A lonely, dejected figure was sitting on the sand at the far end of the beach gazing at the calm sea. He was enjoying the calming sound of the crashing waves on the rocks whilst carving a piece of wood with intent as a means of expressing his frustration. His whole attention was on the dolphin's tail and eyes. He was about to finish the left eye when he was suddenly interrupted by a gentleman.

The man looked up to the man who blocked his view to the sea and deprived him of the warmth of the sun. He lifted his eyes and he was surprised to see a man who seemed to be familiar to him. Yet, he could neither place him nor remember where he had seen him in the past.

The man who was carving the dolphin was Mr Tom Parker and the gentleman who interrupted his carving adventures was a Mr James Smith, his childhood friend. Tom's eyes lit up as he recognised the friend that he had had to give up upon his father's request when he was just a young boy.

He got up with a start from the ground to shake his friend's hand heartily. 'James! It has been years since we have spoken! How are you, my friend? It has been years since I have last seen you!'

James grinned happily and shook Tom's hand as energetically. 'Tom! I thought that it was you I saw. I see that you still remember our childhood hideaway. Let us sit down and catch up!'.

Both men sat down on the warm sand and started conversing animatedly. James told his friend about his carving apprenticeship in London and gave him an update on his family. He told Tom that he had just moved back to Sanditon with his mother and sister to find premises to start working as a wood carver. He also mentioned that he was in search of a wood carving apprentice and directed a question directly to Tom whether he knew of someone with a twinkle in his eye after eyeing the excellent carving of the dolphin figurine.

Tom listened to his childhood friend's plans with fascination and he was startled back from his reverie when he heard of his question about a new apprentice. He did not respond straight away but looked at the wooden dolphin figurine that he had been carving. He did not know what to say. He was battling his earnest desire to improve his skill as a wood carver and satisfy his childhood dream.

He thought to himself how happy he had been as a child when he was carving a plain piece of wood and creating something new. When his father forbade him to continue with his carving, Tom had been heartbroken. He felt as if a hand clenched at his heart and that he was to lose his heart's desire. He tried to please his father by learning about business and finance in general. He did his best, but his brain was simply not so inclined. He had always been a creative man, so neither business nor finance was his forte.

Thus, upon the death of his father, he abandoned any chance of fulfilling his dream. He had the burden of protecting all his three siblings and his own family later. He loved them all. He, then, did his very best to use his creativity on Sanditon . He remembered that he had been so very excited and happy. He focused all his energy on his new dream even at the risk of ignoring his family's wishes and dreams.

When everything went wrong after the fire and his world collapsed, he had been a desperate man. The only thing that had kept him sane was Mary and the children. After Mary's ultimatum that he chose between his Sanditon dream and his family, the last walls of his crumbling heart fell, and he became even more desperate. He knew that he could not face either Mary or Sidney before having another plan in place. He could not sleep and left the house at three in the morning. He had walked on for hours until he decided to go for a swim to clear his head. Once that was done, he wandered to his current spot and decided to practise his carving- an activity that had always helped him think in the past.

Tom was still so deeply lost in his thoughts that he had still not responded to his friend. This puzzled James and was immediately concerned. He frowned and enquired 'Tom, what is amiss?'

He lifted his head and looked at his friend, 'James, I have not been the best person to be around these past years. I have made many mistakes that have made many people very unhappy.'

James was puzzled and encouraged his friend to speak further, 'Go on Tom. Tell me what has been happening.'

Tom was relieved to be able to speak to a friend and felt a burden lift from his shoulders. He told James all ever since they had parted ways. James simply listened and goaded Tom on when he faltered.

When Tom's narration finished, both friends remained quiet for some minutes. They enjoyed the morning breeze and allowed the sound of the waves to distract them from their thoughts. James was the first one to speak.

'Well, Tom, you have been busy. Let us have a look at that dolphin of yours.'

Tom gave his friend his first genuine smile and put the dolphin in his hands. James inspected the item carefully and smirked at his friend, 'My, my Tom, I see that your skill as a carver has not diminished. You are still very good. How would you like to be my apprentice?'

Tom was flabbergasted by the request and smiled widely. He nodded effusively and nearly screeched at his enthusiastic response 'I would love to be your apprentice, James.'

James laughed aloud at this pronouncement. Both friends then proceeded in discussing the finer details of their plan with no concern to their surroundings or the passing of the time. Their conversation was interrupted by the excited squeals of a group of children who were approaching their spot on the beach.

They were still earnestly continuing their discussion when the voices of two young girls interrupted them. Tom looked up and beheld his daughters Alicia and Jenny calling him. He got up all excited to see them, scooped them in his arms and sat them down on his knees. He then turned to James and introduced the two little girls to him.

Alicia and Jenny looked at the strange man and then back at their papa. Alicia was the first to speak both their thoughts aloud, 'Who are you?'. Tom and James laughed loudly at that pronouncement. James was the one who responded to Alicia, but he addressed both girls

'Well, Miss Alicia and Jenny, I am a friend of your papa's. You see, we grew up together. We have not seen each other for a very, very long time. It is lovely to make both your acquaintance.'

He then got up and bowed deeply in front of them. Both Alicia and Jenny giggled uncontrollably at his exaggerated bow. Jenny remarked, 'You are a very funny man!'

Both friends laughed again loudly. Tom continued the conversation and showed his daughters the dolphin that he had been carving. The two girls could not believe that their papa had created this lovely dolphin and urged him to carve another one for them. James winked at Tom and passed him a small piece of wood that he happened to have in his pocket. Tom took it with a smile, brought out the pocket know from his pocket and within minutes there was another smaller version of the same dolphin.

His daughters got up from his lap excitedly, took both dolphins, hugged him tightly and ran to show them to their playmates. James looked at his friend with a searching look and commented, 'Tom, your daughters are delightful creatures. You are a very lucky man. Not many men are as lucky as you are, you know. My only family are my mother and sister. I would have loved to have a family of my own, though. A beautiful wife and a couple of children would have been my heart's desire.'

Tom was focused on his daughters and his eyes were misty with emotion when he turned them to his friend, 'James, I have not been the best of husbands. My wife has given me an ultimatum, as she should, that I need to choose between the Sanditon project and my family. She is right, of course, as I have hurt her feelings and ignored her repeatedly. I adore her and our children. Yet, I need a purpose. Just them is not enough. I need another passion to live for.'

James laughed uproariously at that comment, 'Tom Parker, quit feeling sorry for yourself right now. Your passion is your carving. Have you not figured it out yet? You are exceedingly good at it and have a knack of creating beautiful things faster than anyone I know. No one can stop you from doing what you want to do- your father is long gone, and you are no longer a child. You are a grown man who needs to learn to make informed and wise decisions for his future. As my apprentice you can reach for the stars once you perfect your skill. I can vouch for that.

What do you need Sanditon for? You said yourself that you are no good at business and finance. You need to love what you do and do what you love. That is the joy of following your passion.

You can have both. Your family and your passion. The apprenticeship is on very easy terms. I cannot pay you a high amount, you understand, but you will have enough to spoil your children and wife with treats when you wish. The hours are only in the mornings and then you can spend the afternoon with your wife and children. You have your family who love you. At least your daughters do as far as I can see. Just look at how they hugged you before they left to play. Balance is the key here, my friend.'

Tom gasped at James's words. He finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. His friend was perfectly correct. What did he need Sanditon for when it had only brought him and his family misery? He could do what he loved. He could also work on his marriage and spend time with his children. He could see them growing up, take an active part in their daily life and live a happy life.

He turned to his friend, 'You are absolutely right, James. I don't need Sanditon . I need to work on what I love. I say, do you know what the time is?' James took out his watch, looked at it and responded, 'It is ten in the morning. Do you need to be somewhere?'

Tom got up to dust his clothes from the sand and gave his friend his hand to get up. 'James, you will never know how our conversation has changed my path in life. I must speak with my family at home. They are expecting me. I would like to extend an invitation to tea to your mother, your sister and yourself. Join us tomorrow at 15.00. You can then meet my wife and children properly and we can discuss the details on the apprenticeship further.'

James shook his friend's hand and gladly accepted the invitation, 'I will see you then. I look forward to telling your children all the mischief we got into when we were children. We are currently staying at the Sanditon hotel if you want to look us up. Until tomorrow, my friend.'

Both men parted feeling very happy for this unexpected reunion. It was just what they both needed. Tom needed a friend to support him and James was delighted to be reunited with the childhood friend, whom he had dearly missed. The fact that he had gained an apprentice was certainly an extra bonus. He departed for the hotel eager to tell his mother and sister.

He found both his mother and sister eagerly awaiting him at their shared private sitting room in their hotel suite. He told them about Tom, the apprenticeship and the tea invitation, which pleased them immensely. They were looking forward to renewing their acquaintance with the Parker family.