Sarah and the thing 2,000 She found it on the beach. (standard:Satire, 1983 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jul 09 2020	Views/Reads: 1447/986	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This story is loosely based on the old song named "The Thing." I remember it was sung by a popular entertainer, at that time, named "Arthur Godfrey." Nuff said.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

“And now that you're a grown woman you want adventure and romance.  I'll
bet that's the problem, uh?”  His smiling eyes turned to a sad, 
sympathetic, look. 

“I did expect something, not just stupid rain and wet sand,” Sarah
admitted, fork stirring red sauce. With her depression fading, the 
spaghetti looked a little better. Talking did help a little. 

“Well, happy birthday. I have to go, but I'll leave you a birthday
present.  All you have to do is go to the beach after lunch.  Look 
around and you'll find it.  See, the rain even stopped?” And it had. 

“How'll I recognize it?” She looked back up from her meal, but he was
already gone. That was quick, she thought, looking around.  He was 
indeed gone, chair and coffee also missing. With at least a little 
something to look forward to for a change, she ate her meal. 

*** 

Sarah walked over drying sand.  The sun had decided to come out for a
few minutes, shining brightly, and she was trying to find the old man.  
 No old man, but she did see a wooden crate near the edge of the water. 


Curious, she walked over and, seeing the lid askew, looked inside and
saw it. With the lid off, she could see it clearly. It was beautiful 
with the sun shining on it, reflecting in many colors. Picking it up, 
she looked around. 

Nobody was watching or seemed to be anywhere around her. It must have
washed up during the rain and didn't belong to anyone, she thought. 

Sarah had never found anything so nice in her entire life, especially
nothing like that. She picked it up and held it in her arms. It was 
cool to the touch and looked expensive. The girl wondered who had lost 
it -- thinking they must be sad to lose such a thing. 

It was lighter than she thought and easy to carry. Sarah decided to keep
it -- who wouldn't?  It wasn't stealing, she figured.  Sort of 
finders-keepers. 

She stopped at a soda stand on her way back to the hotel. 

“Gimme a large coke,” Sarah told the clerk. He filled a foam cup and,
while turning to give it to her, saw her burden. 

“Hey! You get that thing out of here.” His eyes bugged out. “We don't
allow those damned things around here."  He hastily shoved the cup 
across the counter.  "Just go, before someone sees it.”  Not even 
asking for money, he pulled a cord causing a wooden shutter to drop 
down, hiding him from view. 

It would have hit Sarah on the head if she hadn't stepped back quickly.
She could only stare confusedly at a blank wooden surface. 

What's going on here?  She looked down at her find, wondering what was
wrong.  It shone innocently in the afternoon sun. 

Sarah carried it to picnic table.  An older couple were sitting at one
edge, watching their kids play.  Sarah sat on the bench at the other 
end of the table. Putting her things down, she paused to consider the 
crazy clerk. The girl saw the shutter was raised again. While she was 
looking back at the clerk, she heard a muttering near her. 

It was the playing children, who were standing next to her -- staring at
the thing and muttering to each other, as though they were frightened 
or something. The parents looked over and saw them, and it. 

“Well!” They rose and came over to chase their children away. “You have
your nerve bringing that thing around here,” the mother exclaimed.  
They hustled their kids away while glaring back at Sarah. 

The teenager watched them hurry away, and then looked back down at the
table. Her lovely find seemed to look back at her. What the hell is 
going on? she wondered, picking it up again and turning it around.  It 
felt good to her touch. She was sure she hadn't seen any of those 
things around before, but what was wrong with it?  It didn't stink or 
have dirty words written on it.  All it did was sit there, looking 
pretty. 

The girl had to smile, though.  It did make her feel more than a little
adventurous and special to have people afraid of her. 

“Boo.” Sarah made a face at the retreating tourists, smiling at her
nerve. 

For the rest of the afternoon, Sarah, having fun for the first time
since her arrival, terrorized the beach. She didn't know why, never 
bothered to analyze her change in temperament.  It just felt so good to 
be free to enjoy herself for a change. 

She would hide it in a plastic sack and merge with groups of other
tourists. Then bring it out and laugh as she watched them run and dodge 
away. 

At one point, a policeman came over to her.  He was a native Hawaiian.
“Uh, young lady. You know you shouldn't bring them around here?  Uh, 
well, it's just something we don't like tourists to see, a kinda 
Hawaiian thing.” 

“Yes, but what is it? It's so pretty and everything, not scary at all,”
she pleaded. 

“I really can't tell you. Just something we Hawaiians know about, and
not for the tourists to see.  I can't arrest you for having one, but it 
would be much better if you didn't ever show it to other non-natives. 

"You must be very special to appreciate it.  You see, we Hawaiians have
a few secrets from visitors.”  He smiled at her, looking her thing 
over. “Very special,” he said and left without arresting Sarah or 
anything. 

The sun was going down as Sarah headed back to her hotel. Word had
gotten around by then, and she was surprised to see her bags packed and 
standing on her room's outside lanai, a note attached. It read: 

“Sarah Jackson, we don't want your kind in our hotel. You will not be
billed for your stay, but we would appreciate your never setting foot 
on our property again.” 

Sarah looked around, sat in a chair for a few minutes, and then picked
up her bags. She guessed she'd have to spend the night on the beach and 
look for somewhere to stay in the morning. But, what if the word had 
spread to other hotels?  Suddenly, her find wasn't as innocent as she'd 
thought. 

She laid some of her clothing under a picnic table to sleep out of any
rain, used her suitcase for a pillow, and prepared to spend the night.  
Now that her high was gone, depression returned. 

Thinking the thing would ward off any assailants, she placed it near her
head and tried to sleep. The sight of it shining in the moonlight gave 
her confidence and she soon drifted off to slumber. 

“Hey girl, you found it!” a voice woke her. 

Looking up, through the boards of the bench seat, Sarah saw a Hawaiian
teenager. He was very handsome with a large grin on his face, wide 
shoulders filling her vision.  She jerked up, hitting her head on the 
bottom of the wooden surface. 

“I've been looking for it all day,” he told her, happily, helping her
out from under the table. 

Her heart beating wildly at his touch, they sat together,  basking in
the moonlight. 

“The box fell out of my canoe this morning and I thought I had lost it.”


The sight of him made her heart beat out of control, even faster by
placing his hand on hers as she stared into dark fathomless eyes. 

“It's been in my family for hundreds of years.  My father would have
killed me if I lost it.” His eyes drew hers in. “I was afraid a tourist 
would find it and throw it away or even bury it. They can't stand the 
sight of the things, you know?” 

Sarah could only nod, lost in his gaze. 

“What are you doing sleeping under this table?” he asked. 

Sarah told him about her day, making him laugh. 

“Hey, girl.  Don't worry. You can spend the rest of your vacation with
my family.  We have our own little island,” he offered. 

Which she did.  Sarah finally enjoyed her dream vacation. 

The End.


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