I dug my toes in the soft white sand while the summer breeze blew across my face. The air was stiff and dry and I swallowed hard. The ocean stood still. For a moment I was lost in my thoughts.

I looked up for the small boy who I had just seen playing in the waves. John, I thought, where's John? I searched across the beach with my eyes, scanning the ocean for any sign. Nowhere, how could I have been so stupid? For a moment, I thought, just a moment, I had turned away.

My eyes scanned through the crowded beach. Every son was mine. Every cry was John’s. I began to cry, “John, where are you?” I ran up to the house, grabbed the phone and dialed 911.

"What's your emergency?” the 911 operator asked.

I froze. 

“Mommy,” a little voice said from behind. “I forgot my sand bucket so came inside the house to get it. I hope you didn't mind.

"What's your emergency?" the 911 operator asked yet again.

”Just a sand bucket,” I replied. "Good bye."

© 2009 Robin Anne Mulholland. Original for CCF. Mulholland grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology.