The Night Surfer

The Water

I press my ear to the door silently, making sure I can hear dad's soft snoring and the light breathing of mum.

When I know the coast is clear, I tiptoe with my bare feet to the back door. The stilted house had floorboards on it, and the slightest, weighted movement could cause a loud creak, which could potentially wake my parents.

I gently slide the glass door open, step out onto the cement patio, and close the door with the same care as I opened it.

By now, I was used to this procedure. I had figured out the best route to leave the house, the best places to step, the way I should hold the door to keep it silent.

Luckily, Narla sleeps inside- the spoiled dog she was- so I don't need to worry about her in the backyard.

I creep around the side of the house and jump over the fence with the pile of bricks I had built up a while back.

Once on the street, I walk to my brother's house.

It wasn't too far from our house, he was nineteen, only two years older than me, and decided to move out as soon as he hit eighteen. It was nothing to do with my parents- that I know of anyway- only that he wanted a place of his own.

Also the fact that he wasn't my real brother.

My parents tried having a child for a while before they came to the terms that my mother may have been infertile, which came to the conclusion of adopting Reegan.

However, they were more than surprised a year and a half down the track when my mum came out positive from a pregnancy test; resulting in me.

Although he was adopted, Reegan felt like my real brother, and I like to think of him as that.

It was nearing midnight, the time I came almost every night, when I walked up his driveway. I go into his garage and switch on the light before going up to my board.

It was a beautiful board, custom made from my uncle.

It was an ombre blue, starting off a dark blue at the back and becoming lighter at the front tip.

Although it was fairly plain, I cherished it with my life.

A white note that was sticky taped to the board catches my attention and I pull it off.

Evie,

Sorry I won't be around tomorrow to see you off to school.

Just breathe and be open-minded, some friends could do you good.

Have a good surf, but don't stay out too late, you don't want to be tired on your first day.

I'll see you later kiddo.

-Reegan.

I smile and put the note on the side bench before grabbing my board.

Reegan allows my night surfs, only because he's a surfer himself and knows the feeling of being out there.

Because our parents don't agree with me surfing, we agreed to keep it a secret just between us.

Reefside, our local beach, is only a few minutes walk; I can usually hear the waves from my house if there's a good swell.

Pyree Bay was the most southern town of the Surf Coast, as the locals called it. It was a string of towns along the coastline that had the best beaches for surfing. If surfers were going travelling, they would go north.

The streetlights illuminate my sight, and before I know it my feet are hitting the sand.

I stop before I go any further and look out into the unknown. Although I can hardly see the water, I can hear the waves crashing hard on it, and it gives me a sense of calm.