Kaleigh swung her bag over her shoulder and padded down the hill toward the beach. She and Brian had a blast at Island Fest last night, and she was paying the piper today. Nothing sounded better to her than relaxing on the sand. Brian had bounded ahead of her, supposedly to find the “perfect spot”. He seemed especially excited, but in a way it was to be expected. Neither one of them lived anywhere near a beach and, Brian, being the artist he was, couldn’t wait to find inspiration in this new environment.
“Where is he, anyway?”, Kaleigh thought to herself. “Ugh! Whatever…I’m putting it in park right here.”
She dropped the bag where she stood and sat down next to it. She took a moment to survey the landscape. It really was beautiful. It was crowded, being a holiday weekend, but not terribly so. Children were building sand castles and paddling around at the waters edge under the watchful eyes of their mothers. People sunned themselves without care on the sand. She watched the sailboats drifting on the horizon and felt a sense of serenity begin to wash over her. She sighed with a smile and decided to set up shop. She slipped out of her sundress and sandals and spread her towel on the sand. She was just taking out her sunscreen when Brian appeared.
“C’mon, I have something to show you.”
“Where have you been?”, she spat back.
“Seriously…come on. I promise it’ll be fun.”
“Yeah right. I’m fine here, thanks. Will you put this sunscreen on my back before you go?”
“You won’t need it if you come with me”, he smiled. She had seen this particular smile before. It was mischievous. He was up to something.
“Seriously, Brian. I’m not really in the mood today, OK?”
“Fine. Then I DARE you to come with me.”
Kaleigh never could back down from a dare. She was quite the tomboy growing up, especially in a neighborhood with nothing but boys to play with. She learned to hold her own. She wasn’t going to fold now.
“Whatever. Anything to shut you up.”
Brian’s heart skipped a beat. He knew she would fall for it. He also knew this was a day she wouldn’t soon forget.
They walked down the beach, into the crowd of blankets and chairs, coolers and umbrellas. Kaleigh looked around to see what the big deal was when Brian abruptly stopped.
“We’re here.”
Kaleigh looked down at the trench in the sand.
“So, what’s this supposed to be?”
His reply actually shocked her.
“Get in!”
“Are you crazy? I’m not getting in there!”
“I DOUBLE dare you.” He winked, knowing that his trap was sprung.
“OK, fine. But before I do, what is this anyway?”
“I want to make a sand sculpture, with you as the centerpiece. You can relax and we can still spend time together.”
She was in no mood to argue. She laid her towel at the edge of the trench (after all, just because she was going through with his dare didn’t mean she had to get sand in her hair). She slipped into the trench and watched suspiciously as he bulldozed the sand over her with his arms.
“No funny business, Mister. I mean it.” She wanted to be stern, but she couldn’t help but smile a little at the ridiculousness of her current predicament. Even she had to admit, it was a little fun.
As he finished encasing her in the sand, he stood back to observe the scene before him. He made a frame with his thumbs and fingers and peered through it like a Hollywood director. She giggled at him. He was always the comedian.
“Do you have any requests, Miss?”, he asked.
“Oh, I always wished I could be a mermaid!” Kaleigh giggled as the words escaped her lips.
“Your wish is my command.” Brian bowed grandly, and Kaleigh giggled again.
“Puh-lease!”
Brian set to work on the mermaid form in the sand. Kaleigh closed her eyes and tuned into the noises around her. The murmur of the crowd, the laughter of the children, the seagulls floating on the waves. Her tired mind finally zeroed in on the sound of the water and she began to drift off. Then she felt something that snapped her back.
She tried to crane her neck to see where Brian went. She saw the top of his head bent over the sand mermaid’s tail. He appeared to be digging and her feet felt light and the sand was being stripped away.
“What are you doing?”, she demanded.
“Just having a little fun.”
There was that mischievous grin again, but this time it was accompanied by that unmistakable twinkle in his eyes. She knew what was coming even before she noticed the large palm frond he was holding. Her feet were now free from the sand, and he had a plan for them. She felt the coarse leaves at her heel and the panic rose within her. He was actually going to do it. He was going to tickle her in public.
“I have to get all this pesky sand off those lovely feet of yours. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Brian, please don’t. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a grump.”
“All the more reason to cheer you up, Darling.”
The first ticklish jolt originated at her heel as the slow, deliberate stroking ensued. She giggled instantly, desperate to move her foot and becoming more desperate when she realized she couldn’t move at all. He was enthralled with his work, methodically removing each grain of sand as he used the long strokes on her soles and the tops of her feet. Her laughter rose as he decided to switch to short, staccato strokes, back and forth, under and between her wiggling toes. When he was satisfied with the sand removal, he stood up and walked out of sight.
Kaleigh’s mind raced. What was he doing now?! Just then he reappeared, carrying a handful of gull quills he found on the beach and a stick. He winked at her as he crouched next to her in the sand and began writing with the stick. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as continued to form each letter in the sand with his stick. He stood up, and read it aloud to her: “Ticklish Mermaid. Please help yourself.”
She couldn’t speak, she was completely taken aback. Was he really serious? He had to be messing with her. He wouldn’t really…
Her stream of thought was cut short. He had taken up residence at her feet again and had begun stroking her arches lightly. Her giggles spilled over again, which only encouraged his effort. He scrabbled his fingernails at her ticklish heels and her laughter instantly rose in pitch. He leaned in close, still scrabbling at her delicate heels, and began to lightly kiss and nibble each toe in turn. Kaleigh shook her head, trying to erase the torment from her brain. Her laughter had now begun to bring in an audience. Brian’s plan was taking shape at last.
He noticed four little children playing in the water nearby and called them over.
“Have you ever seen a mermaid before?”
They smiled and shook their heads.
“Well, she’s a very special mermaid. If you tickle her feet with these feathers, the best tickler will be granted a wish. You’d like that, right?”
The children cheered, eagerly picking up the gull feathers and taking positions at Kaleigh’s captive feet.
Brian gave his final instructions and sat back to enjoy the show.
“Make sure to tickle her toes. She really likes it!”
Kaleigh begged the children, “no, please…I’m really not a…”
But the children had begun their game and her words were erased by her own squeals. The children were quite skilled with their feathers, and they each had their own method. A little boy with a crew cut decided to saw the feather lengthwise under her toes. He reveled in the results of his handiwork, as her toes splayed and curled against his efforts. The other boy was entertaining himself by stroking the side of that same foot from toe to heel, watching it tremble as it passed the same spot in the center every time. The girls decided to share the other foot and were busying themselves by sliding their feathers between her toes simultaneously. They giggled as they discussed what they would each wish for if they should win.
Kaleigh was in a state of sheer torment. Tears made tiny dark spots in the sand as they fell from her tortured eyes. Her squeals had found the attention of the children’s parents and they chuckled at the scene before their eyes. The boys became bored with the feathers and applied their tiny, fast fingernails to her wrinkled sole. She screamed and her laughter poured from her with renewed fervor. The girls noticed and dropped their feathers in favor of their own fingernails.
The tiny fingers sent shock waves through Kaleigh’s nervous system. Her mind was on fire. There was nothing but tickling. From somewhere that seemed so distant, she could hear voices. Why weren’t they coming to save her? Why didn’t they make it stop?
Another little girl stepped up to get a closer look at what was happening. Then Kaleigh felt something very strange and the tickling stopped. She took this small opportunity to catch her breath as she tried to figure out what had happened to bring this salvation.
“Ewww! Sarah! Look what you did! You messed it all up!”
“I’m sorry. Don’t worry, I can clean it up. I’ll be right back.”
Kaleigh felt a cold, oozing between her toes that traced a path slowly down her sole and settled on the sand against her heel.
“It figures”, complained one of the girls. “She dropped her ice cream right on the mermaid. She always ruins everything!”
Kaleigh shared the original sentiment. “Ewww! I have ice cream on my foot. That’s just great!”, she thought. And then she heard the murmur, and then the giggling, of the crowd as it parted to let Sarah through.
“I told you I could clean it up!”, she exclaimed proudly. Kaleigh couldn’t see what was in store, but it was apparently very crowd pleasing. Sarah bounded toward Kaleigh’s feet, cradling something in both arms.
“Sparky always helps me clean up my messes!”
“Sparky who?”, Kaleigh demanded.
“You know. Sparky! My puppy!”
Brian laughed at Kaleigh’s reaction. He couldn’t have planned this better if he tried. The horror in her eyes at this new information was priceless. The grand finale was at hand, and he had a front row seat.
Sparky timidly lapped at the sticky, wiggling toes on the disembodied foot. Kaleigh squeaked and squealed. As Sparky developed a taste for his chore (and the ice cream), his fervor increased. He wagged his stumpy little tail as his tiny, raspy tongue snaked over and between her twitching toes. The crowd laughed, but Sparky paid them no mind. He had finally noticed the pool of melted ice cream at her heel and lapped it hungrily. Her head pounded, her chest burned and she gasped for air between howls. She had never been tickled to this degree in her life. She squeaked again as Sparky found a particulary stubborn bit and began nibbling at her hyper-sensitive heel to retrieve it. Her laughter had reached a fever pitch, and Brian knew it was time to rescue his damsel in distress.
Sarah picked up her prized puppy. “Good boy, Sparky! You did a good job!” Apparently the crowd agreed, as they all applauded his efforts.
Brian began to clear away the sand as Sarah and Sparky made their exit and the crowd began to break up. Kaleigh’s exhaustion was clearly apparent, but as he smiled and kissed her gently, she still had the energy to let him know…
“Paybacks are hell.”
“Where is he, anyway?”, Kaleigh thought to herself. “Ugh! Whatever…I’m putting it in park right here.”
She dropped the bag where she stood and sat down next to it. She took a moment to survey the landscape. It really was beautiful. It was crowded, being a holiday weekend, but not terribly so. Children were building sand castles and paddling around at the waters edge under the watchful eyes of their mothers. People sunned themselves without care on the sand. She watched the sailboats drifting on the horizon and felt a sense of serenity begin to wash over her. She sighed with a smile and decided to set up shop. She slipped out of her sundress and sandals and spread her towel on the sand. She was just taking out her sunscreen when Brian appeared.
“C’mon, I have something to show you.”
“Where have you been?”, she spat back.
“Seriously…come on. I promise it’ll be fun.”
“Yeah right. I’m fine here, thanks. Will you put this sunscreen on my back before you go?”
“You won’t need it if you come with me”, he smiled. She had seen this particular smile before. It was mischievous. He was up to something.
“Seriously, Brian. I’m not really in the mood today, OK?”
“Fine. Then I DARE you to come with me.”
Kaleigh never could back down from a dare. She was quite the tomboy growing up, especially in a neighborhood with nothing but boys to play with. She learned to hold her own. She wasn’t going to fold now.
“Whatever. Anything to shut you up.”
Brian’s heart skipped a beat. He knew she would fall for it. He also knew this was a day she wouldn’t soon forget.
They walked down the beach, into the crowd of blankets and chairs, coolers and umbrellas. Kaleigh looked around to see what the big deal was when Brian abruptly stopped.
“We’re here.”
Kaleigh looked down at the trench in the sand.
“So, what’s this supposed to be?”
His reply actually shocked her.
“Get in!”
“Are you crazy? I’m not getting in there!”
“I DOUBLE dare you.” He winked, knowing that his trap was sprung.
“OK, fine. But before I do, what is this anyway?”
“I want to make a sand sculpture, with you as the centerpiece. You can relax and we can still spend time together.”
She was in no mood to argue. She laid her towel at the edge of the trench (after all, just because she was going through with his dare didn’t mean she had to get sand in her hair). She slipped into the trench and watched suspiciously as he bulldozed the sand over her with his arms.
“No funny business, Mister. I mean it.” She wanted to be stern, but she couldn’t help but smile a little at the ridiculousness of her current predicament. Even she had to admit, it was a little fun.
As he finished encasing her in the sand, he stood back to observe the scene before him. He made a frame with his thumbs and fingers and peered through it like a Hollywood director. She giggled at him. He was always the comedian.
“Do you have any requests, Miss?”, he asked.
“Oh, I always wished I could be a mermaid!” Kaleigh giggled as the words escaped her lips.
“Your wish is my command.” Brian bowed grandly, and Kaleigh giggled again.
“Puh-lease!”
Brian set to work on the mermaid form in the sand. Kaleigh closed her eyes and tuned into the noises around her. The murmur of the crowd, the laughter of the children, the seagulls floating on the waves. Her tired mind finally zeroed in on the sound of the water and she began to drift off. Then she felt something that snapped her back.
She tried to crane her neck to see where Brian went. She saw the top of his head bent over the sand mermaid’s tail. He appeared to be digging and her feet felt light and the sand was being stripped away.
“What are you doing?”, she demanded.
“Just having a little fun.”
There was that mischievous grin again, but this time it was accompanied by that unmistakable twinkle in his eyes. She knew what was coming even before she noticed the large palm frond he was holding. Her feet were now free from the sand, and he had a plan for them. She felt the coarse leaves at her heel and the panic rose within her. He was actually going to do it. He was going to tickle her in public.
“I have to get all this pesky sand off those lovely feet of yours. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Brian, please don’t. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a grump.”
“All the more reason to cheer you up, Darling.”
The first ticklish jolt originated at her heel as the slow, deliberate stroking ensued. She giggled instantly, desperate to move her foot and becoming more desperate when she realized she couldn’t move at all. He was enthralled with his work, methodically removing each grain of sand as he used the long strokes on her soles and the tops of her feet. Her laughter rose as he decided to switch to short, staccato strokes, back and forth, under and between her wiggling toes. When he was satisfied with the sand removal, he stood up and walked out of sight.
Kaleigh’s mind raced. What was he doing now?! Just then he reappeared, carrying a handful of gull quills he found on the beach and a stick. He winked at her as he crouched next to her in the sand and began writing with the stick. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as continued to form each letter in the sand with his stick. He stood up, and read it aloud to her: “Ticklish Mermaid. Please help yourself.”
She couldn’t speak, she was completely taken aback. Was he really serious? He had to be messing with her. He wouldn’t really…
Her stream of thought was cut short. He had taken up residence at her feet again and had begun stroking her arches lightly. Her giggles spilled over again, which only encouraged his effort. He scrabbled his fingernails at her ticklish heels and her laughter instantly rose in pitch. He leaned in close, still scrabbling at her delicate heels, and began to lightly kiss and nibble each toe in turn. Kaleigh shook her head, trying to erase the torment from her brain. Her laughter had now begun to bring in an audience. Brian’s plan was taking shape at last.
He noticed four little children playing in the water nearby and called them over.
“Have you ever seen a mermaid before?”
They smiled and shook their heads.
“Well, she’s a very special mermaid. If you tickle her feet with these feathers, the best tickler will be granted a wish. You’d like that, right?”
The children cheered, eagerly picking up the gull feathers and taking positions at Kaleigh’s captive feet.
Brian gave his final instructions and sat back to enjoy the show.
“Make sure to tickle her toes. She really likes it!”
Kaleigh begged the children, “no, please…I’m really not a…”
But the children had begun their game and her words were erased by her own squeals. The children were quite skilled with their feathers, and they each had their own method. A little boy with a crew cut decided to saw the feather lengthwise under her toes. He reveled in the results of his handiwork, as her toes splayed and curled against his efforts. The other boy was entertaining himself by stroking the side of that same foot from toe to heel, watching it tremble as it passed the same spot in the center every time. The girls decided to share the other foot and were busying themselves by sliding their feathers between her toes simultaneously. They giggled as they discussed what they would each wish for if they should win.
Kaleigh was in a state of sheer torment. Tears made tiny dark spots in the sand as they fell from her tortured eyes. Her squeals had found the attention of the children’s parents and they chuckled at the scene before their eyes. The boys became bored with the feathers and applied their tiny, fast fingernails to her wrinkled sole. She screamed and her laughter poured from her with renewed fervor. The girls noticed and dropped their feathers in favor of their own fingernails.
The tiny fingers sent shock waves through Kaleigh’s nervous system. Her mind was on fire. There was nothing but tickling. From somewhere that seemed so distant, she could hear voices. Why weren’t they coming to save her? Why didn’t they make it stop?
Another little girl stepped up to get a closer look at what was happening. Then Kaleigh felt something very strange and the tickling stopped. She took this small opportunity to catch her breath as she tried to figure out what had happened to bring this salvation.
“Ewww! Sarah! Look what you did! You messed it all up!”
“I’m sorry. Don’t worry, I can clean it up. I’ll be right back.”
Kaleigh felt a cold, oozing between her toes that traced a path slowly down her sole and settled on the sand against her heel.
“It figures”, complained one of the girls. “She dropped her ice cream right on the mermaid. She always ruins everything!”
Kaleigh shared the original sentiment. “Ewww! I have ice cream on my foot. That’s just great!”, she thought. And then she heard the murmur, and then the giggling, of the crowd as it parted to let Sarah through.
“I told you I could clean it up!”, she exclaimed proudly. Kaleigh couldn’t see what was in store, but it was apparently very crowd pleasing. Sarah bounded toward Kaleigh’s feet, cradling something in both arms.
“Sparky always helps me clean up my messes!”
“Sparky who?”, Kaleigh demanded.
“You know. Sparky! My puppy!”
Brian laughed at Kaleigh’s reaction. He couldn’t have planned this better if he tried. The horror in her eyes at this new information was priceless. The grand finale was at hand, and he had a front row seat.
Sparky timidly lapped at the sticky, wiggling toes on the disembodied foot. Kaleigh squeaked and squealed. As Sparky developed a taste for his chore (and the ice cream), his fervor increased. He wagged his stumpy little tail as his tiny, raspy tongue snaked over and between her twitching toes. The crowd laughed, but Sparky paid them no mind. He had finally noticed the pool of melted ice cream at her heel and lapped it hungrily. Her head pounded, her chest burned and she gasped for air between howls. She had never been tickled to this degree in her life. She squeaked again as Sparky found a particulary stubborn bit and began nibbling at her hyper-sensitive heel to retrieve it. Her laughter had reached a fever pitch, and Brian knew it was time to rescue his damsel in distress.
Sarah picked up her prized puppy. “Good boy, Sparky! You did a good job!” Apparently the crowd agreed, as they all applauded his efforts.
Brian began to clear away the sand as Sarah and Sparky made their exit and the crowd began to break up. Kaleigh’s exhaustion was clearly apparent, but as he smiled and kissed her gently, she still had the energy to let him know…
“Paybacks are hell.”
