//------------------------------// // A day at the beach // Story: Parabellum of Freedom // by EndlessPossibilities58 //------------------------------// Cherish every moment and every person in your life, because you never know when it will be the last time you see someone - Unknown. Phil kept his eyes on the road, his sunglasses protecting his retinas from the glare of the sun. Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he piloted his jeep through the streets of Honolulu. The window was open a few inches, giving a nice flow of fresh air as he drove. "-And in other news, tensions between North Korea and the UN continue to deteriorate!" Came a woman's voice over the radio as it played in the background. "The country continues to make threats of nuclear war, causing many to fear that a long dreaded World War 3 might be brewing under the surface! Additionally, North Korea, as well as China have both been caught sending spy vehicles into foreign territory. There was also an altercation between a North Korean Corvette and an American cruiser over international waters! Now it's important to note that North Korea claims that this was a misunderstanding, but some doubt-" "That's enough of that," said Phil's wife, Catherine as she reached forward and turned off the radio. She sat calmly in the passenger seat, a wide-brim hat situated atop her head, a few strands of bright red hair peeking out. "Are we gonna be at the beach soon?" Came a small voice. Phil took a moment to glance away from the road as he looked in the rear view mirror, his gaze falling on his five year old son Max, in the backseat. Beside him was Phil's brother Mark, who was joining them for the day. Phil smiled as he look back towards the road. "Yeah, buddy, we'll get there in just a few minutes," he replied. Max's eyes lit up as a large smile broke out on his face. He looked toward his uncle. "Do you wanna help me make a sand castle, uncle Mark?" The boy asked sweetly. Mark chuckled. "Yeah, I'd love to," he said as he patted Max's leg. Soon, the buildings and structures started thinning out as the area around them started opening up. Looking ahead, Phil could see a large stretch of sand just a hundred feet away from them. And beyond that, a beautiful blue ocean that went out all the way out to the horizon, as if it was as infinite as the stars above. Getting off the main road, Phil turned into the parking lot and claimed a spot. Killing the engine, Phil and Catherine stepped out of the vehicle, while Mark got Max out. Going around to the back, Phil opened up the hatch and began taking out the beach supplies. He pulled out a large beach bag, as well as an umbrella, and some chairs. Catherine came over and started helping him, taking the items from him as he took them out. "Max, do you want to help Mommy and Daddy?" Catherine asked her son, to which the boy nodded. "Here, will you hold this for us please?" She said as she passed the beach bag to Max. "We got everything?" Phil asked, checking to make sure nothing was left in the car. Catherine nodded, resting the umbrella against her shoulder. "Yes, that's everything." With that confirmation, Phil closed the hatch on the jeep and locked it. With everything safety in tow, the group left the vehicle, each of them carrying at least one item. Moving down the parking lot, the four followed a path away from all the vehicles, soon arriving at the beach. Phil took a relaxing sigh, taking in the smell of the sea as he breathed. A cool breeze blew over them, giving a nice contrast the hot sun up above. The beach was crowded with people, all of them seeking a good day just like Phil and his family; people were sunbathing, playing games, and playing in the sand and water - the beach was truly alive with activity. "I'll find us a spot," said Mark as he walked off to find a free space for them on the beach. "I wanna help!" Cried out Max excitedly, who quickly took off to tag along with his uncle. Smiling softly to themselves the couple slowly followed behind. "It was nice of you to take leave off of your work to spend the day with us," said Catherine, watching Max and Mark as they looked for a spot. Phil smiled warmly, laying an arm around his wife as they walked. "I was happy to do it, I love spending time with you guys." Phil was a soldier in the military, and he was about to be sent out on a training exercise with the rest of his company. The retreat was expected to last a couple weeks, so the day before the exercise, he took a day of leave from the military so that he could be with his family. After a moment, Mark called out to them from up ahead, telling them they found a spot as he gestured to an open space on the beach. Phil and his wife picked up their pace, the flip flops he was wearing sinking into the loose sand. Approaching the space Mark and their son found, the group started setting up, placing out a large blanket, the umbrella and chairs. "Can we go build a sandcastle now?" Max asked, once his parents had finished setting up the space and putting everything down. "Not just yet," Catherine shook her head. Reaching into the beach bag, she pulled out a plastic bottle with a nozzle at the top. "You need to put some sunscreen on first," she said as she squirted a dollop into the palm of her hand. She started spreading the cream over his exposed skin and face. "We don't want your skin becoming as red as a tomato," she smiled lovingly as she booped his nose and ruffled his blonde hair. After making sure Max's skin was protected, she applied sunscreen to her own skin, before passing it to Phil and Mark. "Alright, Max, let's go make a sandcastle!" Mark said once he'd put on some sunscreen, much to the five-year-old's excitement. Grabbing a bucket and shovel that they'd brought along, the two made their way over to a nice open spot and began work on their project. "This is nice," Phil said as he and Catherine took this time to relax, sitting comfortably in their beach chairs. "Wouldn't you agree?" He said, taking his wife's hand in his. Catherine sighed, happily watching her son joyfully play in the sand. "Yes. Yes I do," she replied. Max and Mark eventually finished the sandcastle, with the young boy excitedly trying to get his parent's attention. Phil chuckled at his child's antics, sharing a grin with his wife as he stood up. "Okay, let's see what you've got here," Phil said as he approached his kid. Inspecting the sandcastle, he found it to be a simple build, with a mound of sand as a base, and a couple little towers. "Wow, it looks amazing, I love it!" He exclaimed to Max's delight. Phil fished his smartphone out of his swim trunks, turning on the camera. "We need to take a picture of this, don't you think?" Max nodded, moving to stand proudly by his creation. "Okay. Three. Two. One. Smile!" Phil said, snapping a photo of his kid and the sandcastle. "Can I see?" Max asked, wandering over to his father and peering at the phone screen. Angling the screen so his son could see it better, Phil allowed Max to see the picture. "You like it?" Phil asked, earning a great big smile from his kid. "Yeah. Let's show Mommy," he said. So that's what they did, returning to their spot to show Catherine the picture. "I love it!" Max's mom said when she saw what he did. "You didn't tell me you were an architect, Max, could you redo the patio for me?" Her words made Max roll his eyes. "Mommm!" The boy groaned. "I'm only five! I'm not an arkhamtect!" He exclaimed with exasperation. "Okay! Okay, I'm sorry I didn't know!" Catherine and Phil chuckled at their child's antics. "Can we go down to the water?" Max asked after a moment, pointing with his finger toward the shoreline. "Sure buddy," Phil replied, giving Max a gentle pat on his shoulder. "Do you wanna come Mommy?" Max asked his mother, as his father stood beside him. Catherine softly shook her head. "I'm good. Thank you," she replied. "Go have fun with your Daddy." "Come on," Phil said, guiding his son away from their spot as they started moving down the beach. They made their way past other beachgoers, doing their best not to disturb them. About half way to the water, Mark joined the father and son, tagging along with them. The trio approached the water, which was mostly calm except for tiny waves lapping gently upon the sand. People were out swimming and wading in the ocean, splashing seawater as they played. With a happy giggle, Max ran up to the water, jumping around in the salty liquid. Max was steadily getting his entire bottom half wet, but that didn't bother the five-year-old, as he continued playing with careless abandon. As Max played, Phil once again pulled out his phone and began recording, wanting to immortalize this moment. "Daddy! Uncle Mark! Come play!" Max called out, as he stood thigh-deep in the water. Normally, Phil would've had to decline, as he currently had his phone with him; but he recently got a waterproof case, so he didn't have to worry about it getting wet. "Alright, we're coming buddy," said Phil as he slipped off his sandals and left them laying on the beach. Phil stepped out into the water, it was a little cold at first, but that chilly sensation quickly wore off after a moment. Mark started playing with Max, splashing water around everywhere and having a blast while doing so. As the two goofed off, Phil stood off to the side, content with letting them get soaked while he just waded calmly about - while he wore a pair of swim shorts, his torso was dressed with just a plain t-shirt, and he didn't want it to get wet. "Daddy! Come on!" Max called out, upset his father wasn't playing. "Splash with us!" "Sorry, budd," Phil began, trying to calm his kid. "I don't want to get too wet right now." "Is that so?" Mark replied unnervingly, a devilish smile spreading across his face. Phil felt a chill travel down his spine, his hair standing on edge as he stepped backwards cautiously. "Mark, don't you dare!" Phil spoke with trepidation, knowing exactly what his brother was about to do. However, Mark didn't listen, and instead proceeded to splash a torrent of water at his brother. Phil went prone, closing his eyes and mouth as the wave crashed into him. Once the assault was over, Phil found himself soaked to the bone as the seawater dripped off him. Slowly, Phil reached up and wiped the water off of his face, an uneasy air about him as he did so. "Ohh, you shouldn't have done that..." Phil spoke darkly, a devilish grin of his own spreading across his face. He promptly returned fire, splashing water back at his brother in retaliation. Pretty soon, things devolved into a full on war as the three splashed at each other, big grins on each of their faces. Phil started laughing, a warm feeling coursing through his chest as excitement overcame him. Phil's assault on his brother was brutal, relentlessly sending waves of water at Mark. He was gentler with Max, making sure not to splash as much at him since he was so young. Before long, the trio were absolutely drenched, soaked down to the bone from their water battle. After a while, the three eventually had their fill, exiting the water as they retreated to the beach. They were dripping wet from head to toe, but a towel and some time in the sun would take care of that. Phil grabbed his sandals and picked them up, not wanting to put them on while he was wet. "Okay, let's head back," he said, eager to grab a towel and dry off. "Come on, Max, let's go back to where Mommy is." However, Max didn't reply. Turning towards his son, Phil found that the boy had moved a couple feet away, his attention on something in the sand. "What'd you find, Max?" Phil asked, approaching his kid and trying to see what he was looking at. "It's a shell," Max replied, turning to show the seashell he held in his palms. It was a small one, with a pearlescent sheen to it under the sunshine. "Wow, good find," Phil said, earning a proud smile from his kid. "Do you want to go show Mommy?" "Wait!" Max exclaimed, turning back towards the sand where he got the shell. "I wanna find more!" As Max started digging through the sand, Phil sighed softly, realizing that they weren't going back just yet. Oh well, he can just let the sun's heat dry him off. "Looks like we're not going back right now, you can go without us if you want," Phil told his brother. But Mark just shrugged. "Nah, I'm good man," he replied coolly. "I'll stick with you two." So instead of going back to their spot, the two brothers opted to follow the five-year-old as he searched the beach for more shells. They gradually moved farther down the coastline as they walked, with Max stopping periodically to add another shell to his collection. Before long, his arms were full of all that he'd found so far, to the point where Phil and Mark had to start carrying some for him. As they moved along the beach, Max let out an excited squeal when he came across an exceptional find. Sitting atop the sand was a large conch shell, which had been washed ashore. Max couldn't contain his delight, rushing to collect the big shell. "Daddy, look at it!" He exclaimed proudly, as if he'd discovered an amazing treasure - and as far as Max was concerned that was exactly what happened. "It's amazing!" Phil said earnestly, his eyes glued to the shell Max had. "It's quite a find. Do you want to go show Mommy? I'm sure she'll love it." "Yeah! Let's show Mommy!" The kid exclaimed with excitement, eager to show his mother what he found. Without waiting for his dad or uncle, Max rushed off towards their spot on the beach, leaving the two men to hurry after him. Upon reaching their spot, Max wasted no time. He ran up to Catherine, excitedly showing her the conch shell and all the others he'd found. Catherine's face lit up with amazement much like Phil's had. "I love it!" She exclaimed, much to Max's delight. "What a find!" "That's what I said," Phil said as he sat down in his own chair. "So I thought you might want to see it." "You thought right, it's amazing that you found it," she said, making Max beam proudly. After that, Max took all the shells he found and started playing in the sand again. "This has been nice," Catherine said after a moment, casting a smile towards her husband. "I'm happy to hear that," Phil replied, smiling back. Catherine held her smile for a moment, before her face darkened as a depressed expression overtook it. "We're going to miss you," she said. "It's not going to feel right without you around." "Hey," he cooed gently, taking her hand and holding it to his chest. "It's going to be alright," he said, trying to comfort her. "I'm only going to be gone a couple weeks, okay? I'll be back before you know it." Her expression brightened at his reassuring words. She smiled and leaned in to give him a tender kiss. "I'll hold you to that than," she said. Phil continued holding her hand, looking into her beautiful eyes as he returned the kiss with one of his own. "I'll be back before you know it," he repeated, a warm smile on his face.