Word: Thalassic

 

thalassic

\ thuh-LAS-ik \  , adjective;

1. of or pertaining to seas and oceans.

2. of or pertaining to smaller bodies of water, as seas and gulfs, as distinguished from large oceanic bodies.

3. growing, living, or found in the sea; marine.

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The sun shone pleasantly over the not too crowded beach.  The ocean waves rolled calmly over the sand, with the sound of the water mixing with that of the people on the beach.  Children laughed as they splashed around or gathered the water to help make better sandcastles.  Well, most of them did anyway.

                “I don’t wanna go in!”  Screamed one of the little boys as he faced the water.

                “You were begging me to bring you here, and now you won’t even go in the water?”  The boy’s father asked, more to himself than his son.  The boy shook his head.  “Well, why not?”

                “There’s jellyfish in there.” The boy said.

                The father would have laughed at his son’s words if he wasn’t so annoyed.  It was a bit frustrating, really.  He hated the smell of the ocean, and so avoided beaches as much as possible.  The only reason he had come was that the boy was so insistent.  He took a deep breath, wrinkling his nose against the smell.

                “There’s no jellyfish here.”  He told his boy.

                “Really?  Are you sure?”

                “Absolutely.”

                The child looked up at his father for a moment.  His small eyes then turned back to the water.  His head snapped back up to his father after a moment.

                “What about sharks?”

                “No, there’s no sharks either.”

                “Really?”

                “Really.”

                “But Danny said sharks live on the beaches so they can eat people.” The boy looked confused.  His father and his best friend were saying two different things, which only served to confuse his young mind.

                “Well, Danny’s wrong.  And even if there are sharks, they’d be way out in the deeper water.  They won’t come this close to the beach.”

                “What about jellyfish?”

                “There’s no jellyfish around here.  And even if there was, they’d be the kind that are so small that they can’t hurt you.”

                “But Danny said…”  The boy started.  His father knelt down and placed his hand on his shoulder, cutting off his thought.

                “Let me ask you something.  Who do you think you can believe more?  Your friend who may just be trying to scare you with things that aren’t real, or your own dad, who wants you to have fun and be safe?”

                The man was a bit worried when his son actually had to think about that for more than a second or two.  Still, given that the kid’s age could still be counted on his fingers, he decided to let it slide. 

                “You?”  The boy asked, a bit more hesitantly than his father would have liked.

                “That’s right.  Now, when I say there’s nothing bad that can hut you around here, you can bet that I’m telling the truth, right?”

                The boy turned towards the gently rolling waves for a moment while he considered the words of his father.

                “Are you sure there’s nothing bad in there?”

                “The only thing you have to worry about is drinking the ocean water.”

                “Why not?”  The boy asked.  The man wanted to kick himself for that one.  It just introduced another reason for his son not to want to go in the ocean.  And if that happened, the boy would only complain that he didn’t get the chance to go swimming there later. 

                “The ocean water is bad if you drink it.  Just standing in it is fine, but don’t swallow any, alright?”

                “Ok.” The boy said with a curious look on his face.

                “Good.  Now, go on.  Don’t worry, I’ll be right here watching.”

                The boy took a deep breath and slowly headed towards the water.  Just before his feet touched the wet sand that marked the start of the waves though, he stopped.  He turned and looked at his father, who waved the boy on.  A small wave broke on the beach, and the water surged up, as if it was trying to greet the boy’s feet. 

                The child took a step forward into the now receding water and screamed.  He made a bee-line back to his father and cling to the man’s leg.  The father sighed and scooped his panicked son up into his arms.  As he did, only one thought crossed his mind:  This was going to be a long day.      **********************************

My family and I didn't take many vacations to the ocean when I was a kid.  We went to other places, of course, but not often to the beach.  Whenever we did though, I always hated going in the ocean.  Not because of any imaginary sea creatures waiting to eat and/or sting me, but because of the seaweed.  I hated that stuff when it brushed against me.  I still do, really.