A Time to Remember continued

My name is Cassandra, Cass for short. For all of the thirteen years of my life I’d lived in South Carolina, right by the beach. But, my dad got a job in Maine, so we packed up and bought a new house. Now we were driving up the coast line, headed for Maine, leaving behind our beachside home.
I was still furious at my father for forcing us to move. My brother Jake was furious as well. I could tell my mother was too, but she just lied and said it would a new experience, so she wouldn’t upset my dad.
“Why do we have to do this?” I asked for what must have the hundredth time since we’d left home.
“Cass!” my father shouted. “For the last time, we’re moving to Maine and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you asked me this one more time I’m going to drop you by the side of the road!”
“Okay then, go right ahead. I’ll just go back home.” Both my parents rolled their eyes. They were getting tired of my constant complaining. But they deserved it. I crossed my arms and went back to pouting.
“Why don’t we stop for lunch,” Jake suggested.
“That sounds like a good idea,” said my mom. Jake pushed his dark brown hair behind his ears and smiled.
“Yes! I’m starving!” Jake said. I giggled slightly then went back to sulking.
We drove for about another mile until we came to an exit with a decent amount of restaurants. Our car pulled into a space at the front of the parking lot. We all stepped out and were instantly greeted by a warm sunny day. I stretched my stiff limbs and took in the sun. We strolled towards the large building that held all of the places to eat. Outside there was a stand selling jewelry and sunglasses.
“Wait, hold on a second,” I called to my family. They stopped and turned around to see me looked through the racks of sunglasses.
“Oh, come on Cass,” Jake whined. I looked to my parents.
“We’ll meet you inside,” my dad said, sounding slightly annoyed. My family turned back around and headed inside. I went back to searching for sunglasses.
“Oh, these are perfect!” I said to no one in particular. The salesman walked over to me.
“Ten dollars,” he said with a Spanish accent. I took out my wallet and pulled out a wrinkled ten dollar bill.
“Here you are,” I said as I handed the man my money. He laid the glasses in my hand. I put them on and walked inside.
The rest of my family was standing in a line at Burger King. I took a quick look around. The food choices were very limited. There was a Burger King, a McDonalds, a Wendy’s, a KFC, and a Starbucks. I quickly slipped over to the Starbucks and got myself a frappachino while the line was short. Then I went to join my family in the Burger King line. My mom, my dad, and I all got a salad, and Jake got I cheese burger with everything on it.
We went to sit in a corner, because a tour bus filled with what looked like college students had just arrived. Now the whole place was crowded and loud. I ate as slowly as I possibly could, the longer out of the car the better.
The place was disgusting. The floor was covered in dirt. And I was pretty sure I could see the mold on the walls. In the window there was a sign that said inspection A-. I figured that inspection was years ago.
“Hey, mom, dad how much longer until we get to stop for the night?” I asked.
“Cassandra,” my mom and dad said together. Whenever they called me by my full name it meant they were starting to get annoyed. I finished eating in complete silence except for the crunching of my salad and the slurping of my frappachino.
Soon we were back in the car and on the road again.

Never

Never forget all the ones that you love.
Never forget all the laughs that you’ve had.
Never forget all the mistakes that you’ve made.
Never forget all the advice that you’ve heard.
Never stop fighting for what you think is right.
Never think that you can’t change the world.
Never say never, and never give up.

A Time to Remember

The sun was just starting to appear above the horizon. There was the smell of saltwater in the air from the nearby ocean. I could see a tiny speck of the water from where I stood. The ocean was reflecting all the colors of the sunrise and glistening. It was as if there were millions of little diamonds in the water. I could hear the seagulls from the beach. And the wind lightly pushed my hair in front of my face.
I continued down the pathway that led to the beach. As I came closer I could hear the waves crashing against the shore. I took off my flip-flops, and stepped onto the beach. The sand felt cool on my bare feet. For a while I just stood there watching the waves, letting myself by caught in their hypnotic trance. After a few minutes I went down to the sparkling water
Every morning I came. When I was here I didn’t have to worry about anything else. Everything was calm and peaceful. I could just walk along the beach and watch the sunrise. For me, they were one of the most beautiful things in the world.
I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. I looked around the beach, which was nearly empty since it was so early in the morning. The sand crabs scuttled across the sand. The birds flew through the sky and swooped down to the water or landed on the sand. This was a moment I had to savor, because I didn’t know when I would be here again.
After one last look, I left. I left my place. I left behind all those mornings spent sitting in the sand watching the sunrises. I walked away from all the times I’d spent on that beach with my friends. All laughter and smiles that took place there. Now all I had left were my memories.

When I got back to my house, my whole family was standing outside. My dad was watching the movers load the last of our things into the big truck.
“Cass! There you are. It’s about time! We’re almost ready to leave.” my mom shouted to me.
“Sorry,” I replied.
“Make that, we are ready to leave,” my dad said. I sighed and walked to the car. I slid open the door and got in. Just minutes later our car pulled out of the driveway and we were driving down the street with the moving van following right behind us. I took my last look at the house and we were off.

Memories

The wind rustles through the trees.
The water rushes through the sand.
The cool mist creeps through the air.
The grainy sand lies on the beach.
Calm and tranquil.

But it is quickly fleeting,
as the car pulls away.
spinning tires and gone.
Now crowded cars are all that meet the eye.

Still, it lingers slightly,Just a tiny speck.
In my memory it will remain.
And it will never die.

Leaving the slightest little taste
Of the salty air,
The slightest little smell,
Of the sandy beach.
The slightest little picture,
Of the waves crashing against the shore.
So I won’t forget
And as the car pulls away
I think of my memories
That will keep this time alive.