A Day at the Beach

It is a hot day in January, and the Silva family goes to the beach. Dad carries the beach umbrella, Mom carries the cooler, and the kids carry their buckets and spades.

The sand is very hot, so everyone runs to the water. The sea is calm and blue. Little Gabi screams when the first wave touches her feet: “It's cold!”

Mom puts sunscreen on everyone. “Again?” asks Theo. “Yes, again. The sun is very strong today,” she answers, and she gives him a cap.

The kids decide to build a sandcastle. Theo makes the towers, and Gabi brings water in her bucket. Dad helps them dig a moat around the castle.

At lunchtime, they eat sandwiches, fruit and cold juice under the umbrella. A seller walks by with ice cream, and Mom buys four: two chocolate and two coconut.

In the afternoon, the wind gets stronger and the clouds arrive. The waves are bigger now, and the lifeguard raises a red flag. Nobody can swim.

The family packs everything: the towels, the toys, the cooler and the umbrella. Gabi is sad because the sea will take their castle.

Before they leave, Theo takes a photo of the castle. “Now it lives forever,” he says. Gabi laughs, and they walk home with sand in their shoes.