh boy, my feet are killing me sitting like this... ow

Haha

Father gets up

Father: You uh, take it from here alright

He walks away

You look back at your sandcastle

You think maybe you could make some kind of quadruple structure sandcastle, this one could have a room for you

You think to go grab your bucket at the last place you saw it

It's not there

Um.. Father?

You don't immediately notice him

My.. bucket- Father!

You don't see him until you look out to the ocean, he's standing near the outer shore, your bucket's barely visible, he's actually already trying to get it.

MY BUCKET!

He hears you and looks up, you have to yell across the beach in order to hear eachother

Father: WHAT?

I CAN'T FIND MY BUCKET!

Father: 'THIS ISN'T YOUR BUCKET?' WHAT?

Your mom's trying to get his attention from further inshore but you can barely hear her either

You stand up, putting your hands to your mouth like a cone

GET MY BUCKET!

I-It's probably theirs, jeez stop screaming so loud...

He walks back with it after retrieving it, it was easier for him, if it were you, you don't think you'd be tall enough to stand at that depth, despite it not being where the ocean starts.

You don't know when the ocean starts on the beach, you've never been that far

You feel suspended, you just have to wait until he gets back before you can do anything

Father: I got it! I got it.

He's walking up to you with your bucket, it's full of water, he has to dump it a bit before he can pass it to you because the weight would be too heavy

Father: Whew...
Here's your bucket
You need to calm down,
Anyway make like, a moat, or something, for the castle.

You're trying to calm down and catch your breath, it mattered a lot that he'd bring it back

.. Thank you Father

Father: ...

Father: You were scared it was gonna be lost forever weren't you?

You nod

Father: I'm sorry,

You don't really know what to say or do

Father: ...
But it wasn't even that far

.. What?

Father: You're.. way too scared of the waves

I think you need to face your fear or you're never gonna have any real fun

I'm scared of the ocean, but it's fine, alright, you're way overreacting about the beach.

I-

We're supposed to be having a fun time.

Father: We're supposed to be having a fun time.

But-

Father: No.
No ifs,
no ands,
no buts.

He takes your hand a little too forcefully

We're doing this.

He's walking you to the shore.

...

Whether you like it or not

You can do this okay

...

Come on

You're in the water, it's not steep, you usually safely go this far, but you feel like it's not safe anymore.

No no no no

Father: Come.. on!

He, now gripping your arm, pulls it forward intending to let go so you stand in front of him

You're still standing, the waves rush past your feet, it's up to your shins.

Father: See?

It's...

It's okay I- I.. I guess...

Father: Walk with me

This is still pretty close, you've been out here

We're still going

Oh, okay.

I know I just, no, no hold my hand, please

For now, I will

He takes a hold of your hand when you outstretch it, it doesn't feel tight enough, but you don't say that

You feel the water reaching below your knees

You want to cry

You hate this, you hate this, you hate this

Please don't let go

The water's up to your knees, you feel the current start to pick you up

KEEP UP!

You feel his grip slipping very, very, very slowly over time.

You're stuck in neverending suspension of disbelief

You don't know what's going on anymore

You're not sure what to do

You're not sure what you can do

Can you do... anything?

But watch?

Mom: What's going on over there?!

You look back briefly and your ears stop ringing, you hear your mom yelling

Father: I'm teaching them a lesson

Mom: HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE!

You look back to your father

He doesn't even care to notice you're slipping from his grip

Mom: WALTER!?

The water's to your waist, you're practically being dragged along.

Don't-

Can we turn back I'm scared

The water's above your waist

Father!

Father: Not yet

Your grip loosens to the final point before you're about to be let go

Don't let go
Don't let go
Don't let go
Don't let go

DON'T-