Spring in My Backyard

Jade wakes up to a cool, foggy morning.

- Tori Telfer

Mom calls it a “May Gray” day. Low, misty clouds blanket their home by the ocean. Mom says the fog forms when cold, moist air over the water gets trapped by warmer air above.

Jade runs outside. Dad is waiting in his wetsuit, holding his surfboard. A seagull screeches keow, keow. “Akaw!” Jade shouts back, which is what surfers say when they’re excited or see a good wave.

Crunch. Rowan knows why his yard is covered with red gravel. Arizona doesn’t get a lot of rain, and stones don’t need water like thirsty grass. But what he loves best is the sound the gravel makes under his feet.