The sky is dark and sprinkled with stars as the waves come crashing towards the sand. They glide up towards my toes as I walk along the beach. Our flashlights shine leading the path for us. It seems like a perfect night for a walk on the beach. However, it’s only 10 and the beach is freezing as we walk together trying to stay warm.

 We are in Port Royal, in Hilton Head Island, just like every summer at the end of the school year. We always stay at The Westin Hotel. It has three pools, a hot tub, a spa room, gym, restaurant, but best of all: the beach. The beach is only 50 steps away from the building and is our favorite thing about Hilton Head. We always get bikes and go along the beach, walk around town, and go to our favorite restaurant called Java Burrito. At the beach, we sit in the sun and walk along the water. However, that night I was ready to leave.

I walked quickly trying to warm up my body, but the gusts of wind and the cold water combined were more than I could bear.

 “It’s freezing!” I said to my family, “Can we go back?” I ran up to my mom trying to stay warm.

 “Let’s just get to the rock barrier then we can turn back,” she said. I shivered in my T-shirt and shorts, wishing I had brought a sweatshirt. 

The sand felt squishy against my toes, and as I looked out at the water, the beach seemed to go on forever.

“Look how pretty it is, girls!” said my mom, taking it all in. 

I looked out at the water. It’s way colder than pretty, I thought, I just want to go back.

We walked a little further and I could almost make out two figures in the distance walking towards us. It was a man and his son. As they came closer, I glanced at what they were holding. A chill ran down my spine as I saw the huge mesh bags in each hand, full of crabs, screeching and squirming to get out.

 “Where did you find all those crabs?” asked my dad.

 “All over the beach,” said the man, “Just past the barrier,” he held up the bags so we could see them better.

I suddenly felt colder than at any moment on that walk, and it wasn’t from the weather. I looked at the netted bags full of those crabs. Some were almost the size of my hand! They pinched and clawed at the air, trying to find a way to escape. I tried not to imagine getting pinched by a crab or having its little legs crawl up my arm. I shivered and turned away trying to focus on how cold I was rather than those terrifying “sea spiders.”

 We walked a little further, and I could almost see the glistening water splashing against the rock barrier. Finally! I thought I’m so cold! I looked out at the water next to my feet, finally believing we could leave. Until I heard the ‘crunch’ and felt the sharpness underneath my toes. As I slowly lifted my foot, I saw the remains of a white seashell crushed on the sand. I let out a breath of relief, glad it wasn’t what I thought it was … until I looked next to my foot. There, under the beam of my flashlight was a grayish red crab scampering towards me. I let out a scream and fell backward onto the sand. There, next to my hand, was another crab, this one all black, almost patronizing me. I quickly got up and tried to run to my family. My flashlight singled out dozens of crabs in the sand as I ran overhead of them, trying to make my way to my family, already paces ahead.

“There are crabs everywhere!” I yelled. I began stepping quickly on the sand with my flashlight guiding me, trying not to confuse a sea bean or driftwood with a crab. I went as fast as I could to catch up to my sisters as they too didn’t want to step on one. There were crabs everywhere. All over the rocks, all on the sand, and all scampering along the beach. 

“Just be careful where you step,” my mom said. We cautiously walked back to the beach entrance, which was a mile away, hopping and dodging crabs hiding in the sand. My mom took some photos of the view and the stars shining bright against the sky, but I was too cold and anxious to leave to notice them. 

We made it to the beach entrance, and I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, now we can leave! I thought. As we walked up the wooden pathway, we laughed about how ridiculous it was that we were scared of little crabs, although they were frightening at the moment. Walking with my family, we headed towards the gate, and I looked back out at the beach, the twinkling stars shining on the water, white-foam waves crashing on the shore, the white sand glowing under the sky. It is pretty, I realized. I discovered at that moment, that even with all the problems that had just occurred like freezing gusts of wind, the way-too-long walk, and the not-actually-scary crabs, I created a fun memory in Hilton Head. I looked past the little “issues” of that night and noticed the beautiful moment of being on the beach with my family. It was far from a perfect walk on the beach, but I now have the memory of that night with my family.  Every time we come back to Hilton Head, we will remember that night on the beach … and the crabs just past the barrier.