Small Stories with Laura Pashby

Share this post

sea urchin

laurapashby.substack.com

sea urchin

(postcard)

Laura Pashby
Jun 2, 2023
∙ Paid
32
Share this post

sea urchin

laurapashby.substack.com
10
Share

He held a heart in his hand. The ghostly, cordate form of a sea urchin skeleton, picked up as the tide receded by my own little urchin—five years old, blonde, sun-kissed and windswept. That day, we walked along an endless Welsh beach as the sun began to sink. The rippled surface of the sand was shining, dotted with white ovals—an influx of heart urchins, brought in by the waves. His small, sandy hand reached for mine as we strolled, eyes to the ground, searching for the perfect specimen. My sweet natural historian was keen to examine each skeleton we found, to handle it gently and wonder at it. The chosen sea urchin—his prized treasure, carried back to the campsite in a green plastic bucket—was lost, or shattered, long ago. Only my memory of the moment remains.

We never found another one, although we looked on beach after beach. Once or twice, the tide rendered up sea-smashed fragments, but a complete skeleton eluded us. The boy grew—still thoughtful, dark blonde now, and no longer reaching for my hand. Sometimes, he picks up stray pieces of smooth sea glass, but his search for sea urchins has been forgotten.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to

Small Stories with Laura Pashby
to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
Previous
Next
© 2023 Laura Pashby
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing