kaaya's world - a short story

Her heart skipped a beat. It always did the moment her tiny feet touched the sand. It happened unfailingly every time she stepped on the beach. The feeling of warm sand, tickling her toes, the sinking of her feet, while her heart soared…life was a fairytale when she was on the beach.
The sun was caustic. Her eyes looked over the horizon, searching for her favorite spot on the beach. There it lay, secluded from the crowd – her spot, her own space in the world. She ran towards her spot, her feet naked on the sand, arms stretched wide open to gather as much light as she can in her heart, her hair playing with the mischievous wind. She ran.
There she was. She sat down, took a deep breadth, and filled her tiny fist with the sand. It was wet yet warm, just like yesterday. She gathered as much sand as she could around her.
After about an hour of indulgence, she noticed beads of perspiration on her brow. She looked up. It was getting dark. She began moving her hands feverishly, giving shape to the shapeless sand.
There it was at last, her castle. There it stood majestically gleaming in the light of the dying sun. With an outstretched trembling finger, she wrote her name on it. KAAYA. So that anybody who looked at it could make out it was KAAYA’s abode.
But, she had no illusions about it. She knew that her abode would wash away with any incoming wave, at any moment. But did she care about that wave? She was only too happy to have her castle erected.
With a content heart she stood up to leave, fully knowing that it will not be there tomorrow. She went away, without looking back, to return tomorrow, for she knew she had a castle to be made…

abhinav