The Colors Underneath The Surf

we all ran to the sea after the hurricane eyes wide with ambition of finding the perfect treasure

the people came in droves moms dads children young old each with their little bags plastic grocery bags for the amateurs wicker baskets or backpacks for the seasoned vet

the shore was riddled with every shell you can imagine perfectly formed conch shells clam shells oyster shells and an assortment of broken pieces the morning sunlight dancing on the colors underneath the surf

my daughter came up to me holding some coral and clam shells she smiled at me i smiled back

i presented her with the conch shell i found earlier large pink perfectly formed found in the deeper water i had to dive twice to recover it

she dropped her treasures grabbed the pink shell enormous in her hands her eyes wide with wonder amazement inquisition

she had found her treasure and i had found mine