👣 Footprints in the Wild

Marcus never imagined that a small piece of wood could change a whole day of his life. He was twelve years old, and he was used to going with his family to the beach to collect the shells and driftwood the waves brought in, and to search for places where the plants they knew were good to eat grew. He loved watching the sea more than anything else; to him it was a world that changed every hour, even though the beach looked the same to anyone watching from far away. That morning, the sky was the color of pale gold, and the wind blew in from the sea carrying the smell of salt and wet seaweed. Marcus left his family's camp after the storm that had passed over them in the night had calmed, and walked along the rocks looking for wood the water had washed up. He didn't mean to go far. He knew he had to be back at the camp before the sun rose high, and that his mother was expecting him to help…