A short story!

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She sells seashells by the seashore. Decorated ones, some formed into little ornaments. Her beach hut is both a studio and her shop. 

Autumn is harvest time for Sandee. While farmers gather their crops, she walks along the beach garnering shells as a tractor’s rake loosens the compressed sand following another busy summer.

Often, other bits and pieces surface, earrings, necklaces, the odd coin or two. 

Once she discovered a bottle, just a small one. Inside was a piece of folded paper and on it was a scribbled message.

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The ocean sings to me, a song of our life together.

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He sells ice creams by the seashore, in tubs, cones and more. 

Occasionally they’d glance at one another and smile. Sean wished he  had the courage to speak to her, to tell her how pretty she was, perhaps even offer her a gelato!

Early one Autumn morning, he wrote a message and sealed it in a bottle, just a small one. As the guy with the tractor started turning the sand, he placed it where he knew she’d find it.

He watched from a distance as she picked it up, opened it and read the note.

Something, she knew not what, made her look over her shoulder. Their eyes met. A gust of wind took the piece of paper from her hand and blew it along the beach, landing at his feet.

Come Summer she’ll sell seashells and he, ice creams, and at sundown they’ll walk home together hand-in-hand after another profitable day!

 

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Thanks to Jenne Gray and CEAyr for hosting The Unicorn Challenge. 

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© Ayr/Gray

35 thoughts on “A short story!

  1. ceayr's avatar ceayr Sep 6, 2024 / 21:43

    You really have turned into an old softie!

    Cool romance, Keefie!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. jenne49's avatar jenne49 Sep 7, 2024 / 12:02

    What Nancy said, only Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan! 😉
    A lovely story, Keith, and beautifully structured too.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Margaret's avatar Margaret Sep 7, 2024 / 13:16

    Ah lovely! A successful merger. What a sweet romance. I do like the balanced structure of this, and the repeated refrain ‘she sells/he sells’. Very nice.

    Like

  4. clark's avatar clark Sep 7, 2024 / 14:05

    romance, romance…

    you have the light, but sincere touch, to touch the most virtual of Readers

    Liked by 1 person

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