Sand Stings the EyesA Story by CalebHardingA girl named Cora remembers the laughs and adventures that her father and her had before he passed away. Sand Stings the Eyes
Cora’s
deep blue eyes nearly matched the raging waters of the mysterious ocean. Her
thin brown hair whipped across her face in the wind. She stared past the
coursing waves out onto the serene waters. Two birds flew into the horizon
where the world turned. Cora squinted her eyes trying to catch another glimpse
of the graceful birds, however her eyes could not reach that far. She longed
for that freedom. To just fly away, out of view of her problems. To escape the
heartbreak and the pain that came with it. July 7, 2013, nearly 3 months ago,
was the day everything changed. July 7, 2013 was when Cora’s father died. Slowly turning to her right, Cora
trudged down the shoreline. She had made the same trip so many times before.
Every Sunday Cora and her father would search for shells before church. They
never missed a day. Cora slipped out of her flip-flops,
and wriggled her toes in the cool sand. A small crab scrambled over her feet.
Cora watched it for a few moments, then, continued walking.
That morning started like any other
Sunday morning, except for one thing. Usually Cora’s dad would come in and wake
her. However, on this morning she awoke on her own. She glanced at the clock.
Her father should have been in by now. She grinned. He was probably just
sleeping in. Cora popped on her slippers and skipped out of her room. Her
little feet stomped down the hall as she neared her parents bedroom. She tore
through the hanging beads that separated their room from the rest of the house.
Cora came to a halt. Her mother was kneeling by her bed, her head resting on
the tear stained sheets. Her hair was sprawled all over the bed. The body of
Cora’s father laid across from his now widowed wife. Cora realized she was squeezing
her father’s hand. She must have self-consciously wandered over. She stared at his
closed eyes. He looked peaceful. However, something was missing… He was just a
shell of his formal self. The body was soulless. Cora reached the cove that she always
walked to with her father. She let out a long heavy sigh as she reminisced
about all the picnics she enjoyed there. Cora squeezed her eyelids shut until
she saw spots. Then she turned away from the nostalgic cove and ran. She didn’t stop running until she
reached the decorative stepping-stones that lead to her back door. Her family
had made the stones for father’s day a few years ago. She looked at each one as
she stepped onto it. She came to one with her fathers handprint, she stopped.
Her throat burned. She wiped her face on her sleeve and walked inside. Her mother was in the kitchen
washing dishes. She started to grin as she turned to face the door. However,
her smile quickly faded when she saw Cora’s red face. Cora’s mother’s eyes
drifted to where Cora’s stare was fixed. It was a picture of their family,
Cora, her mother, and her father. Cora and her mother embraced. Cora’s weak
voice broke the silence. “Some
sand blew into my eyes mom.” Cora’s
mother’s lips began to curl into a small smile. “I
know Cora. Sand stings the eyes.” She
squeezed her eyes shut to hold back tears. Then she wiped a tear from Cora’s
cheek. They hugged again, and tried not to focus on the sand stinging their
eyes. © 2015 CalebHardingAuthor's Note
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1 Review Added on March 4, 2015 Last Updated on March 4, 2015 Tags: short story, beach, girl, literature, fiction, short AuthorCalebHardingCentral, SCAbout19 years and counting. Almost done with my first year at Southern Wesleyan University. I am a business major with a communications minor. I was homeschooled up until graduation. Just trying to get fee.. more.. |