It was an early Friday in June and the place would be swarming with kids and families on vacation soon. For the moment, however, he was alone on the beach. He tiptoed carefully across the already-warming sand, cautious not to step on any of the jagged shells. He admired the beauty of the beach this morning. He took a deep whiff of the salty air and closed his eyes. Some days the air was full of the smell of decayed things, but today, everything smelled clean. He opened his eyes and continued his walk toward the guard station. He scanned the waves, paying close attention to the height of the breakers. The tide was coming in, not that it mattered on this stretch of beach. The waves themselves were unusually calm today. Sam sighed; it was going to be an easy day. Coming to the base of his guard station, Sam fished in his pocket for the padlock key. He climbed the steps up to the door and unlocked it. He hung the padlock and the key on a nail inside the shady refuge. He opened the cover that shut up the tower at night, giving him a full view of the coastline.
