An idyllic scene is set before me. Serenity and tranquillity overpower me. Waves gently lap onto the shore, while I feel the soft sand caressing my fingertips. The Sun is burning bright among the horizon illuminating the magnificent beach in front of me. All seems quiet and calm.
Abruptly, the sound of the cool breeze becomes the sound of a deep rumbling radiating from the ground. The ocean’s water bubbles in the distance and a growing uncertainty builds in the pit of my stomach, foreshadowing the terrible scene that is to come.
I hear a cacophony of sounds blaring in my ears. “Run!”, “Tsunami!”, “Everyone move to higher ground!” It takes me a few seconds to register what is happening. I’m frozen in place and the sounds become faint and the scene before me is left unmoving…
I’m suddenly brought out of my trance and sent back to reality as warm fingers entwine my own. “Come on! We have to move!” I hear the distressing tone of my sister as she tries to save me from the surging water. I run with my sister to safety, going as fast as my weak legs would take me. I attempt to block out the agonising sounds coming at me from every angle, but fail.
I feel my foot snag on a jagged piece of rock, causing me to fall on the tough, hard ground. Cold liquid drips down my shin, staining it a deep scarlet. I hear my sister calling to me frantically to get up but I remain on the ground. “Go! Hurry!”, I say, yet she remains by my side not caring for her own life. I lift myself up, with the help of my sister. However, I look back only to confirm my darkest fear. I see the water coming towards us. My sister looks to me, fear consuming her eyes. I gulp down all my saliva, anticipating what awaits me. I grip my sister’s hand with such might that her knuckles turn pale. We both close our eyes, take a deep breath and brace ourselves for the powerful wave that is about to engulf us…
Swoosh! I’m sent backwards by the immense force of the water. I feel the fingers of my sister rip apart from mine, the scene becoming ever so more real. Terror takes over me as I realise I’m now left isolated and alone. The strong wave moves me from side to side, making me feel numb all over. Pain encompasses me and I’m left almost paralysed after the water has done its job of causing total and utter destruction. My body is washed up on the beach and blood seeps from my temple, arms and leg.
I limp across the beach to see more survivors. I feel lifeless and fall onto the floor. I hear shouts coming from people around me. “Help!”, “Someone help!”, “We’ve got somebody over here!” I’m lifted from the ground and lain on a stretcher, barely conscious of what’s happening around me. I close my eyes for a second to escape the horror.
My eyes quickly flutter open to witness the incident in front of me. Terror and turmoil engulf my entire body as I see the ocean’s victims sprawled across the floor. Pain surges through me as I hear the sounds of wailing children and screaming mothers, their pain all too real. I see corpses scattered like debris, painting the ground a crimson red.
Bewilderment hits me as the beautiful scene from only moments ago had vanished in an instant. The golden Sun now red. The once calm sea now angry with rage. How could something as beautiful and as serene as water cause such devastation? How could it kill all these people? How could it have taken my only sister from me?
