Loved the dead seal story! Plus your warm family holiday tale reminds me of the time my two girls set upon a mahoosive jellyfish on holiday in Dunoon, once. They totally annihilated it with bits of driftwood (which could equally have been picked-up by a sculptor at some point). So perhaps their gory poking just turned into a strange piece of performance art....
The story and the anecdote with your kids are a match made in heaven. As someone who is no fan of the beach, I read this with a lump in my throat the whole time. I love the juxtaposition between the prank and the description of the imagined corpse at the end.
Powerful double punch. So much to love about this. Fine work, as usual. Love the details you settle on and the way they create such vivid scenes. Keep 'em coming, just-- tell me that seal was dead "before" you got there?
Still sucks. If that happened here, my gf would be distraught for the duration. She even stops to put worms and snails out of harms way. Won’t be long before she starts brooming her way through town.
That's how I am, too. I get super bummed out when animals are hurt. In some ways, I'm better when they are dead...maybe because they're not suffering? I catch spiders in a jar and bring them outside. @honeygloom will just make them her pets. haha
Oh, I would too. I've had a talk with her regarding unusual pets. I think I was debating ravens vs raccoons (both of which I would love to have), but spiders work as well. I'd never kill them. What horror enthusiast would??
Loved this one Sean! That ocean air really opens one up sometimes!
"Ian had wanted to stop and look at the animal, to see death up close, but his father shielded him, guiding him closer to the surf and around the corpse. Two years later, his father was dead, having jumped off the Bay Bridge. It was a quiet funeral. Closed coffin.'
Poor Officer Frank. The sea really got into his skull. I loved this story, and I loved the story of you and your kids at the beach. So much is washed up on the sand…and so much is washed away.
This trip did you good!
two compelling stories for one, and here you told us you weren’t writing this week.
I wrote it as soon as I got back on Friday! That dead seal was...gross. Thanks!
Me: "Interesting, an essay about running into Casey Affleck on the beach."
And now I'm going to read it.
Loved the dead seal story! Plus your warm family holiday tale reminds me of the time my two girls set upon a mahoosive jellyfish on holiday in Dunoon, once. They totally annihilated it with bits of driftwood (which could equally have been picked-up by a sculptor at some point). So perhaps their gory poking just turned into a strange piece of performance art....
Thanks, Sukie! I can see that performance in my mind! That would make for a great scene in a story. :)
That's true, Sean. The gruesome twosome! 😉
The story and the anecdote with your kids are a match made in heaven. As someone who is no fan of the beach, I read this with a lump in my throat the whole time. I love the juxtaposition between the prank and the description of the imagined corpse at the end.
Thanks, Will! ❤️
I don't know which enthralled me more, your story or the follow up narrative about your kids. They're both very special.
Thank you, Sandy! I can't wait to dig in on the rest of your story later today!
Powerful double punch. So much to love about this. Fine work, as usual. Love the details you settle on and the way they create such vivid scenes. Keep 'em coming, just-- tell me that seal was dead "before" you got there?
Thanks, Ken! Yes, the seal was dead when we found it. 🤣
Still sucks. If that happened here, my gf would be distraught for the duration. She even stops to put worms and snails out of harms way. Won’t be long before she starts brooming her way through town.
That's how I am, too. I get super bummed out when animals are hurt. In some ways, I'm better when they are dead...maybe because they're not suffering? I catch spiders in a jar and bring them outside. @honeygloom will just make them her pets. haha
Oh, I would too. I've had a talk with her regarding unusual pets. I think I was debating ravens vs raccoons (both of which I would love to have), but spiders work as well. I'd never kill them. What horror enthusiast would??
💯🕷️
Loved this one Sean! That ocean air really opens one up sometimes!
"Ian had wanted to stop and look at the animal, to see death up close, but his father shielded him, guiding him closer to the surf and around the corpse. Two years later, his father was dead, having jumped off the Bay Bridge. It was a quiet funeral. Closed coffin.'
Thank you, Tiffany! ❤️
Haunting. And a great true story to follow the fictional one.
Thank you, Stephanie!
Those beach totems! Damn chilling vision.
They'll get you every time! Thanks!
Poor Officer Frank. The sea really got into his skull. I loved this story, and I loved the story of you and your kids at the beach. So much is washed up on the sand…and so much is washed away.
Thank you, Liz! Beautifully put.
The sea is a harsh mistress, lad....Good job on this Sean. - Jim
Thanks, Jim!