Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Giant Wave

My dad is a veteran fisherman and enjoys going on day-long fishing trips to his favorite beaches.  When me and my siblings were kids - I have an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother - he would often bring us along.   These fishing trips were simply fun.  No stress involved.  Just pack a cooler full of snacks and drinks and we were good to go.  This is the story of what happened at the beach one day...


Our troubles were melting away.

My dad was leisurely fishing on the beach as us kids played to our hearts' content.  The four of us ran lightly through the sand, carefree and wild with jubilation.  We had conquered the deserted stretch of beach and we ruled the land. 

The waves were particularly strong on this day.  They roared and taunted us, daring us to get a little wet and a little messy.  We graciously accepted the challenge and began to build a wall of sand near the water's edge.  Our wish was to shut out the waves, hold them hostage in the sea, and prevent them from reaching beyond our barricade.

The waves, however, were enraged by our intentions and refused to be held by prison walls. They began to unleash unforgiving power on to our wall.  The water boiled in the ocean, shot like fireballs onto the shore, and hurdled into our blockade.  We felt the ground shaking beneath our feet.  I used to be scared of the waters at times like these; they looked ready to eat me alive.

The four of us became comrades in this battle against the sea.  We frantically assembled a much-needed defense.  My older brother and I vigorously threw sand into heaping piles.  My sister and younger brother swiftly patted down the sand and shaped the blockade into a solid, shielding C-shape.  We had to hurry; the tide was quickly rising.

The waves had rapidly evolved into ghastly, terrorizing monsters.  They lurked in the sea before rushing forward to swallow our wall.  The waves devoured chunks at a time and greedily came back to gobble more.  The blockade was hopelessly falling victim to the brutality.

My siblings and I were struggling to keep the wall up. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw my dad walking toward us, carrying his fishing gear and smiling.  I thought he would laugh at us and keep walking in search of fish.  Suddenly - to our shock and delight! - my dad abandoned his fishing gear, ran over, and started to help us build the wall. 

A smile spread across my face.

The five of us did our best to keep the wall up, but eventually a giant wave came and demolished the whole thing.  Our clothes were soaked with water and covered with sand.  The battle had been fun and entertaining though and we laughed like hyenas afterwards.  The five of us had lost the fight, but we had each other and that was all that seemed to matter in the world.

"C'mon guys!  Let's go home," my dad said with a smile.
Together we headed home as the sleepy sun began to set.



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20 comments:

JJ Roa Rodriguez said...

that was a cute story. bonding time for siblings are always good. not to mention your dad joining in. it is super fun for sure...

Love it...

JJRod'z

^travis said...

you guys are funny and your dad is cool.

whether we're battling the waves of the ocean or the waves of life, even defeat is bittersweet, as long as we have family and friends by our side.

todd carr said...

great post! I think it is important for us adults to acknowledge the creativity in youth...kids vs. sea man vs. fish, life is a battlefield thanks to Pat Benatar!

the island guy said...

@ Jj Rodriguez
Yeah, my dad jumping in to help us was the best part about it. It still makes me smile.

@ ^travis
I would think so. As long as you have good people by your side, you'll never feel absolutely defeated.

@ todd carr
Haha, yes. Creativity comes naturally to kids. When me and my siblings were little, we would have epic battles - more exciting than The Lord of The Rings! - with our toy cars. Haha.

Nick said...

I grew up to the beach and you can say I was more in the water than out of it. I learned early on to have respect for the ocean.

Sehnsuchtsort

Anonymous said...

this was a delight to read, as are all your post. I have grown up on and near water all my life, it is a beautiful thing, powerful, stubborn, demanding respect...

sounds light a wonderful day :)

Rebecca said...

what a beautiful post i could picture the whole scene in my head what a wonderful timeit must have been

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting this. Brought memories of family outings to the beach when I was little boy.

the island guy said...

@ Nick
good point. To all the children out there - and to the children at heart - be careful when fighting the waves

@ David Allen Waters
thanks. A wonderful day it was

@ becca
and what wonderful times still to come!

@ thegayte-keeper
I'd love to read about your family outings

Anonymous said...

Touching piece. Thanks. Nothing like a smile to end the day.

Peace <3
Jay

aryan said...

all but smiles down the memory lane. very inspiring. and even us grown-ups, should never forget the kid in us. ;D

Anonymous said...

Aw, this is so cute! My sister and I did this when we were little all the time. I love watching kids do that on the beach.

This was extremely well written, you have amazing skills as a narrative author.

Loved the story, and again, fantastic job.

Craig said...

What a lovely post. Adults in childhood mode is one of life's treats, especially when it's your parents!

the island guy said...

Hey everyone. I'm surprised that so many people are finding this piece interesting. Hooray for childhood memories!


@ Jay M.
Thanks Jay
I always loved how your comments have that heart in them <3

@ Aryan
"even us grown-ups, should never forget the kid in us"
love that

@ Maggie
"extremely well written"
Are you sure you're at the right blog? LOL, just joking. Thanks for the compliments.
Two semesters ago I had a speech class and we had to do 5 speeches throughout the semester: narrative, collaborative, informative, persuasive, and commencement. I bombed the informative speech but did extremely well with the narrative and the commencement speeches.

@ Craig
"Adults in childhood mode is one of life's threats"
Thumbs up to that. I was at the beach about a month ago and I remember watching a cheerful, middle-aged woman play volleyball with her teenaged nieces and nephews. She really knew how to have fun! I wanna be like her when I'm an old man haha

Stan in NH said...

That was a cute story. It's always great to have family and friends around when you need them.

Volker said...

I've added your link to the blogroll I have, so that others can enjoy the stories you have. Its an awesome insight! - V

zeke said...

This is a nice childhood story, I wish I had these moments with my dad, too... :|

Anonymous said...

Ooh I love speech and theatre! I came back because I forgot to ask you if I put up a link to your blog on mine. I hope your alright with that.

the island guy said...

@ Stan in NH
Ahh yes, the importance of family and friends. You took the words out of my mouth :)

@ SpiritMountainGuy
love your username
especially since it has "guy" in it haha
And thanks for linking to me

@ the green breaker
Awe, what happened to your dad?

@ Maggie
Did you comment the right blog? haha joking
that is more than okay Maggie

Volker said...

Adding your link was the least I could do. Besides, I love your perspective on life!

Enjoy the week and what life has to offer!!! - V