MY DREAM JOB

THE SHARK ATTACK

EMMA POV:
I WOKE UP THIS MORNING TO THE SOUND OF MY ALARM BLARING RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEAD UGH I HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON ON THE ALARM AND AS I WAS LYING IN BED I SUDDENLY REMEMBERED THAT TODAY WAS MY FIRST DAY ON THE JOB AS A BONDI LIFEGUARD

AS SOON AS I REMEMBERED THAT I JUMPED OUT OF BED AND QUICKLY GOT READY FOR MY FIRST DAY ON THE JOB I CHANGED INTO MY SWIMSUIT AND THREW ON MY BOARD SHORTS AND THE BLUE LIFEGUARD SHIRT THAT MAXI HAD GIVEN ME I THEN PUT MY HAIR INTO A SIMPLE BRAID SO THAT IT WOULD STAY OUT OF MY FACE

ONCE I WAS READY I WALKED OUT THE FRONT DOOR AND THEN DROVE OVER TO THE BEACH I THEN WALKED INTO THE TOWER WHERE I SAW THE BOYS AND MAXI GETTING READY FOR THE START OF THEIR SHIFT ONCE I WALKED INTO THE TOWER MAXI CAME UP TO ME WITH A HUGE SMILE ON HIS FACE AND HANDED ME A RADIO WHICH I PUT INTO THE POCKET OF MY SHORTS HE THEN TOLD ME THAT HE AND I WERE STATIONED TOGETHER AT MIDDLE OF THE BEACH WHERE BACKPACKERS RIP WAS

HE AND I THEN HEADED DOWN INTO THE GARAGE UNDERNEATH THE TOWER WHERE THE BUGGY WERE PARKED WAITING TO BE DRIVEN ALONG THE BEACH I GOT INTO THE SEAT NEXT TO HIM AND TOGETHER WE STARTED OUR SHIFT

SOON ENOUGH I SPOTTED SOME PEOPLE IN TROUBLE MAXI AND I GRABBED ABOARD AND PADDLED OUT TO THEM I HELPED THE YOUNG CHILD ONTO MY BOARD WHILE MAXI HELPED THE FATHER ONTO THIS BOARD

WE THEN BOTH CAUGHT A WAVE INTO THE SHALLOW WATER AND I HELPED THE YOUNG GIRL OFF THE BOARD AND GENTLY REMINDED HER TO ALWAYS SWIM BETWEEN THE RED AND YELLOW FLAGS SHE NODDED AND WALKED AWAY WITH HER FATHER

MAXI AND I THEN PLACED OUR BOARD BACK ON THE BUGGY AND SAT BACK DOWN IN IT NOT BAD FOR YOUR FIRST RESCUE EMMA MAXI TOLD ME WITH A LOVING SMILE ON HIS FACE

BUT JUST AS WE SAT DOWN AGAIN I SAW SEVERAL PEOPLE IN TROUBLE A GROUP OF YOUNG CHILDREN WERE BEING PULLED INTO THE RIP I THEN RUSHED OUT TO THEM WITH THE BOARD MAXI MUST HAVE SEEN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDING HELP BECAUSE HE RAN INTO THE WAVES ALONGSIDE ME WITH HIS BOARD AS WELL

THANKFULLY SOME OF THE LIFEGUARDS IN THE BOATS HAD COME TO HELP US AS WELL SINCE THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE NEEDING HELP NOTHING LIKE A MASS RESCUE ON MY FIRST DAY OF WORK TO MAKE THINGS CRAZY

THAT'S WHEN I NOTICED BLOOD IN THE WATER AND I LOOKED AT THE CHILD ON MY BOARD AND SAW BITE MARKS AND AS SOON AS I NOTICED THE BLOOD I SAW A FIN OF A SHARK UNDERNEATH MY BOARD THE SHARK MUST HAVE COME BACK WHEN IT SMELT THE BLOOD

MAXI I POINTED AT BOTH THE BLOOD AND THE SHARK THAT WAS UNDERNEATH ME HE LOOKED AT IT WITH WIDE EYES AND TOLD THE LIFEGUARDS IN THE BOAT TO RADIO THE TOWER TO SOUND THE SHARK ALARM AND AS SOON AS THE ALARM WENT OFF EVERYBODY STARTED LEAVING THE WATER I COULD HEAR THE SOUNDS OF THE JET SKI MAKING IT WAY TOWARDS US AND MAXI AND I BOTH KNEW THAT WE SHOULD TRY AND GET OUT OF THE WATER

BUT THE CHILD ON MY RESCUE BOARD WAS CRYING FROM A MIX OF FEAR AND PAIN AND SHE MUST HAVE SEEN THE SHARK FIN AS WELL BECAUSE SHE KEPT ON MOVING AROUND ON THE BOARD TO MAKE THINGS WORSE WE KEPT BEING POUNDED BY WAVES FROM BEHIND US

I THEN HEARD SOMEONE SHOUT LOOKOUT BECAUSE THE NEXT THING I KNEW THE BOARD HAD FLIPPED FROM A HUGE WAVE AND BOTH MYSELF AND THE CHILD HAD FALLEN INTO THE SURF

I COULD SEE THE SHARK COMING CLOSER TOWARDS US AND ALL I KNEW IS THAT I COULD NOT LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO THIS YOUNG GIRL WITH MY ADRENALINE PUMPING I FOUGHT MY WAY TO THE SURFACE AND QUICKLY GAVE THE CHILD TO MAXI BUT JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO GET ON MY BOARD

I FELT THE MOST AGONISING PAIN IN MY LEG AND THEN KNEW THE SHARK HAD BITTEN ME ON MY LEG I COULD BARELY GET ANY AIR INTO MY LUNGS AND I FELT MYSELF BECOMING WEAKER AND WEAKER FROM THE BLOOD LOSS AND JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO PASS OUT I FELT SOMEBODY PULL ME UP ONTO THE SURFBOARD AND I KNEW THAT I WAS SAFE FOR NOW

I FELT ALL OF THE ADRENALINE LEAVE ME AND I FELT WEAK AND EXHAUSTED I TRIED MY HARDEST TO STAY AWAKE I WAS SCARED OUT OF MY MIND BUT I WAS SO TIRED FROM THE MASS RESCUE I GAVE INTO THE SWEET DARKNESS

MAXI POV

WE HAD JUST PULLED OFF A QUICK RESCUE WHEN I SAW EMMA RACE TOWARDS THE WAVES WITH A RESCUE BOARD IN HAND I THEN SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED A GROUP OF CHILDREN HAD BEEN PULLED INTO THE RIP AND WERE BEING PULLED OUT TO SEA

I THEN GRABBED A RESCUE BOARD AND RAN OUT TO HELP WITH THE RESCUE THE RESCUE WAS A LITTLE CRAZY BUT IT WAS DOING OKAY SO FAR BUT AS SOON AS I THOUGHT THOSE WORDS ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE EMMA HAD TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A SHARK UNDERNEATH HER RESCUE BOARD I THEN TOLD ONE OF THE LIFEGUARDS TO RADIO THE TOWER AND SEND OUT THE JET SKI AND SOUND THE SHARK ALARM

BUT THAT'S WHEN A HUGE WAVE COME UP FROM BEHIND US AND I SAW BOTH EMMA AND THE CHILD GET KNOCKED OFF THE BOARD FOR A FEW SECONDS IT FELT LIKE TIME HAD BEEN PAUSED

I THEN FRANTICALLY STARTED LOOKING FOR EMMA AND THE CHILD KNOWING THAT THE SHARK COULD APPEAR AT ANY MOMENT AND ATTACK THEM BOTH THAT'S WHEN I SAW EMMA APPEAR FROM UNDERNEATH THE WAVES WITH THE CHILD IN HER ARMS

I QUICKLY GRABBED THE YOUNG GIRL AND PLACED HER ON THE BOAT WITH THE VOLUNTEER LIFEGUARDS I THEN PULLED THE RESCUE BOARD EMMA WAS USING NEXT TO ME SO EMMA COULD QUICKLY GET BACK ONTO IT AND WE COULD ALL EXIT THE WATER UNTIL THE SHARK WAS GONE

BUT JUST AS EMMA WAS ABOUT TO GET BACK ONTO HER BOARD I SAW EMMA FACE GO VERY PALE AND THAT'S WHEN I NOTICED THE BLOOD SURROUNDING HER LEG I THEN SAW THE JET SKI COME FLYING TOWARDS US AND AS SOON AS THE SHARK HEARD THE JET SKI IT SWAM OFF AND LEAVING EMMA SHAKY AND PALE

I LEAPT OFF MY BOARD AND GRABBED EMMA IN MY ARMS I LOOKED DOWN AT HER LEG AND SAW ALOT OF BLOOD AND I KNEW IF WE DIDN'T GET EMMA TO A HOSPITAL SHE COULD DIE WITHOUT MEDICAL ATTENTION

I THEN PLACED EMMA IN FRONT OF ME ON THE BOARD AND SWAM BACK INTO THE SHALLOW WATER BUT JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO PLACE EMMA ONTO THE SAND MY WORSE FEARS HAPPENED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME

EMMA HAD BECOME EVEN PALER I TAPPED HER FACE HOPING TO WAKE HER ARM BUT NOTHING WAS WORKING AND THAT'S WHEN I NOTICED THAT SHE HAD STOPPED BREATHING