The tide is coming. I must build a castle to save me from its annihilating tsunamis of destruction.
My castle will have a fortress yard with high walls so I can play safely inside. Away from the ocean I will have a secure entrance to my yard so I can have guests and leave to visit others’ castles. I will have two tall watchtowers from whence I can see the approaching sea and run back to the safety of my yard should I need to. I will have a moat around my yard and my watchtowers to channel the sea around them when it attacks. I will have a strong tall wall on the other-side of my moat to better hold back the sea and protect my precious castle from its crushing waves.
I know the tide is coming. The sea may take away some of my castle but as long as my yard it safe, I am safe. I can retreat to my yard and rebuild what has been lost. To prepare for the tide I will push out from my moat walls and try to build more walls out front, towards the ocean, to channel the savage sea away from my precious little castle.
A guy I know has offered to help me by either building walls with me or staying in my castle and watching over it while I am gone building my walls. But he looks like a hippie and I don’t quite trust him to work that hard nor not steal from me. So I said thanks but no thanks to his offer. I’ll lock up my castle good and tight while I’m gone so nobody can get in except me. Besides, I need to focus on the sea’s looming attack, I can’t distract myself thinking that that guy is either stealing from me or slowing down my work.
…
I’ve spent much time now outside my castle building wall after wall after wall to fight back the coming deluge. When I tired of wall building I allowed myself to play a little bit and build things other than walls but not for too long because I know annihilation will attack. Many walls must be built to protect my home.
…
I am so utterly heartbroken. I had been gone from my castle for so long that when I returned I found its walls to be dry and collapsing. All the water within them had left and they had started to loss their form. My castle surely will no longer protect me from the annihilating tide. It is too weak an frail to do me any good.
…
The tide has not yet come. But I know it will. I now know that it has been no use building a castle for myself. I was unsure it would save me from the tide’s powerful destruction anyway and if no tide comes it will simply dry up and crumble. I’ve now grown comfortable living outside my castle walls anyway. This surely has been a waste of time; I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner.
I think the best I can hope for is to consider the beach my new yard and play and build there until the tide comes to take me away. I’ve decided that rather than simply existing and fighting to live another day it’s much better to live my life with carefree play; not fearing the end and not fighting against the inevitable tide. Besides, I’ve built so many walls I look to have a pretty amazing maze to play in. It will surely be fun to explore.
But now I feel lonely. Maybe I can find that guy who offered to help me oh so long ago. He must still be around I would think. No tide ever came to wash us away so he, like me, must be on this beach… But what if he came out to check on me and he’s stuck in my maze!? If the tide doesn’t come surely the maze walls will crumble but I should be able to find him sooner if I start taking those walls down myself!
…
I am so absolutely lonesome. I’ve torn down all the walls of my maze but I have found nothing. There is now only but ruin in my life. No maze and no castle. And that guy I was looking for; I can’t find him anywhere. I am just going to lay down on this forsaken beach and cry until I die from the tide, the sun, or from utter loneliness. I just don’t want to be anymore. I just don’t want to exist. The sun is heating the sand out from under me, cooking my flesh. I don’t even think I’m on a beach any more. I must be in a desert. This must be what hell is like.
Guy: “Yo! Dude! Why are you just laying down on the hot sand getting burned man! Would you like me to teach you how to surf? Doing what you’re doing just seems like a huge waste of gloriously beautiful awesome waves!!!”
Me: (embarrassed) “I don’t know how to swim”.
Guy: “Dude my dad owns this life-jacket company I can totally hook you up with a free one. I mean surfing without one is way more fun but dude; you gotta get on a board; you’re totally missing out!!”
Me: “Really?”
Guy: “Ah yeah. Dude if you can’t swim I understand why you’re afraid of the ocean, it’s a huge mega beast that can swallow you up. But with a life-jacket you’re totally safe. You can go in without any fear at all and have the greatest time of your life!”
Me: “Aren’t life-jackets for kids?”
Guy: “Of course they are dude, and anybody who can’t swim. If you’re embarrassed and don’t want to wear one then learn how to swim. And after that learn how to dive so you can go really deep! Whatever your comfort with water though; the ocean is the place to be bro. The beach is just its front door. The ocean is your real home.”
Me: “But I’ve had friends die in the ocean.”
Guy: “Really!? How!?”
Me: “The tide. I saw it take them.”
Guy: “Oh that!? Dude don’t worry about those peeps man. I made sure they all had life-jackets before they came in. Like you they got bored playing with sand castles and mazes. And now they all know how to surf too!”
Me: “Really?”
Guy: “For-sure bro. It’s what I do; once they get bored I give ’em a board. And a life-jacket if they need one. I told you how my dad owns this life-jacket company right? Well actually it’s a surf shop. He loves the ocean and its waves so much he wants everyone to know how to at least surf. So they can come to love his ocean as much as he does.”
Me: “Wow that sounds great! But does that mean you guys stay out in the ocean all the time?”
Guy: “Oh, no way dude! We stay out lots but we come in lots too. You gotta come in and hang on the beach with your friends! Of course! We eat, and drink, wax our boards, and dance to music around the bonfire. You know; all that celebration of life stuff. We even make sandcastles and mazes like we all used to when we were kids! .. You know the secret to sandcastles is you have to use sand with just the right wetness. Then you can make truly amazing beautiful stuff. If it takes a while you need to douse it with water so you can keep working with it. But it eventually dries out on the inside no matter what. So yeah, as long as you know how to build something beautiful you can always rebuild it and perfect it. The key is you gotta know how to form the sand in the first place. To get your ideas into the sand…”
Me: “Wait; You came on to the beach lots!? When!? I never saw you!”
Guy: “Dude you’re trippen. Remember when I told you I could help you build your sandcastle? And then one time I think you were playing in your maze cause I couldn’t find you. And Dude, I’m on the beach talking to you right now bro. You’re funny. Anyway, just so you know, I think those friends of yours, that you’ve been missing, are over there hanging out around the bonfire. They told me all about you. You sound like a pretty cool guy. I’m glad I can finally met you! Hey, surf’s gonna be up soon bro. I know you’re just gonna love high tide!