Jonty was on holiday on the East Coast. if you've ever been to Humnamby Gap you’ll know what it is like. Jonty’s dad took a photo of him quarter of a mile away on that vast expanse of shore, and the only things on the photo was some sea, some sky, a pixel that was Jonty and sand. Huggins of it.
Early in the morning when the tide had just gone out you could have a beach the size of a medium sized Canadian farm to yourself, with pools to paddle in, a few pebbles near the cliff to play with, and more sand than you could imagine.
Jonathan had been visiting the East Coast ever since he could remember, and he liked nothing more than drawing and digging in the sand, so it was with eager anticipation that he read about the competition taking place at his favourite location. The notice read:
FILEY AND DISTRICT ROUND TABLE
SANDCASTLE COMPETITION
HUMNAMBY GAP
SATURDAY 8TH AUGUST
PRIZES GALORE
PRESENTED BY THE CHUCKLE BROTHERS
Of course, when Jonty told his dad, the competition was as good as won! A visit next day to the Sunday market at Skirlington filled the boot with two garden spades, a sieve, full size plastic buckets and some large pieces of wood 'to batten down our sand', his dad had said.
That week Jonty practised and practised, and every morning after his breakfast he could be seen struggling down the steep slope and steps to the beach with his garden implements designed for a man ten years his senior.
After what seemed like a week, the day of the competition arrived. Luckily Jonty’s caravan was fairly close to the beach, and the road sloped almost directly too it. There was still mist around as Jonathan and his dad made the first trip down to the beach, each carrying as much as they could. The road through the caravan site wasn't so bad, but near the beach it steepened drastically until it became so steep that the engineers had decided it was prudent to build some steps which turned down the last bit of cliff at right angles to the road. This was lucky in a way, because on his subsequent trips to the caravan. Jonty's dad was able to throw down the remaining tools from the top of the steps to the site which they had picked for their creation. (An added bonus was that Jonathan could shout up to his father with his order for ice creams for breakfast!).
That morning as they dug and sifted and built, a procession of individuals and teams made their way past Jonty to their respective building sites. By eleven o clock the normally quiet beach in their area was a hive of activity. There were some splendid creations too. with Castles and houses. pyramids and animals.
“l didn't think people would take it so seriously” said Jonty's dad as he carefully eyed the plumb line dangling alongside their pile.
Their 'pile' was emerging and, predictably enough, it was a railway engine. Specifically it was meant to be 'Mallard’ the fastest steam engine in the world. and Jonathan's favourite. Because The Mallard was streamlined, with a sloping front, it lent itself as much as any engine to modelling in sand. Of course, there could be no space underneath the train, but a passable copy was made. using dustbin lids to imprint the big drive wheels and a bucket for the smaller ones at the front and back.
During the morning Jonty's Mum would bring down food and drink. and raise her eyes to the heavens, secretly wondering why Jonty’s dad could not spend so much time mending the house. Incapable of multi-tasking, Jonty's dad had no such thoughts as he put the finishing touches to the engine with Jonty.
The rules stated everything on the sandcastle had to be found on the beach, so with driftwood nameplates and pebble decorations it filled the bill exactly. The Mallard was completed with an hour to spare. Jonty wanted to look round the beach at all the other exhibits, so of he went, marvelling at the works of art on display.
His particular favourite was at the bottom of the beach; a huge dinosaur, with spikes on its back running the length of it's long tail. Identically coloured pebbles of different sizes made a menacing row of fangs. and the eyes were most disconcerting. The whole creation was huge. and had been built by two families of quite old children working with their dads, uncles, and granddads, most of whom, it was obvious had spent several years in The Royal Engineers.
Unfortunately what the dinosaur's architects had in manpower and creativity, they lacked in foresight. The tide had turned and gradually the waves were creeping nearer and nearer the beast. Worse was to come.
As Jonty played at the top of the beach near his train, word came that the judges, the Chuckle Brothers, were late from their matinee performance in Scarborough and that the inundation of the most Easterly creations on the beach that day might take place before their arrival.
Already a few of the smaller castles at the bottom of the beach were being reclaimed by the sea, but their owners were managing to build copies out of harm's way. The dinosaur was a different proposition. It would not be possible, even for two families of sappers to rebuild it in safety before the Chuckle Brothers arrived.
Jonathan had quite liked the littlest girl of the two families, and when from the top of the beach he heard her crying he felt compelled to help.
“Come on dad” he urged, tugging his father away from the crowd of admiring girls which had gathered around their building site. “Three families can do it!” and, running down the beach, explained what was happening.
The dinosaur families were already frantically digging halfway up the beach and a big mound was being built. Jonty and his dad got stuck in straight away, with his dad digging and building alongside their new friends, and Jonty running with the smaller kids down for the back plates and pebble teeth, managing to snatch the last one while the water lapped around the dinosaur's mouth. They worked so hard and efficiently that by the time the legendary Chuckle Brothers had arrived Jonty just had time to use a bucket (Which he had used for his train's smaller wheels) to put some very realistic scales on the dinosaur's previously smooth body. Judgement time arrived.
Paul and Barry Chuckle, accompanied by some local dignitary, made their way between the collection of sandcastles. Talking, taking notes, and of course, chuckling.
The majority of people on the beach stayed respectably silent, though Jonty was sure he had heard murmurs about "steam train" and "very realistic". As the party wended its way between the competitors, the crowd following them gathered. When they arrived at the dinosaur (Where Jonty and his dad had just finished and had begun to introduce themselves to the dinosaur family) a spontaneous round of applause rose from the crowd. The throng moved up the beach, leaving behind the soon to be inundated monster. Jonty felt quite nervous as, being highest up the beach his train was to be the last model the judges would survey.
Little did he know that in their frantic rush to recreate the dinosaur three of the drive wheels on one side had slipped away, leaving a lovely train, but no big wheels on one side. Despite this, the crowd still clapped and, after walking round it a few times, the judges conferred and mounted the steps to the top platform where they could talk to the crowd from behind the rickety handrail.
“Ladies and Gentlemen” the one with the chain 'round his neck began importantly; “in third place... the castle with moat and drawbridge at the Filey end of the beach”.
The crowd applauded. and hushed as the Judge cleared his throat
“In second place .... The Mallard”
Jonathan nearly jumped out of his skin with surprise. Amongst the cheering he heard someone shout “It should've won” but Jonathan had genuinely not expected anything and was absolutely cock a hoop.
"The winner.....”
A grandmother sewing 400 yards away dropped a pin in the sand
“The dinosaur”
Oh dear, oh dear! How the crowd, the families, and The Chuckle Brothers clapped and cheered!
That evening, his skin beginning to chill after a day in the sun, Jonathan sat leaning on his train facing the now receding sea, with his arms around his knees.
“First on and last off again?” half asked his dad with a smile in his voice “Are you happy?”
Jonty reflected on the tickets they had received to see the Chuckle Brothers at The Futurist Theatre, his silver medal and the two pounds prize money. He gazed at the wet beach where he imagined the remains of two extinct prehistoric monsters, along with all the other lovely sandcastles which had only a few hours ago made that stretch of sand a place of greater enjoyment and aesthetic creation than any art gallery. Happily he remembered the thanks and the friendship of the dinosaur families, the promises to meet the next day and, secretly, the peck which Rachel's mum and his dad had forced them to make. If he had been older he might have wondered if anyone else could possibly be as happy as a boy on a beach, as he was. He answered his dad.
“Of course!”