Sandestin

September 24, 2026

Run, Rat, Run (Second Version)

Run, rat, run! Run as fast as you can. You must run to earn your bread! If you stop running, You will earn nothing And you won’t be able to get fed. Run, rat, run! Run early in the morning Or run late into the night. Either wake up before Mr. Sun Or wake up with the Man in the Moon For you cannot afford respite. Run, rat, run! You’re the best runner we have! The most successful racer by far! Keep running at this pace And you just might win the race! Thank you for giving us all that you are. Run, rat, run! What’s this? You want extra crumbs? Proposturous! Utterly ridiculous! You’re not even that speedy And you’re already being greedy. You cannot possibly be serious. Run, rat, run! Don’t slow down now Though you puff and you pant for air. If you keep running You will stop foolishly thinking That this life isn’t right or fair. Run rat run! Don’t stop now! You must run all day, all night long! If you really hope to thrive And you really want to survive You must continue to run strong!...

My family and I had gone to Sandestin to go to the beach. While we were in Sandestin, we had started to feel a bit weird, as I believe we were coughing and our throats felt somewhat dry or itchy, and our eyes watered a little. My mom had asked a lady at the desk of the hotel we were staying in what was happening and she said that it was red tide, which is a “higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga” (Florida Red Tide FAQs). When we went to the beach, we found some dead fish washed up on the shore. After doing some research, I found out that these fish may have died from the red tide. This is because the red tide can produce toxins that can affect the central nervous system of fish, which can cause them to die (Florida Red Tide FAQs). Though the red tide caused us some irritation, our time at the beach was still enjoyable overall, as it was fun to be at the beach. I also managed to get some beautiful shots of the ocean waves, which was one thing I really enjoyed at the beach.

Sources

“Florida Red Tide FAQs” MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, https://mote.org/news/florida-red-tide. Accessed 1 June 2020.