She was walking on a beach.
Her eyes gazing across the majestic expanse of deepest blue beside her as waves danced at her feet.
This child had always been fond of the ocean and, most especially, the creatures that lay within its grasp.
She loved the way each clownfish swam, how jellyfish could light up the darkness of the deep.
She loved watching the smallest of birds escape from the chasing waves expertly, and with happy chirps bouncing in the air.
She loved how little she knew of what lays below the surface.
She loved it all.
And then she found one thing she hated.
There , A mere few paces ahead of her, a seagull.
A silly creature, who should not need to do more but enjoy the freedom of air.
A seagull with its head trapped in a ceramic jar.
She could see its panic, and watched frozen as the tide approached.
Then, as suddenly as an elastic band’s snap, she bolted towards it.
She grabbed the seagull, containing it as it squirmed.
She carefully removed the jar from the seagull’s head, twisting it left and right.
And, as the seagull flew away, towards the setting sun, the girl smiled.
Izzy Morgan is an eighth grade student at Elmwood School, Ottawa, Ontario:
“I know the whole idea of ‘long walk on the beach’ is a point of comedy in media, but I always find it comforting to feel that rush of water pulling at my feet. I also enjoy watching birds run from the tide as they scavenge for food, so that scenario was playing in my mind, as well as birds flying toward the setting sun.
I find it hard to believe that someone is not at least a bit interested in the environment. Our environment houses and encompasses us, and we are dependent on it. In my mind, that means we are responsible for its care. I really enjoy creative writing, and prefer to dip into the more melancholy aspects of our world. I find that accepting the dark can make the beauty shine brighter, like a flower in the desert.“