Play with me please

Play with me Please

The little boy wandered slowly through the throng of holiday makers.
He came to a group
of children around his own age, making sandcastles. He smiled at them
and asked if he
could play, but they ignored him, and continued to add the final
touches to the turrets.
His head dropped, and his eyes became filled with a sadness as deep as
the sea. He
continued to walk along the beach, passing family groups and
remembering a time when
he too was part of a loving family.

When he saw another group of children playing football on the sand,
his spirits rose,
surely these children would allow him to join their fun. "May I play
with you please?"
They went about their game, completely ignoring him. The little boy
tasted his tears as he
turned away dejectedly.

He stood and watched the queue at the Ice-Cream van, excited children
taking an age to
decide wether to have a 99 or a Twister, How he missed the taste of
Ice-Cream on a hot
day. How he missed feeling his mothers soft hand protectively holding
his. How he missed
his father swinging him high up onto his shoulders.

He walked to the waters edge, and as he moved through the gently
lapping waves, he
remembered the feel of the wet sand between his toes and how the water
tickled softly
upon his ankles. How odd that the sea should feign friendship.

For he also knew of a time when the sea showed it's dark half, The
cruel and vicious side
of it's temperament.

He made his way back up the sands and came to the rock that he once
sat on long ago,
ten times he had come here on this day, of this month and ten times the
wreath had been
laid. He read the inscription "In memory of Tommy ...Love Mum and
Dad"

Tommy remembered the joy of being able to cry.