[bappybeach] Neptunes First Beach Visit

--From the perspective of Neptunes Mother--

It's been a little over a year since I took in my little star. When I first brought him home I was very concerned, he ate very little, seemed to have no interest in anything, and was much smaller than a boy his age should be. Things have improved greatly since then, and as the sun set the other night I found myself thinking about the beach. It's always been of great importance and a kid his age should have already been brought to experience it by now. I run my hand through his hair as he sleeps soundly next to me, this sweet little boy is shy and I’m not sure if he will be able to handle all the attention that he would get there. I think back to the first time I went to the beach, and all the important times in my life when I choose to go back. He deserves to be able to experience it too, and perhaps all the attention would help open him up a bit and be a little less shy. I pick Neptune up and begin to walk him to his bed, coming to the decision that tomorrow I’ll pack up some blankets and snacks and I’ll take him to the beach, there is one close nearby that I'm sure he will love. I tuck the blanket around him and kiss him goodnight. I find myself looking forward to tomorrow, it should be a delightful day for me but more importantly for him.

Early in the morning I wake Neptune up, I tell him today we are going somewhere exciting. I tell him about the Snow Shell Reef and its importance to us Symprites. I pack up his favorite blanket and some of his favorite snacks, I hoist him up onto my shoulders and we head out. As we approach the beach the sound of the waves are soft and smooth.I take Neptune off my shoulder and grab his hand as we approach the beach. A curious look crosses his face as his hooves touch the sand for the first time he lifts his leg up and down several times, pushing and digging into the sand. I give him a little nudge with my hand and encourage him to try playing with the sand a little. He crouches down and sticks his hands straight into the sand causing me to let out a small laugh, his head turns to look at me eyes full of curiosity and wonder. We walk a little further down the beach and I set up our spot. I look over to my little star, he is playing in the sand, picking up the sand in his hands and watching as it slowly drains out of them. He digs around when he suddenly pauses, he pulls out a small purple shell. He pulls it close to his face and examines it closely, tilting and rotating it in his hands with such childlike curiosity. As children tend to do, he quickly puts the shell into his mouth, I rush over to him and tell him that shells can’t be eaten. He seems disappointed so I redirect to something else and point at the shallow waters. I ask if he would like to play in the water and he nods excitedly.

I watch Neptune approach the water, he follows the edge of the shore as the waves push in and out. He cautiously reaches his leg out to touch the water retracting nervously as the water touches him. I’m not sure what exactly is going through his head but he seems to brace himself before launching himself full force into the shallow waters. He falls almost entirely into the water before shooting right back up with a bewildered look on his face, as if he didn’t even think that could happen. He looks back at me for reassurance and I give him a little smile. I walk into the shallow waters to him and sit down, I take my hands and dip them into the water and he bends down to look at my hands. With no mercy I quickly lift my hands out splashing water across his face. He looks at me with a shocked look of betrayal before dipping his hands into the water and doing it back to me. I laugh and he laughs back, it’s the first time I’ve heard him laugh like this and it brings a smile across my face. He asks if he can go deeper into the waters and I tell him he can but he has to hold my hands the whole time. He grabs my hands and we venture deeper into the water, by the time my waist is submerged Neptune is kicking his little legs to swim. He swims around in the water for a little bit before I ask him if he would like to eat a snack, he agrees very easily and we walk back to our blanket.

We sit down on the blankets, Neptune rolls around the blanket to dry off getting sand all over both himself and the blanket. I open the basket and take out a small sandwich and some fruit I brought along, handing it to Neptune so he can take his pick. I watch this small sand covered child devour his snacks in record speed, I instruct him to slow down or he might hurt his stomach. He looks at me and then slows down. I hear the pitter patter of small footsteps come from behind me and am met with another young Symprite looking at me, her parents approaching from behind her. She asks if she can have some of our snacks and I agree. I greet her parents and they join us on our blanket. They explain that she's a little late to experience the beach for the first time but for health reasons they couldn’t bring her any sooner, it feels nice to know I’m not the only one who's late to bringing their kid. We talk for a little while when my attention is drawn to my little boy and his new friend. The little girl is showing my boy how to build a sandcastle, she pushes the sand up with her hands and instructs him to do the same. The sand “tower” falls apart and the two kids look to each other for help. I watch as the two of them try to figure out what they are doing wrong, my son rushes over to the waves and scoops up some water in his hand and runs back to the sand pile. He splashes it and then pushes it into a… shape of some kind. The two of them throw their arms into the air in a celebratory expression, they then get distracted by a nearby shell.

We wave goodbye to our new friends as they head off into the distance. I pack our belongings and brush most of the sand off Neptune. I hold his hand and ask him if he wants to walk down the beach with me, he agrees and we head off. As we walk I watch him play in the way children do, he jumps around and kicks the sand, he runs in wavy lines and picks up random shells he sees. Each shell he sees he picks up and brings to show me, I thank him and then tell him we should leave them so that the next person to come by can also see the pretty shell. As time passes he grows more tired so I pick him up and carry him in my arms. He leans against my shoulder and stares out into the sea, the sound of the waves seem to lull him to sleep. I carry him down the beach as he takes a little nap.

We reach a very important spot on the beach to me, this is where my parents took me when I was younger. It's a small smooth rock formation that lays up against the edge of the waves. When the water hits the rocks it spreads out in small streams and puddles of water. I nudge Neptune awake and sit him down on the rocks, he uses his hand to play in the puddles. I pat his head and he looks up at me, I can’t help but smile at him. I ask him if he had fun today, there is a bit of silence while he looks at me before he looks down and shyly rubs his hands together. For a moment I'm worried he didn't enjoy today but he looks back up at me and smiles. I've seen him smile before but he’s never smiled at me. He tells me it was the most fun he has ever had, he tells me he was so excited to meet another kid, and how he enjoyed swimming in the water. He goes on and on about how much fun he had today and without even noticing it I shed a few tears. He looks at me with confusion and asks why I'm crying. I explain to him that sometimes you can be so happy it brings you to tears, and that I was so happy to see him happy. I put my hands on his cheeks and give him a little shake. I tell him if he ever wants to come back to the beach all he has to do is ask. He puts his small hands on mine and sweeps him off his hooves and into the air. It's time to go home.