I live in central part of my country, so I have never seen the ocean or the beach. According to a lot of books, the beach is warm and the sea is cool. In my imagination, the beach glows under the sun as the waves swallows inches of the golden sand every time it reaches closer. Seagulls flew around the sea and scream for people to notice. Unfortunately, it fades in with coconut trees, crabs and even the clouds and the sun as the background.

     I want to see this enormous piece of water very badly, this piece of water that surrounds the entire Earth. So then I went on a adventure towards the direction of that golden beach and the sparkly sea.
     On the way to my dream, I saw three billy goats. The three billy goats all shared the name “Gruff”. Their curvy horns reflected their majesty while their soft and smooth furs make them very adorable. They stopped feeding and stared at me. All three Gruffs blinked at each other with uncertainty.
     “Traveler, where are you heading to?” the three billy goats asked.
     I puffed up my chest and said in confidence, “A place of the golden beach and a clear sea.”
     The Gruffs laughed out loud; their bronze, shiny eyes did not hide their disdain.
     “Traveler, just an advise from me and my brothers: stop wasting your time! Look at us, we have this whole fertile grassland to make us fat.” one of the Gruffs laughed.
“This land is full of thick and delicious grass, you have to stay here to know what heaven feels like.” another Gruff added.
     I smiled. I still want to go there, that place with the golden beach and clear ocean. I though about the suggestion for a moment, and continued my journey to my dream. I moved as fast as I could. As I walked, I thought about the three goats. What is their dream? Is the grassland for them like the sea and the beach to me?
     All of a sudden, a girl disturbed my thinking. She bumped into me and she fell. I helped her up, and asked for her name and where she’s heading to. She dusted herself and replied with one single word: Cinderella.

     I looked pass her and saw the beautiful glass slipper left behind on the stairway of the palace. Without acknowledging her, I ran to get it. Cinderella blushed and shouted, “No, leave it there! I want my prince to find me…”
     I thought about it for a moment and hid her from the searching knights. When the knights approached me and asked if I saw anyone who passed by, I looked to her direction. Cinderella begged me with her puppy eyes and pouty lips. Suddenly, I understood something - her prince to her is like that place to me. 
      She steps forward as those fierceful knights passed by. Cinderella shook my hand, and I can see the happiness on her face. Is that how I will feel when I find my dream? I bid her farewell and she ran home. Home, that’s an unfamiliar word for me for I have not been there for a long time. Oh well, it will all be worth it when I get there.
      Through out my journey, I saw more people and animals. Romeo on his way to Juliet; the big, gray, wicked wolf waiting for Red Riding Hood to get home; Snow White with her prince’s wedding... Many obstacles came my way and endless mountains waited for me to cross. Not that I never thought about give up, but I did not want to stop dreaming, dreaming for that golden beach and the clear sea.
     Finally I am here standing on the beach of my dream. Seagulls cheered for me and the waves laughed in happiness. The sea mirrored the light of the sun, and seems as if someone spilled all their glitters into the ocean. I took off my shoes and felt the warm and soft sand below me. When I looked to the farthest point of the ocean, I saw the horizon. The sunset dyed it orange and the sea meets the ocean in betweem.

     However, I am not happy.

     I had been through too much things that did not belong in my life and it seems as if I lost the reason why I wanted to be here in the first place. I forgot to collect and hold on to all my happiness on the way, and it diminished as I got further in life. A bit of bitterness leaked from my eyes and tears ran down my cheeks slowly.
     I sat down on the sand and felt lonely. The gentle breezes of the wind brushed my hair and drew a fisherman towards me. He patted me on my shoulder and asked me what happened. I told him my story, including my dream, experience, everyone I met on the way, and of course, this beach and this sea.
     “Is this not life?” the fisherman raised his eyebrow.
     I stopped for a second and looked at myself, I am already an old man. Yes, this is life. You find your dream when you are younger, you fight for your dream when you are older. On the way there, you encounter others’ lives who will intertwine your and most people will eventually forget to appreciate what they have right now. When you finally get to your dream, you forget why you wanted it in the first place and you lost all the happiness along the way. I laid down on the beach and fell asleep.
     The second day, I woke up and looked into the mirror. I am still that teenager who is lost in life. So then, I decided to start traveling towards that place where there is my golden beach and my clear sea...