Stonefather Lore
Under the Sand (Spotify)
Ben Simple grew up in Southern California, spending much of his free time in Mission and La Jolla Beach snorkeling, surfing, and soaking up the warm sun. Sometimes his dad would bring a metal detector along to search for lost treasure waiting to be uncovered just below the surface of the warm sand.
There was a thrill in discovering new artifacts and imagining their value and history in part of a larger story. An old pair of shades might hold the tale of a famous actress shooting a beach scene for a TV show. Or, an old flip-flop might seem like nothing but safeguard keepsakes that had fallen victim to the tide while their owner was in the water. Sometimes there were even rare coins, but mostly shells.
The shells, each beautiful and unique, held their own stories as mementos of the living creatures and their journey in the ocean. And, it made Ben wonder how his story would unfold and what he might leave behind buried under the sand just waiting to be discovered by someone else years from now walking along this very same beach. Maybe he would be a famous person someday? Or, an astronaut? Or, someone with purpose.
As time went on, Ben still loved spending time near the ocean. He loved hanging out with regulars like Frye, a famous local surf celebrity who taught him how to read the current flow and the dangers of the riptide. And, when he found himself walking along the cool sand at the edge of the water, the shells still called to him reminding him of their stories and how there was really just one big story that we all belonged to like a grain of sand on a neverending beach. Our origin story. And, that's when things began to change.