One-shot Wonderland

The Scare

This one is a little more fluffy because I like fluffy:)

Jessiana takes her 5 year old sister Gracie to the beach. She turns her back for 2 minutes and Gracie is gone.

My little sister Gracie and I are sitting on a beach blanket under an umbrella, enjoying the beach on a very hot day. It was probably the hottest it's been all summer and despite the scorching sun it's still very beautiful outside. Gracie is digging a hole and making a sandcastle, while I listen to some music, leaving out one AirPod.

"Jessi I'm hungry" Gracie stops digging.

"Okay let me see what I packed" I look into the cooler and see sandwiches, fruit, and water. Then I check my bag and see fruit snacks and chips.

I looked for a few more things and made sure everything that I brought Gracie liked.

"Gracie do you want a sandwich and chips?" I ask turning back to my sister, but she wasn't there. I looked around to see if she had moved to play somewhere else, but I didn't see her.

"Gracie!" I yell getting up from under the umbrella and running to the shore. I wanted to make sure she wasn't just playing in the water. I didn't see her or her bright pink bathing suit.

Panic set in as the possibilities filled my head on what could've happened to her within the few minutes I looked away.

I couldn't help but think that it's all my fault and it is. If I hadn't turned my back on Gracie she would be seated with me under the umbrella right now. I began scouring the beach looking for her.

"I'm sorry to bother you guys, but have you seen a little girl alone, in a pink bathing suit by any chance?" I ask a young woman and her boyfriend.

"No sorry" they give me a sympathetic look and I thank them before walking away. As time went on I couldn't help but cry as I asked around and no one saw her.

I walk up to this older couple and the woman immediately gets up and makes her way to me.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" She asks with a worried look.

"No. Have you seen a little girl with a bright pink bathing suit? She has long black hair and is about this tall" I show her a picture and she shakes her head.

"I'm afraid not, what happened?" She questions rubbing my back to try and calm me down.

"I turned my back for less than 2 minutes and she was just gone" I explain.

Replaying the moments in my mind made it significantly worse. I can't help but think how scared she probably is in this moment. A beach full of strangers isn't a place a 5 year old girl she be alone and lost.

"Hey it's okay, we'll find her. Let's go to the lifeguard tower and see what they can do" she gives me a reassuring smile and we make your way to the lifeguard tower. The lady said her name is Kellie and has had the same thing happen with her eldest son when he was six. She helped me feel a lot better, but the panic feeling wasn't going away until Gracie was in my arms and safe.

When we got to the tower I knocked on the door and a younger looking man answered.

"Hi, how may I help you?" He asks with concern, seeing my face.

"She's lost her little sister" kellie explains.

"I'm sorry, can we have a description?" He asks.

"Her name is Gracie. She's 5 , wearing a bright pink one piece, and has long black hair" I show him the picture that I had took of literally 5 minutes before she had disappeared.