"Faster! Faster, until we go flying!", Liz screamed in joy, clinging onto her big brother's back. He laughed and jumped high into the air. Liz giggled and yelled with laughter. She trusted his big, muscular body. It was invincible.
They sat at the shore, looking at the beautiful red and orange of the water reflecting the sunset. They didn't speak until the sun had finally gone below the surface of the water and was no longer visible. Liz sighed.
"Bye, Mom, see you tomorrow." Her brother hugged her closely.
"She'll be watching us", he said. Liz nodded.
"She's always watching", she agreed. Then she yawned.
"Tired already?" She nodded. "From what?" Without warning, he started to tickle her. She fell over and toppled onto the white sand, roaring with laughter. Every time she tried to catch her breath, a new wave of tickles attacked her. Finally, she laid exhausted on the sand.
"Now you can be tired", he said, smirking.
"I am", Liz said. Simultaneously, they yawned.
"Let's go, then", he said and stood up. He brushed the sand off his shorts and then kneeled down. Liz grabbed his neck and he pulled her onto his back. He straightened and lifted her a bit higher. Then they left the beach.
"Higher! I want to fly!" The giggles of Liz were audible even a mile away. She sat on the shoulders of her older brother, and he lifted her up as high as he could. He always had a firm grip on her hip. He didn't want her to fall.
They sat at the shore, looking at the beautiful red and orange of the water reflecting the sunset. They didn't speak until the sun had finally gone below the surface of the water and was no longer visible.
"Bye, Mom, see you tomorrow." They sat in silence. A seagull swept over their heads, cawing loudly.
"It must be nice to be able to fly", Liz said longily. "Without being bound by stupid broken legs."
"Yea, it sure is", her brother responded. "But isn't it also nice here? Look at the water. The sand underneath you. The warm sound of the waves, the wind rustling through trees. Isn't this all worth staying at the ground? You don't need to fly to be happy. You got me", he said, nudging her lovely. She smiled.
"Yes, I got you. No parents, no home, no legs, but at least, I got a brother." She grinned at him.