1 A Day At The Beach

It was supposed to be a normal day at the beach, Abby, Greta and I were excited to have our first swim of the summer. I had never been a big fan of the ocean; it's insanely deep, uncharted and sea life terrifies me. Greta is a passionate surfer and surprisingly persuaded me to give the board a try at least once, and then, I could sit on the sand with my head in a book for the rest of the afternoon.

Running with our backpacks over our shoulders, phones in hand and hair blowing in the light summer breeze. We slid down the dunes, trying not to fall in front of at least a hundred people.

I offered the girls a drink once we got to our spot. "You guys want a milkshake or something?" I offered. "The ice cream truck is quiet." plopping my bag next to Abby's, I took off my hoodie.

Greta pulled her diving suit out of her bag. "Nah, I'll pass for now, catch some waves and work up an appetite!" she exclaimed, overcome with excitement.

"Abby, want a milkshake?" I offered once more before taking off my shoes.

Applying sunscreen, she looked up at me through the gap in her sunglasses. "I'm not really feeling something cold, how about a soda?" she asked softly.

"Sure! I'll be back in ten." turning my back to them, I headed for the Ice cream truck.

Knowing I would be surfing this afternoon was absolutely terrifying. Me and a board and nothing else; the thought of going under and having nothing to protect myself with was nightmare material. While fiddling with the strings on my shorts, I knew my fears were common, especially after my previous experience in the water.

My dad was an avid sailor and had a boat he'd been maintaining ever since he was my age. This made him quite the catch back in the day, and that was how he met my mom. Years later, while she was pregnant, they went on romantic getaways and he told her a vast number of stories about his father who manned a lighthouse. Unfortunately, he got sick and passed away when my dad was in middle school. Once I was finally a middle schooler, we went sailing every Friday, nothing too major other than poor weather and fuel shortages ruined our trips. It happened to be my luck that I tripped over my dad's rusty tool-box, hit my head and fell overboard. I've had a fear of the water ever since.

"Thank you, have a lovely day!" Carrying the pink and white cup-holder. I spotted Greta swimming out on her board and Abby laying on her towel with her cap over her face.

Walking down the stairs, I couldn't help but notice one of the coastguards rescue boats sitting just off the coast. Usually, they put up a sign or update their website if the beach isn't safe. It struck me as odd they weren't doing their job and making sure swimmers weren't going too far out or taking a trip behind the rocks where the current is rough and dangerous.

"Hey, Abby?" Sitting next to her, I put the cup-holder down.

"Hm?" She replied.

"Did the coastguard update their website this morning?" I asked, worried the water wasn't safe.

"Nope! I checked before my mom dropped me off at yours, why?" She sounded confident in her response.

"Ah… it's nothing. Just worrying, the usual." I must've sounded far more anxious than I thought because Abby rubbed my arm and gave me some positive reinforcement.

Laying on my towel and kicking off my shoes, I shook myself out of my worrisome funk and relaxed. The beach was not too loud; perfect for an afternoon nap. Greta must've caught some waves for a good hour because she woke me up with a milkshake while Abby painted her nails. Gathering my surroundings and gasping at the sudden spray of sun cream on my legs, we all burst out laughing and spontaneously started talking about high school gossip.

"Miller, like Mrs Miller, who got fired?" I exaggerated her last name heavily.

"Yep. My mom saw her at the local and holy heck, did she look terrible." Abby laughed, sounding amused by the story of the middle school teacher from hell.

"What. That's crazy. She always wanted to look her ab-so-lute-best." Greta quoted a line Mrs Miller used to say all the time by mimicking her posh voice, which was hilarious and gave us a good chuckle. "Okay, Lisa. You're getting your butt on this board and giving it a go." Greta prompted me into action by holding out her hand and not taking no for an answer.

My surfing lessons were far more painful than I imagined, pushing yourself up against the waves let alone on the board rapidly was hellish on your arms and legs. I'd been doing it for fifteen minutes and I was left catching my breath. Doggy paddling on the shallowest part of the water with Greta standing alongside me holding the board, I didn't feel as scared, nonetheless, I wasn't about to face some waves and chance death.

"That's great! Now I'll show you how to push yourself up against the waves, hop off and watch me carefully." Greta was such a good teacher, she didn't force you to do anything out of your comfort zone and listened to you when you expressed your worries.

"Okay, be careful!" I knew she'd done this a million times and still, I asked her to be careful.

Watching her paddle out and go over a few small waves, I had this feeling of dread wash over me and realized the rescue boat had disappeared. Greta was making distance, in sight, but too far for I or Abby to swim to her. As she went up and over the wave she slipped, and the water swallowed, my blood ran cold.

"Lisa." Greta screamed, the water consuming her.

I didn't realize it, but Abby had sprinted from her spot and jumped into the water. Swimming ferociously as a red ring of death formed around Greta. She appeared once again, vigorously swimming towards us. The sirens on the coast abruptly blared and everyone started to panic as the rescue boat came into sight and Greta left a trail of red behind her.

People in the water were yelling "Shark." while my friend swam for her life. The rescue boat pulled up beside her and yanked her out of the water.

At first, I couldn't tell how much damage had been done, but her screams were enough to imagine the extent of her injuries. Abby walked out of the water, she clung to me, trembling and sobbing. In shock by Greta's accident and feeling Abby's fear, I swore to never come to the beach with my friends again.