Tackling the Imperfection Dare

Day 2

Day 2. Write a scene involving a simple item that triggers a memory.

2: Sand Bucket

Miley took careful steps up the attic ladder. Upon reaching the top, she pushed the wooden cover that barricaded the entrance away. She tucked her flashlight under her arms, and placing both hands on the grimy wooden attic floor, heaved herself up.

Wiping her hands on her jeans, she flipped the flashlight switch on and sweeped the beam across the room. She stopped at a particular wooden chest. Slowly, she walked over towards the chest, before kneeling down before it.

Placing her flashlight down beside her, she attempted to pry the chest open. When the top finally popped open she grabbed her flashlight quickly, shining down on the items in the chest.

Miley recognized toys from her own childhood. Lego blocks, plastic cups and saucers from tea sets, Barbie dolls, and Hello Kitty keychains that softly glowed pink when you pressed a button. She dug through the items, occasionally picking out a toy that was once her favorite - a stuffed dog, a fur trimmed tiara. When she was near the bottom of the chest, she frowned when her hand hit something hard.

Adjusting her flashlight to point towards it, she saw that it was a red bucket. Not just any bucket, Miley realized. It was a sand bucket. Her one and only favorite sand bucket.

Pulling it out, she placed it next to some if her retrieved toys.

A slow smile spreading over her face, she remembered the day that her older sister bought her the sand bucket, alongside a small plastic shovel and rake just before they went to the beach. She was only seven then.

Miley had hopped out of the car and ran to the shore first, clutching the handle of her shiny new red bucket with the shovel and rake shaking wildly inside it as she ran.

She was so excited to play with it.

First getting some water from the blue sea, she dumped it on the sand before her, turning it damp, before scooping up the damp sand with her shovel. She filled her small bucket up with the sand, before smoothing the top of the damp sand that filled the bucket to the brim. Proceeding to the next step, she turned the bucket over on the sand to create one sand castle.

She poked holes in it as windows, and collected seaweed and shells from near the shore to decorate it. Soon her other sisters came by and helped her create more sand castles, taking sea water to dampen the sand and shaping it into towers and buildings.

They built and decorated until they had built a whole kingdom. Miley pretended that she was the Queen of the Rainbowdash Kingdom (she decided to call it that) and ordered her sisters around who pretended that they were her subjects.

They were all having so much fun, shrieking and laughing at each other before Cousin Matt came over and stomped over the sand castle kingdom.

Miley cried and Matt got scolded. They had to leave soon after, and that was all.

Miley sighed, staring at the now faded but still red bucket. Then suddenly, she got an idea. Grinning to herself, she picked the bucket up. She got up, made her way over to the attic's entrance, and jumped down.

She didn't bother to put back the cover, right now she felt that she was seven years old again as she exchanged her sneakers for slippers and called on her sisters, before running out to the beach that was just in front of their house.

She ran over to the shore, feeling the sun kiss her cheeks, the wind stroke her hair, and the waves tickle her toes.

Once again getting water from the blue sea, she dumped it over the sand. She didn't have a shovel this time, so she used her hands to fill up the bucket. She smoothed the top over, and turned the bucket over to make a sand castle. Miley's grin widened as she started to poke holes into it for windows.

In the distance, she could hear her sisters running and shouting towards her as soon as they saw what she was doing.

Who says you can't relive your childhood memories again?