PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook
The waves crashed over one another, sounding like the distant rumbling roars of fifty lions. Boikanyo had never seen the sea.
“Bring me back some sea water in a bottle.” instructed his mother as she put him on the bus filled with his classmates. He barely heard her above the excited chatter.
Now, the teachers encouraged the children to sit in the shallows. Braver ones practiced their swimming strokes in deeper water. He inched closer to the water and yelped at the cold as it lapped over his feet. He couldn’t remember feeling so exhilarated ever before.
97 words
Having spent some of my childhood in a seaside town, I take it for granted that many people have never seen the sea. Sometimes cross-border school trips are the first encounters with the sea that children from landlocked countries such as Botswana, experience. Many first-timers say that it is the seemingly endless nature of the sea that captivates them. The way it seems to stretch on further than they can see. And I have to agree. More than any other body of water, the sea has a magic and a call like no other.
It is a popular belief that sea water cures many ailments. Often people collect it bottles to take back home.
Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Write a story in 100 words or less. Join in by cicking the frog below!
Fajr, Books & That First Cuppa 
Living on an island, I too find it hard to imagine there are those who have never seen the sea – and what a feeling it must be for them to finally see such an immense thing 🙂
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Having lived in Southern Africa, I loved the touch of the bottle of seawater
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It must be amazing to experience the sea for the first time. I feel I live quite a long way from the sea, though it’s actually only about 10 miles (nowhere in Cornwall is very far from the coast!) so it’s hard to imagine never having seen it.
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How wonderful it is to see it for the first time! I still remember my first time – the sea is so much more than the largest river…
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When I think back on it, my children’s first experience with the sea was a trip to Belize. They were a bit older than your character here. My daughter’s first experience with an ocean touching our own county was last summer.
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Story captures the joy of a child. Well done.
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Scared yet excited – exactly how a first time should be!
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Your story nicely captures the excitement of a first visit to the sea. I like your description of the waves sounding “like the distant rumbling roars of fifty lions”.
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Dear Fatima,
I was 14 the first time I saw the ocean. You captured the experience in a few words. The voice of a thousand lions…lovely.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A lovely story about a beautiful experience. I saw the sea first when I was ten and never wanted to leave, alas I never managed to live close to the sea. Maybe when I retire…
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I remember thinking the water was alive, because it moved so steadily on the shore.. Brilliant take!
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You took me right back to my childhood, in land-locked Minnesota. We moved to Oregon when I was 10, and my first glimpse of the ocean just filled me up. I ‘ve never lost my love and amazement of the ocean.
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Excitement of exploring the unknown. Excitement of covering uncharted territory.
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There is something about discovering new things in our childhood that is so different when looking through adult eyes. A sense of magic, joy and wonder that’s captured so well in the story.
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First time at the sea is a wonderous time. The smell, noise and air. Nice piece, it is exhilarating.
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I really love the tale, and how you weaved in the lore, and how many of us takes things for granted.
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You bring their excitement and the whole experience to life in this story. Lovely.
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First memories of the sea are really fascinating.
School-trips are fun. Glad this ended on a positive note.
Some kids unfortunately become victims during such trips/excursions. Very sad to learn about kids have drowned or fallen to their death… Teachers & students going on trips have to be very careful.
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A lovely story of a little boy who gets to experience the magic of the sea. We’ve brought children from Outer Mongolia to Hong Kong in the past and it’s a joy to watch their faces as they see the ocean for the first time. Your story made me smile. =)
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