January 2023

Is the sea a dark, terrifying force? Or is his fear unwarranted? The narrator wonders during a family vacation Golden sunrays flowed through the open window of my train. My anticipation burned as hard as the surface of the sun. My ears were suddenly assaulted by the screeching of the train stopping. The wheels crawled to a stop as we arrived at the station. I picked up my heavy luggage and lumbered to the exit, where I jumped off. I was welcomed by a beautiful view, with copious sand dunes and a beautiful, crisp, blue sea. We were in Romania, near the Black Sea. I smelled the salt in the air and prepared for an amazing adventure— little did I know what would happen upon me. We arrived at the resort and got our keys. My grandma, my mom, and I went up to the seventh floor. I dragged my luggage across the carpeted floor and arrived at our room. My grandma inserted the key, and with three turns, we stumbled into our room. Pristine white sheets covered our two beds, and a wide window revealed a gorgeous view of the beach. A green carpet with red threads woven in, a marble countertop in a mini kitchen, and a small balcony to see the beautiful sea welcomed us. I ran to the balcony to look at the sea, where I noticed the massive waves crashing on the shore. I ran back inside and helped my mom. We laid our luggage down and unpacked it. After around an hour, we were settled in. My grandma said, “Sa mergem” as I was putting my shoes on. As my Romanian wasn’t too good at the time, I stayed quiet, unsure how to respond. I tied a double knot with my shoelaces and jumped up. I gripped my hand on the brass knob and opened the door. I couldn’t wait to go to Fried Fish. As their name suggests, their fried fish is simply divine. I ran to the elevator and waited for my mom and grandma. After waiting forever, they came. I elbowed the button and tapped my foot on the colorful carpet while waiting. A loud ding rang through my ears as a set of metal doors opened up. We crammed into the elevator and went down to the ground floor. Another ding sounded, and the doors opened as we spilled out. I ran outside and felt the fresh air around me. I kicked up some sand and jogged to the restaurant. My family arrived, and a waiter escorted us to our table. We sat down and ordered our food. I asked for their delicious fried fish, my mom the mahi-mahi, and my grandmother opted for the Fisherman’s Feast. In a mere fifteen minutes our food, all steamy and fresh, arrived. I laid my knife on the crisp fish and cut off a piece. A smell of spices floated up to my nose. I sank my teeth into the crunchy outside, feeling the soft white flesh. I could taste the delicious spices individually: red pepper, oregano, turmeric. In minutes, the full filet was long gone, and I was full of fish. I leaned back on the booth, feeling the soft material on my back. A waiter took our credit card and swiped it through the mobile cashier. We sat up from our table and sleepily walked back to the hotel. I heard the crashing sea and looked at it. Then a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. I wondered what would happen if I got hit by one of those big waves. I tried to get rid of the thought, but it stayed firmly in my mind. I’ll be fine, I said to myself, not really believing it. We opened the glass doors and headed to the stainless steel doors of the elevator. We pressed the up button and got in. Seven dings later, the doors opened again. We walked to our room and crashed into our beds. A deep sleep with no dreams came easily after a long journey on the train. I awoke to golden sunlight coming through the windows. My mom said, “Get out of bed, you sleepyhead,” playfully. I rolled out of bed and fell on the blue carpet. “Oof,” I said as I got up. I walked to the mini kitchen, sat down, and took out a bottle of water. I took a refreshing sip, put on some day clothes, and asked, “When can we go down for breakfast?” “In a sec,” my grandma responded. My grandma finally got ready, and we went down for breakfast. I vacuumed up an omelet, three waffles, and a bowl of milk and cereal. We went back to our room and prepared to go to the beach. I felt the golden rays burning through my sunblock on my face. Silky white sand covered my feet and splashed whenever I set my feet down. An endless blue force retreated and attacked the beach ahead. I broke into a run, closing in on the sea, when a wave splashed down. Suddenly, my excitement turned into fear. It was almost as if the once calm sea knew my feelings and turned violent and nebulous, a dark force. I rooted my feet in the warm sand and steadied myself. It’s just the sea. I’m fine, I thought to myself. Floating on the Ocean I looked again at the sea and started going to it. A wave crashed in front of me, but I kept running. Before I knew it, I was waist deep in the water. A shiver flowed through me as the cold water encompassed me. If I move, I’ll stay warm, I said to myself. I turned to see my mom planting down the beach chairs. As I looked back ahead, a massive wave loomed over me. I tried to run back to the coast, my legs buzzing with adrenaline. My feet tried to dig into the wet ground, but they simply