"How about this," Emily offered. "You tan with me for a while, then I’ll go in the
water with you."
"Deal," Sasha said, grinning. "Next summer, can I get a bikini like yours?"
William tried to listen, but Sam stepped across his stomach, breaking his focus.
He couldn’t hear Emily’s reply, but he hoped she said, No, you can’t wear a bikini
like your mother.
Emily applied tanning lotion to Sasha’s back while Sam dumped more sand on William.
Satisfied with his work, Sam ran off.
A few moments later, he returned and dropped a bucket over William’s head.
William heard him dash away.
He tried shaking the bucket off without breaking free from the sand. If he escaped
now, he’d spend the rest of the day getting reburied. He twisted his head back and
forth, side to side.
"So, this is my profile," he heard Emily say. "It’s cool, right?"
"So cool, Mom," Sasha replied.
William lost track of time. His head might’ve been in the bucket for minutes or
hours.
"William," Emily called.
"Yeah," he answered. His voice echoed inside the bucket, and he hated how it
sounded.
"Samuel’s by the water. Can you keep an eye on him?"
"Sure."
He stood up from the sand with the bucket on his head. It surprised him with how
little resistance the sand gave him. He expected to have to put in more effort. He
flung the bucket to the ground and started toward the lake.