The beach was quiet, summer sun fading. At this time of day, hunters were fewer, hunched against the evening chill, half-heartedly turning stones, the horizon spanning a vista unchanged in centuries.
I'd seen families like this many times. Frazzled parents trying to contain their frustration as a small boy – usually a boy, but not always – stared intently at the rocky shoreline. He wore a backpack, glasses slipping down his nose as he squinted into seawater spray. Soon, they'd drag him away, before he could claim his prize.
“Perhaps we could come back tomorrow,” said the mother, hopefully. “When it's lighter.”
Her son shook his head. “It rained this morning. Washes stuff up.”
“Or another beach?” suggested the father. “Up the coast.”
“She found the ichthyosaur here,” the boy said.
“Who?”
He glanced up, incredulous. “I…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2024