before_the_tide_erased_them blueberries mrs. nereid and amarilla both turned at once to see frAnk holding cowie in his arms. she was fake crying in dramatic fashion, rubbing tears out of her eyes that did not exist. the screams and accusations against juan were way out of proportion and she was giggling by the time they were down at the beach. frAnk held her upside down and then swished her in the air. cowie shrieked with laughter. mrs. nereid scowled with affectionate disapproval. frAnk could tell it was a good time to leave them alone so he put cowie down. "you can't catch me," he yelled to her, and he took off running down to the wet sand and then up the beach, his feet making a trail of prints before the tide erased them. cowie chased him as he hoped, leaving mrs. neried and amarilla alone to continue what they had started. 020217 ... unhinged they watched them running down the beach. frAnk fell to the ground and let cowie jump on his stomach. 'cowie, you play nicely with frAnk.' she looked up at her mother with the glint of a four year old playing with a long lost friend in her eyes and went back to her human jungle gym. 'i think maybe it would just be better if i confronted some of these things on my own.' amarilla stared down at her feet. she wished she could pick her head up but it was held down by the weight of the past. 'i have a feeling you have been confronting these things on your own for too long.' mrs. nereid grabbed her hand and clasped it between both of hers, stroking her soft hand with her thumb. amarilla turned her head away from mrs. nereid to watch frAnk and cowie running up and down the beach like puppies. cowie ran up to amarilla, frAnk right behind her and whispered the way only a child could 'my brother thinks you are pretty' and they all laughed. 020217 ... girl_jane Some of the best days in my childhood were spent on the beach with my grandparents and sister. The memories are growing faint...I cannot let the tides erase them... 040422 ... kookaburra i wrote your name, in tiny letters with my big toe. i wanted the tide to wash you away too. but your still here. "if ive moved on, why am i still here with you?" 040422 what's it to you? who go blather from