The sun was high and hot in the sky as I hopped down the last rocks of the steep cliff. “We’re almost there!” my dad said. The climb down the cliff had been really tiring, but all that sweat had paid off. 

We were standing in front of a meadow-ish marsh. A cool breeze was blowing as I walked, contrasting the warm air. Hearing the faint sound of waves lapping the shore, I could agree that we were almost to the black sand beach. 

I could finally see a glimpse of the beach. From up on the cliff, we had seen beautiful views from above, but not the black sand beach itself. I had thought the black sand beach was just a plain beach, but now I knew that it was much more than that. Although I couldn’t see the whole beach, it was already better than all the beaches I had been to combined. 

The meadow-ish marsh looked like a meadow, but was wet like a marsh. There were some places with clovers and other flowers like a meadow, while on the right there was a small lake edged with grass and trees, like a marsh. There were lots of other people walking around, some walking back to the cliff, while some were heading to the black sand beach just like us. As we walked into the meadow-ish marsh, we saw a sign that said, “Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints”. My sister and I made up jokes about what the sign meant, but I knew that leaving the beach as it was was a very important part in protecting it. 

A swing hung from one of the trees. The seat was made of wood, and rope was tied to the tree and the swing to hold the swing up. The sound of waves was getting louder, and I got excited about seeing what the black sand beach looked like. I could see part of it already: the water and the black sand. 

After walking through the meadow-ish marsh, we stepped onto the black sand beach. The water was clear blue, and the trees that grew around it were tall and looked elegant, with some green leaves drifting down like snowflakes. It felt like I was standing on a fluffy carpet, and the sound of waves were like listening to music. 

As I looked around, I spied a strip of pebbles going across the sand at the back of the beach. Some of the pebbles were stacked up on top of each other to form structures that kind of looked like statues. Not many other people were there, only a few. They seemed to be enjoying the beach as well. The cliffs surrounding the beach loomed over us like tall giants protecting everyone that was on the beach. 

I saw my dad taking pictures. I ran over to him and asked if I could help take any pictures. My dad said I could, but only a few. I aimed the camera at the horizon. While I took the picture I wondered if there was any place in the world that was as great as this. 

I walked over to the water. Splash! I jumped back. What was that? I wondered. Then I looked down and laughed. It was a little wave! I wished that I could jump around in it, but I was wearing sneakers. Instead I played “ Run Away From the Wave ”. Splish! Splash! As I ran around and around in circles, trying to not get wet, I thought of my sister, back in our car up on the cliff, taking a nap. Valentina must love this place and have as much fun as I was having. Too bad she was sleeping in the car. Although playing with the water was fun, I couldn’t stay forever. “Come on, we’re going to go back to the cliff to hike up again!” my dad called after I had played with the water for about five minutes. “Okay! I’m coming!” I called back. Careful not to get sand in my gray-pink sneakers, I walked back toward the meadow-ish marsh. I loved the beach, but I had to have a line and go back to our car sometime. 

The sunlight glimmered on the crystal blue water as we walked away. A soft breeze blew from the ocean, carrying the scent of salt water. The trees swayed gently as if they were dancing. The sun smiled down on us as we walked through meadow-ish marsh. As the grass swished under my feet, I knew there would never be any place as beautiful as this.