Kacey elbowed Kara. “Hey, wake up.”

“Urmph.”

Kacey shook her friend. “Seriously, wake up. There’s something weird out there.”

Kara opened one blood-shot eye. “What time is it? Be careful. If the answer ends in ‘am’, I reserve the right to smother you until you stop kicking.”

“There’s someone out there. I don’t like it.” Kacey said doggedly.

“Ugh. Fine.” Kara said, struggling into a sitting position. She opened the blinds and looked out at the darkened beach. An old man was sitting beyond the reach of the crawling water. A small overturned wagon lay nearby.

“Oh, I should have known. That’s the Sand Castle Man.”

“What?”

“He comes to the beach everyday and builds these amazing sandcastles. After he’s done, he just leaves. By the end of the day, there’s nothing left.”

“That seems sad. He live around here?”

“I guess he must, if he’s here everyday. We’ll go take a look AFTER I wake up.” Kara wiggled back down into the bedding, turning her back resolutely.

On the beach, the Sand Castle Man began to build.