BY READWORKS
“M‐J‐G” she wrote, making a little piece of the beach all hers for just a moment. She loved the beach and she loved her name, Margaret Julia Gallagher. She was glad that she had a name that not a lot of girls she knew had. There were six Kates and three Jens in her homeroom. There was one other Margaret in the third grade, but they weren’t in any of the same classes, and everyone called that girl Maggie.
She loved the feeling of the sand between her toes. It covered the tops of her feet, and they sank down, deeper beneath the warm, white grains. The sand here was powdery soft. It was like hot snow, Margaret thought to herself as she moved her right foot along the surface, writing letters on the beach.
A boy dashed by, stepping right on her “G.” Another boy raced behind him, stomping right on her initials. Margaret was too happy to care.
“Come on, Margaret! Let’s get some sunscreen on you,” her mother called. Her family was setting up their umbrella and chairs closer to the water. Margaret sprinted over and put her towel down close to the umbrella, so she could lie in the sun and easily move into the shade when it got too hot.
“Sand on your hands?” Margaret asked her mom. As much as she loved the feeling of sand on her feet, she absolutely despised the feeling of sandy lotion being rubbed on her back. “No, Margaret. But if you wait any longer…” she started to bend down, reaching her hands toward the sand.
Margaret took off her sundress and walked over to her mom, who covered her from head to toe in lotion, getting under her swimsuit straps in case they moved around.
“Who wants to take a walk?” her mom asked. Margaret’s brother was already absorbed in his Batman comic book, and her dad was already reading his book about some famous businessman with silly‐looking hair.
Margaret’s mom shook her head at the two bookworms and smiled at Margaret. “Me!” Margaret said. They had been in the car for three hours, and Margaret was eager to stretch her legs. Plus, walks with Mom almost always came with an ice cream cone or a cup of lemon slush. It was never too early for ice cream and slush, in Margaret’s opinion.
They walked for a long time, staying by the water where the sand was cool and wet and the bigger waves would just make it to their feet. “Look!” Margaret said, pointing to a huge sandcastle ahead. “I can’t believe I forgot! It’s the annual sandcastle contest today,” her mom said.
Margaret was surprised to see how enthusiastic her mom was about the sandcastles. When they got closer, she understood why her mom was so excited. These sandcastles were works of art.
The first one was a kingdom, with a giant castle surrounded by a moat and a little village beyond the moat. Many of the others weren’t actually castles. There was a dragon, a crocodile, a racecar, a mermaid, and even the Empire State Building. It was hard to believe it was all made of sand.
Margaret was amazed. Her mom told her that the artists spent many hours planning and building them. Margaret decided that next year, she would need to get to the beach early in the morning the day of the sandcastle competition. She would have a lot to learn—or maybe a lot to build!
