Life doesn’t get much better than summertime at the Jersey Shore. There is just something so glorious about baking on the beach, running around and getting sand in your fur, speeding in bumper cars, winning prizes for being the best at water guns, and eating all the ice cream a bear could want. As long as he stayed away from the crashing waves and the rolling tide of the ocean, Flapjax was in Heaven.

One hot, sunny day, as Libby and the grownups were splashing around in the waves, Flapjax was avoiding the water like it was his job. Baths were bad enough, but add slimy ocean creatures and sticky salt to that, and it was Flapjax’s nightmare. So instead of swimming, Flapjax passed the time building sandcastles and rummaging through the snacks Mom had packed for them.

After devouring a bag of homemade cookies, Flapjax yawned. He was desperately tired. Castle-building was tough work! And the sand was so soft and pillowy. Flapjax sprawled himself out on a beach towel under a big, colorful umbrella, laid his head down, and immediately started snoring.

*****

Flapjax woke up with a start. How long had he been sleeping?? Libby was still out of sight, off playing with the other humans who didn’t have to worry about salty ocean fur. He yawned and tried to stretch, but he couldn’t move his arms. He tried to get up, but he couldn’t move his legs either. He looked down and realized he was covered in a pile of heavy, wet sand.

Flapjax started to panic. He turned and kicked and punched as hard as he could, but it was useless…he couldn’t escape the sand. He saw the human kids a few towels over, watching him with mischievous smiles on their faces. Flapjax growled and tried to telepathically tell Libby he was stuck.

Flapjax sighed. He’d just have to stay stuck until Libby was done playing…not quite his idea of a fun beach day.

All of a sudden, a shadow crept up over Flapjax. Another human was standing over him. At first, Flapjax was scared. The shadow was really tall! But luckily the human was normal-size, and she was wearing a bright red bathing suit and sunglasses, and she had a shiny whistle around her neck. A lifeguard! He was saved! She looked down at Flapjax curiously as he stared back at her with a sheepish grin on his fluffy face.

“Hello, there,” the lifeguard said with a soft, pleasant voice. “What have you gotten yourself into?” Flapjax tried to shrug, but that was useless. Instead, he turned his head—the only thing moveable at the moment—toward the snickering humans who were still staring at him and stuck out his tongue.

“Ahhh,” the lifeguard said knowingly. “Well, how about we get you out of there, and in exchange, you can help me with the most important job on this beach?” She winked at Flapjax, and he grinned excitedly. He would have jumped up and down excitedly, but he was still stuck in the sand, so his head just bobbed and bobbed as the lifeguard/his new friend started digging him out of the sandy mountain.

Come back next week for more of Flapjax’s beach adventure!

Loving Flapjax? Share with a friend, and sign up to get weekly shenanigans delivered to your inbox!