The beach stretched wide and golden, waves whispering at the edges. Marisol walked along the shoreline, bare feet sinking into the warm sand.
Marisol plopped down, but her cat vaulted right over her head and landed with a soft *whump* inside an empty sandcastle bucket.
She lifted the bucket. The cat sat inside with the rim perched on its ears like a silly brown helmet. The silver bell went *jing-a-ling!*
Marisol tried to sit cross-legged, but the cat waddled into the middle and flopped down, flattening into a loaf right over her knees.
She giggled and shoved gently, but the cat just blinked slow and stretched one paw right onto her nose. Her wrists felt the grainy sand as she wiggled.
She sighed and lay on her tummy, but the cat hopped right up and kneaded a circle in the middle of her back.
Marisol puffed her cheeks and blew a raspberry, making the cat's ears twitch. It purred like a loud little motor against her arms.
The sky turned orange and pink. Marisol wrapped her arms around the cat, pulling its warm fur close. The sun dipped below the water, and the waves kept time.