Chapter 1
Nehemiah's Character
The late night sounds of slumbering suburbia
were muted by the Pacific Ocean's rythmic roar.
Standing high atop the bluff that overlooks Santa
Monica Beach, I turned my back to the deserted
city streets to drink in the sight of a full summer
moon; its path of pale light rippling wide across
the vast sea. Warm salty air filled my senses.
Rolling surf teased the silhouette of a barefoot
couple, strolling hand-in-hand along the water's
edge. A small boy, their son I supposed, followed
close behind. He flung a bit of driftwood into the
waves and his big furry dog gamely dove in to
retrieve it, then paddled back to shore dropping it
at the ld's feet. He threw it again before
scrambling to his father's side, grasping his other
hand.
The seascape, the ocean breeze; the distant
roaring waves—nothing here reminded me of my
home in Indiana.
© 2002, Kenn Gividen
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