Sandpiper saved in Manhattan Beach
A lifelong lesson from one day at the beach
Honorable mention
Easy Reader 2021 Anniversary Writing Contest
by Trey Lyter
It was a bright and sunny day in Manhattan Beach, California. The perfect beach day in 11-year-old Trey Lyter’s eyes. After a grueling school year summer had finally come. Trey demanded his family go to the beach. Everyone agreed, except Trey’s twin brother Jesse. Jesse demanded to stay inside and play video games all day. But big brother Bryce insisted Jesse to go to the beach. On the way down they stopped at Becker’s Bakery and Deli to get some sandwiches and maybe even a surfboard cookie or two. As Trey and his family began to depart from Becker’s, he saw the sparkling blue Pacific Ocean. It looked like glass out there. He thought about how fun it would be to surf and look for sandcrabs in the waves. He also saw a piece of tangled plastic. He thought to himself, someone else will get that, and walked on. As the Lyters were looking for a spot on the crowded beach, Trey spotted a sailboat in the distance. The sail was blowing in the crisp, cool gentle breeze.
“There!’’ Jesse shouted. He had found the perfect beach spot.
Whack! Trey had started a game of spikeball. He jumped, he dove, he glided through the air. He did not let the yellow, air-filled ball get by him. Right when he was going to hit the ball his mother shouted, “Trey you forgot to put on your sunscreen.’’
Oh no, he thought, I do not want to get burnt. After putting on the white, creamy substance he raced to his bag. Trey pulled out his little red bucket. He scurried down to the water’s edge to look for sandcrabs. Trey dug his hands into the soft, moist sand. He pulled out some sandcrabs. Jesse had been helping him, and he, too, had scooped up some crabs. As they dumped them into the bucket, something caught Trey’s eye. Sandpipers. They, too, were looking for sandcrabs. Only for eating, though. As Trey watched them he began to appreciate them more. Sandpipers or shorebirds will follow the tide in for crabs, but will run out when the waves roll in. As he looked all around Trey saw something that made him whimper.
A sandpiper lay on the wet sand. Tangled plastic around his feet made him unable to move. Trey watched him struggling, fighting with every ounce to try and get up. Family members watching helplessly. The water pushed him under. Trey could see a set of bigger waves forming. He needed to help the bird. He raced down the beach, his heart began pounding. Would he save the poor bird? Crash! The wave broke but not before Trey saved that sandpiper. As Trey walked back to his family, the bird was cupped in his hands. He untied the plastic and put it in the recycling bin. He then realized why restaurants in Manhattan Beach used cardboard straws. He realized how much more careful everyone needs to be. Trey Lyter promised himself he would pick up more trash. Not just wait for someone else to do it, not just watch it go into the ocean. He would spread the word.
After the short walk he showed his family what happened. Everyone was amazed. He told them about plastic. As the bird lay nuzzled into the warm, dry towel Trey let the bird sit in the sun alone while he played beach volleyball and other games. When he got back he knew his family was packing up so he went down to the berm and set the bird free. He watched the bird meet back up with its family and the three other birds seemed to be running around the saved bird. Trey thought about his own family, and how lucky he was to have them. After that day he loved going to the beach and watching the sandpipers. ER