Broken shell moment

Amongst the shell rubble a broken, orange fragment caught my eye. I stared a moment at the pleasing, jagged, asymmetry of its edges.

The wash from a wave flowed–rippling and glistening–over the rubble and I thought my fragment lost in the mix. Yet, when the water receded into the next wave, the orange piece reappeared. Apparently, it was embedded in the hard, wet sand.

Acting quickly, I took a crunchy step forward and plucked the tiny shell piece from the beach–leaving behind a jagged outline and shallow impression.

I pocketed my prize and stood looking down–watching as the wash from the next wave barely reached where my fragment had been. A few bubbles of froth caught on the edge of the shallow impression and lingered–sparkling like diamonds in the morning sun.