There was once a young boy who spent almost his entire life near the beach. The sand held little fascination for him. He felt an intense attraction to the ocean. He had always been drawn to the water and it mesmerized him for as long as he could remember. He would spend hours standing in the surf gazing at the sunlight rippling across the endless blue, as the waves broke across his legs to meet the shore.
One day as the boy stood knee-deep in the breakers, he saw movement on the shore from the corner of his eye. He was compelled to turn away from his regular vigil and focus on what had appeared. It was a young girl. He couldn't turn away from her exquisite beauty. As she walked towards him on the dry sand, and he waded towards her through the shallows, he fell deeper in love with every step. She was a petite form of stunning beauty, like a faery that had been sculpted by gods of myth and then brought to life. Her skin was perfect. It's hue was a beautiful mixture of tan and light olive, with kisses of pinkish rose that were barely visible. Her eyes were almond shaped, like deep brown jewels in perfect settings that sparkled brighter than any gem. Her hair was like silk. She smiled at him and the effect of her beauty was intensified a thousand-fold.
The girl spoke with a voice that was as euphoria inducing as her appearance and asked if the boy would help her build a sand-castle. She stated in a sweet and soft tone that she was having difficulty doing it alone. There was a kindness and welcoming warmth about her that the boy had never felt from the ocean. He happily agreed to help her, but asked that they stay near the shore. He was basking in the new found feeling of love that she had brought upon him, but his bond to the vast body of water was still very strong.
Together they built a small castle from the sand. Shortly after they finished, a wave came forward and struck the spot where they gazed starry-eyed at each other over their first misshapen attempt at architecture. They laughed together about their slight misfortune. The girl suggested that they try again a little further from the shoreline. The boy glanced at the ocean and then looked back at the girl. He smiled and agreed.
Together they moved slightly further up the beach and began again. This time as they combined their efforts, every now and then the boy's attention was intermittently drawn back towards the sea, while the lovely girl was completely focused on the construction of the castle. Each time she looked up and smiled at him as she worked, he was once again enveloped by her gaze. He could see that she sincerely loved him too. Upon the completion of the second and improved structure, they stood up and joined hands, looking down at what they had created with mutual joy, their backs to the ocean. They had not realized that the tide had come in while they had been engrossed in their accomplishment, and one another. Once again a wave came and turned the castle to a distorted mound of mud.
The girl kissed the boy gently on the cheek and stated that it did not matter. She said that they could try again in a spot where the ocean could not ruin what they would build. The boy looked into her caring eyes with a mixture of comfort and unease. The ocean was all he had ever really known and it's pull on him was strong. As she smiled up at him with love, he was sure that what he felt for her was stronger than the beckoning water. He looked briefly down the beach to the shore and then took her by the hand. He led her to a spot where he felt certain the ocean would not reach them.
As the as the castle grew into a magnificent work of art, both larger and grander than its predecessors, it was the girl who made most of the contribution to it's creation. The boy could see that she had learned what she needed to continue alone. The deep and vast expanse of the ocean pounded the shore beckoning his returning presence. It would never let him go. He knew that he could not continue to resist its call. He never wanted to let the waves wash away what she might build again. He loved her too much. As the girl was engrossed in her task, the boy softly rose and gazed down at her one more time as the sunlight illuminated her countenance. He turned and walked back towards the shore.
When the girl was finished, she stood up triumphantly, expecting to see the boy looking back at her over the top of the castle. She looked around, but could not see him anywhere. After several minutes of waiting for his return, she proceeded towards the ocean. As she walked up and down the shoreline, she came upon a set of eroding footprints that led into the surf. The waves continued to roll up onto the wet sand, filling the tracks with water until they eventually disappeared.
