Ninety degrees, a light breeze, no clouds in the sky a perfect beach day, so I thought. The family was in Virginia for the first time in years, my mom and pops had only been once before, as for my brother and I it was our first. The family gathered in the hotel room with the excitement that you feel every Christmas morning. Everyone was suited up and hands out stretched carrying anything we could fit. I was at my carrying capacity and raced to the elevator with my brother.

The sand hit my feet with the warmth of a mother cuddling her precious infant. A burning sensation began to develop across the sole of my feet; the heat was too intense to take the farther I trudged toward the water. People scattered in all directions to place their blankets down and get off their feet. My parents found an optimal site real close to the water. They are those people that place their chairs half in the water half out blocking the common walking route.

My friend, who I have a little connection to now was in Virginia for the week too and was staying nearby. My mom planned to have them set up their camp next to ours. The two of us being the same age both thoroughly enjoyed flying kites. I had just picked up a brand new stunt kite, one with two strings to give the flyer better control. My friend and I whipped off the packaging and raced to the closest not crowed area; note it was extremely busy this day due to the pristine weather. I took the first chance to fly it while my friend threw up the kite. The big beautiful vibrantly colored kite soared towards the clouds until a sudden burst redirected it making it plummet back to earth like a victim of a bird hunt. The wind was slowly gaining momentum urging the kite to fly high above the beach goers.

I looked around to see if anyone noticed my kite above their heads, I saw a few people pointing to the sky; I was intrigued that people were watching me. It turns out they weren’t looking at what I was doing. Something was blowing in off the horizon of the ocean. Something that seemed to worry all those around me. I didn’t think anything of it; the day was perfect what could ruin this?

Winds blowing the sand across the beach like the wolf in the three little pigs. The sky which was dimming from the black tint of the clouds was quite ominous. A storm was barring down the necks of every individual trying to catch a tan. It came in speeding with a low grumble that sounded like it meant business. Pillars of bright white lightning tickled the surface of the ocean leaving peoples jaws open with awe.

My kite was still keeping a light flutter, the fabric wanted to tear. I began the grueling process of reeling both the strings in manually. The storm creeping up fast, the people closest to the water began heading toward the city. I was brushed multiple times by frantic parents with young children balling their eyes out terrified by the approaching behemoth. My chance of bringing the kite down cleanly was slimming. I felt like a statue as the whole beached shifted their direction towards the city. It was everyone for himself or herself, an all-out dash for cover. It was time for drastic measures, yanking the on the strings to make the kite fall, a pile of string built up in a gyre swirling and growing in size like a strengthening tornado. I chucked the kite roughly into its case and began the relay race.

Sirens sounded across the beach which managed to ramp up the chaos and crowds. Pushing and shoving my way through the maze of bodies as my hair was blanketed giving it a mop appearance, my hair had been growing out for the previous month. I managed to spot the recognizable florescent wind breaker my mom had brought to the beach mangled in the pile of stuff we brought to last us the whole day.

The color of the flashing lightning off the surrounding buildings was impressive and the sound of the thunder was crippling on the rebounds. At this point everyone was thoroughly soaked as if we were all thrown into a pool at once. We were at the mercy of Mother Nature and there was not much we could do. The crowd panned out and thinned as we reached the sidewalk. The closest building was a bar just on the other side of the storm barrier. The overhang outside provided enough protection from the rain but we all covered our faces to prevent the kicked up sand from getting into our eyes. An epic beach day came to a sudden halt. The flooded street began to recede back into the ocean, the freshly rained smell was in the air.