When I was young at the beach, I would immediately run into the brown, dirty, sandy ocean and would feel the warm water against my skin. The morning sun was shining bright like shooting stars, and the sky was just as clear as a diamond. I swam further into the ocean until half of my body was submerged within. My dad knew I had little experience with treading, so he would always make me practice in the ocean. I would wear my goggles and start flapping my arms up and down, making splashes in the water as I tried to maintain my surface. Even after all my hard work and dedication, I still sank and swallowed the mellow, sandy, and salty water.

When I was young at the beach, I could hear the fierce, loud, chaotic waves thrashing against each other. Watching from the shore, sitting on the dry, hot, grainy sand with my parents. I would hear children's laughter fill the air, while moms nagged about how they forgot to wear sunscreen. The chaotic atmosphere felt like home back in Pakistan. It reminded me of the busy streets of Karachi.

When I was young at the beach, the ocean made me feel powerful. I felt like Moana, as if the ocean and I had a personal connection no one else had. I remembered feeling that I could control the waves in the palm of my hands. It felt exhilarating, unpredictable, and thrilling to see whether the waves would be calm or harsh. Even though there were so many people and so much noise, I remember the silence of just me and the ocean there. After swimming for a while, my legs would get tired, and I would sit on the shore, legs stretched out in front of me as I felt the water tickle against my feet.

At the beach, I will always remember how energetically calming the beach felt. It always felt easy to concentrate, especially when watching the sunset from the shore, looking at how the sky turned from a crystal blue to an assortment of beautifully mixed warm colours. I would go into deep thought and just reminisce about life. I will never forget the laughter and smiles that my family and I shared, and the peace it brought to our hearts. Time went by too fast. Who knew that in the blink of an eye it would all be over?