In this short essay, the author talks about her experience as a historian of coastal sand dunes. Dunes are unruly environments, researching and writing about them is challenging, and one might even question the relevance of such work. Dunes occupy a special place. To describe them, poetry can be more effective than prose. They possess a charm that has the power to unsettle. This personal essay describes how dunes have made the author think about history. Dunes have pushed the author beyond her professional and personal limits just to tell their stories.