“All of my students' grades went up. They even did the homework! My students actually looked forward to class each day.”

— April Holland, Teacher, Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School

STUDENT ANTHOLOGIES EXCERPTS

Eli Rudnick’s “A Watery Grave”

in Are We There Yet? Stories of Trips, Travels and Journeys by San Francisco Youth

I was but seven years of age when I journeyed to China Beach. I had traveled there numerous times before, but this one was special. When I got out of the car, I rushed down the crackled, decrepit concrete steps. It was a scorching hot day and my feet were burning with both heat and utter anxiety. I reached the grainy sand and my toes relaxed with pleasure. The rush of the babbling ocean spoke a long soothing song, as the shallow, foamy tide swished away.

My father’s sandals clicked on the debris left on the beach. He was speaking to my mother, their voices lost in the sea-stricken breeze. My mother’s long hair swayed with grace, while my father’s short stalky curls gave jolts of movement. They were happy and unaware of my carefree attitude. The short weeds plagued the ground and the tall rocks plagued the sky. You could see for miles on those.

“What a day!” declared my mother.

“Quite frenetic,” replied my father.

“Eli, slow down!” My mother strongly advised, but I could no longer listen. I was swept away.

“Eli!”

“Eli!?!”

“Eli, steady, you could hurt yourself!”

But there was no use bothering. My mind was set on that frothing water stretched out on the horizon. My legs, smeared with suntan lotion, were accumulating the pulsating sand, but that no longer bothered me because I was focusing on the world in front of me. And then suddenly, I was plunging for the deep blue sea, and THWACK! I was lying in the glinting water. My head had collided with a large piece of timber and I was hurt. My parents, witnessing the event, pulled me out of that forsaken water and laid me to rest in the sand.

Eli Rudnick is an interesting author. He lives in San Francisco. See Eli Rudnick. See San Francisco. He wrote this story. See story. Read story. Enjoy.

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