Short Story: The Fall Of Sand Haven

Short Story: The Fall Of Sand Haven

The impending tide loomed in the distance - the sound of the crashing waves serving as a harbinger of doom for the town of Sand Haven. Only three individuals stood between the sea's wrath and the defenseless settlement. Two youths moved with alacrity to strengthen the town's walls while their endeavor was overlooked by their elder. The uncompromising sea was fast approaching, but that did not nothing to diminish the valiant hearts attempting to fortify Sand Haven's walls.

An hour passed, then another - the sweat dripping off their brows with only licks of wind providing comfort as they labored underneath the blue sky. When the first wave pressed the sea against the town's outer wall, a collective gasp was shared by the workers. Luckily, deep trenches had already been dug on the northern and southern sides of the town that funneled most of the water away from the heart of the settlement. One could almost hear the aged towers of Sand Haven breathe a sigh of relief as they witnessed the sea rush pass without causing measurable harm. But time was against the three engineers of Sand Haven.

"Faster, lads, faster!" the elder instructed, waving his arms in a frantic motion as he directed the two youths to the weakest segments of the outer wall.

They responded, working with haste to fortify the weakest walls.

"We need to hurry!" One of the engineers yelled, but the sentiment was already shared by the trio.

When the sea struck again, there was nothing they could do. The water smashed into the western wall, engulfing the westernmost portion of the settlement. Overlooked by an indifferent sky, all labors were instantly cast aside by the sea's strength.

The next series of waves breached the inner wall, slamming into Sand Haven's towers and removing chunks of their mass. Sand Haven was dying and there was nothing the engineers could do.

"Come, boys...we are done here," the elder sighed as two pairs of young eyes looked upon the devastation.

The engineers moved to a safe spot away from the settlement, their eyes looking on in dismay as the sea consumed the town. The elder wrapped his arms around the boys' shoulders. Though the sea's wrath was nothing short of catastrophic, no lives were lost. There were no sounds of parents' anguish or the wailing of children, just the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing upon the shore.

"What now?" my son asked.

"When the opportunity presents itself, we will build Sand Haven again," I replied.

"We'll make it better next time," my youngest son responded.

"Indeed," I assured him.