Moon Snails | Teen Ink

Moon Snails

January 15, 2014
By Icithra PLATINUM, Arlington, Massachusetts
Icithra PLATINUM, Arlington, Massachusetts
26 articles 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
The wastebasket is a writer's best friend. ~Isaac Bashevis Singer


The hurricane had passed, and the beach behind our house was littered with shells and kelp. My dad took us down to the beach in the afternoon, to go beach-combing. We began to walk the shore, the sand damp and salty, but the air was warm and the sun parching.

We found a nice spot at the tip of a sandbar to eat lunch. We laid out the coolest finds on a towel. There was one dead fish, which Dad said to throw into the water for the seagulls. We also had a couple of scallops, a hermit crab which scuttled off the blanket, and a clam shell with a hole in it.

Dad said that the shell was regular, but the hole was caused by a moon snail. He said, in the voice he uses to tell ghost stories, that the moon snail hunted around during a hurricane for prey that was throne ashore. It would dig through the shell and suck the innards out of its prey, leaving a little shell with a small hole in the top behind.

After our lunch, we went swimming. My younger brother, 7 jumped of the sandbar, and into the water, creating a huge splash that soaked dad. Dad said no more jumping. After a half hour of swimming, dad was about to call my younger brother, Sam, back to shore when Sam shrieked.

Dad threw off his shirt and rushed into the water, but found Sam completely fine. He was confused for a second, but then saw what Sam was looking at, under the water.

It was the bloated dead body of a middle aged man. If you looked closely, you could tell that his bones and muscles and innards were gone. He was hollow. And if you looked even closer, you could see a minuscule hole in the top of his head.


The author's comments:
This is a really just something that came to me in a flash, again while hiking. I hope it scares you, or makes you think twice about picking up a clam.

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This article has 5 comments.


on Nov. 13 2014 at 9:34 pm
Icithra PLATINUM, Arlington, Massachusetts
26 articles 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
The wastebasket is a writer's best friend. ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. No, it's not bad, I think that's kind of what they look like in real life. It adds to the creepyness, in my opinion. Thank you for reeding!

on Nov. 6 2014 at 1:22 am
RobotPenn. SILVER, El Paso, Texas
8 articles 1 photo 81 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Profound change is cumulative."

Is it bad that I'm picturing the snails as tiny, cute, and blue? I loved this story. Perfect mix of creepy and awesome. :)

on Feb. 5 2014 at 6:45 pm
Bay_Renee SILVER, Brinkhaven, Ohio
7 articles 2 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Kites rise the highest when going against the wind."
-Winston Churchill

   You're welcome! Yeah, appreciation might not be the best word... Scarred, maybe? You have scarred me for life with your use of discription, haha!

on Feb. 5 2014 at 11:56 am
Icithra PLATINUM, Arlington, Massachusetts
26 articles 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
The wastebasket is a writer's best friend. ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

Thanks. I try to put a lot of discription in, glad you appreciated it. Although, appreciation might not be the right word  

on Feb. 5 2014 at 12:15 am
Bay_Renee SILVER, Brinkhaven, Ohio
7 articles 2 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Kites rise the highest when going against the wind."
-Winston Churchill

   My God... I am never swimming ever again. Ever... Good Lord... I should have read your comment beforehand.      On a slightly different note, your use of description is great- I could totally see all of this happening (which is why I'm never swimming again) and it was a very original story. I liked it a lot! You're a talented writer!=]