It was June 10th, 2001, I was six years old when my dad disappears we were on a family vacation to California. The ocean draft blew back and forth in my curls and my face. I respire in the salt sense bit by bit, closing my eyes. I sit on the shoreline half my body on the sand and half in the water. I had my pail in one hand and scoop in the other. Picturing what it would feel like to be a mermaid swimming through the sapphire water, twirling with dolphins and talking to crabs, and combing my hair on a rock and shining my tail. The blistering and bright sun smolder on my skin.
My parents were behind me, my dad reading a weekly under the twirling dappled sunshade. My mom wearing an indigo one piece bathing suit, laying on her tummy tanning. I took a handful of sand in both of my hands and crushed them together trying to make a sand castle. But instead of making a castle, I made a mount.
"Daddy my castle didn't isn't right," I said to my dad sitting behind me.
"Okay let me see, Alexandra," My dad said putting down his newspaper and sitting next to me on the soft sand.
I stared at him as he mashed the sand together.
He made a big hill and then started to make long sands on top of his hill, like towers.
I started to smile, and then I observed as he made little windows with the shovel on the towers.
"There," He said as he finished.
The sand looked a lot like a castle.
"Thanks daddy," I said smiling.
"You're welcome honey," He said smiling. "Do you want to go swimming with daddy?"
"No," I said shaking my head. "I want to play with the castle."
"Okay daddy is going to go swim for a little bit," He said jogging to the ocean blue water.
"Okay," Me and my mom said at the same time.
Then after a little while about three minutes later I heard a loud noise coming from the water.
I looked up.
A black cruiser was on the water; on the boat were men on in black clothes. Maybe five to six people and they all had sunglasses on them and starred in my direction.
I looked at them. Then divers came jumped off the boat and into the blue water high-speed. Then I stared back at my sand and continue playing with it. Soon enough I could hear the engine growling again and I looked up.
The black boat roared off among the high waves and towards the horizon in front. Then I noticed among the waters I didn't see my dad anywhere. I searched the surface of the sea water with my eyes. My dad didn't even come up once to breathe.
"Daddy?" I asked aloud.
No answer, or no movement, just some surfers that wasn't daddy.
"Daddy?" I said again, this time my voice terrified.
He might have drowned or got eaten by a shark.
"Mommy," I said scared.
"What's wrong honey?" My mom asked sitting up on her towel.
"I don't see daddy," I said standing up and looking at her.
She stood up and looked out into the water. Both of our feet in the water and also holding hand to hand.
"Shane?" My mom yelled out his name.
No answer.
"Where could he be?" She said to herself.
I let go of her hand.
"Daddy!" I yelled out his name.
I screamed out his name, and then ran towards the water.
"Alexandra!" My mom screamed running after me, I could hear her splash after me.
I ran into the salt water, the waves crashed into me. I fell backwards; I held my breath as long as I can. My mouth and eyes stung of salt water, and then I couldn't breathe anymore. I remember being surrounded by dark blue water, my mom yanking me up hard. I knew I was too late, my dad was gone forever. And that was the last time I ever saw him.