Oh, dear, whither have I gone? thought the snail. The sea, and sand. Each grain of sand was Wonder, a crystalized dream. They were hot and baked the snail like a hot dog on a bar-b-q. If I can only get to that great puddle of water. I can be cooled and refreshed.

the snail was as small to the sea as a fortune cookie to a restaurant. He had been running away from the forest. his abode was the trnuk of a fallen tree. All he had done :pain, memory and tears, evaporated like drops of sweat beneath the sun.

The snail was approached by two giants, children. they stomped on the ground and the snail recoiled in his shell. Efforts to avoid capture were unsuccessful; he had been scooped up. For what it’s worth, falling into the hands of his abductors was a relief from the hot sand and his true pursuers. Cares melt away on the beach, but the troubles of the world are of a greater fortitude when your enemy is nature itself.
The kids built a sand castle and placed the snail inside the one shaded chamber. ~tbc