He stood there alone in the corner of the room with tears dripping down his cheeks. Charles and his family planned to take a trip to the beach. Charles was more excited than ever because it was going to be his first time seeing the beach. As the week went on, it was all he could think about. Counting the days as they went by, scribbling drawings of beaches and of the ocean. He wonders how the waves splash. Imagining different ways, “Do they have fish swimming in each wave? Do the waves hurt?” He was so curious to find out how the beach looked.
Finally, the day of the trip came. Everyone was up bright and early, running around the house, packing everything. Charles was in his room reading a book with his headphones on. To distract himself from the chaos. His mom comes barging into the room, saying he needs to get his butt off the bed and help get ready. She tells him to find the sunscreen and to pack it up. Charles is checking everywhere, opening drawers, throwing papers all over the place. His face is red, he's drenched in sweat; scared to death his mom will be mad he couldn't do the one thing she asked. He lost hope of finding the sunscreen and the lies that he did find, and then already packed it. The family packs up all their things to start the way to the beach.
On the way to the beach, Charles is quietly listening to his music on the headphones, ignoring everything their family has to say. As they are unpacking their things and setting up, Charles hears the muffles under his loud music, “Where is the sunscreen?” Charles finally admits that he never found the sunscreen and didn’t pack it. A large dark cloud and thunder started to form. Charles could feel the anger coming from his mother and sister. They started to yell and complain about how he always does this, he never asks for help, and he never takes off the headphones.
Charles' sister says she can’t be at the beach without sunscreen. So Charles' parents and his sister decide to run to the store to buy some. They call out to Charles, who is near the shore watching the waves. Charles only hears muffles, the same muffles he hears from all the people at the beach. So he ignores them. After all the shouting, they give up and leave Charles alone. Some time goes by, and Charles hears a loud sound, so loud he could hear the entire sound. He turns around and sees large flames and smoke floating in the air. He scans everywhere for his family. He runs to the main point of the fire and sees his family's car, ambulances, and police everywhere. Everything happened so fast. He is frozen; he does not comprehend what has happened until he is alone in the hospital room.
I am writing this story in particular because it was the first thing that came to mind when writing a story. The ideas came to me like in a movie scene after scene. I imagined the story in my head before writing and wanted to describe the events the same way they were in my head. So that the movie that was in my head could be read and experienced the same way.
This story reflects universal themes of isolation, family, and loss. Charles’s disconnection from his family shows how miscommunication and avoidance can have painful consequences. On a deeper level, it explores the fragile nature of relationships and the importance of being present with the people we love—issues that everyone can relate to.
I chose characterization, focusing on how Charles is portrayed. I use specific details like Charles hiding behind his headphones, ignoring his family’s voices, and lying about the sunscreen to show his tendency to disconnect from others and avoid responsibility. These small choices in his characterization foreshadow the tragic moment when he fails to hear his family calling out before the fire. On a deeper level, these details reflect universal themes of isolation, miscommunication, and the consequences of avoidance. Many people can relate to moments of tuning out, not listening, or not realizing the importance of small responsibilities until it is too late. Through Charles, the story explores profound issues about the fragile nature of family relationships and how easily they can be lost, making readers reflect on the need to value connection and presence in their own lives.
My writing process started with creating Charles as a character who struggles to connect with his family. I looked at short stories about family conflict as mentor texts. The hardest part was making the ending emotional without overexplaining, and I solved this by focusing on small details like his headphones and the sunscreen.
In the scene where Charles searches for the sunscreen, the quick pacing shows his panic and rising stress. The close narrative distance, describing his red face and sweat, lets us experience the moment through his eyes. The simple, direct voice shows his fear of disappointing his mom and shows how easily he feels overwhelmed and disconnected.
From working on this story, I learned how small details like Charles’s headphones or the missing sunscreen can reveal deeper themes about family and isolation. I also learned that building tension step by step makes the ending more powerful for the reader.