And The Waves Crash On

Epilogue

My arms are about to fall off. I've been paddling too hard for too long but I just want to get back home. There are bruises all over my body. I am hurt, but I trudge on. The beach is finally in my line of vision. Tears of joy overflow my eyes and leak out, rolling into the equally salty sea water. I silently pray for a burst of energy to just fling me onto the beach so I can give up paddling. My arms are about to fall off.

  The answer to my prayer comes as a wave. A massive one. It creeps up under my board and lifts me toward the shore. I haven't surfed in forever and I desperately want to ride this sucker, but I can't bring myself to do so. The wave seems to lay me ever so softly onto the heated sand. I lay there, gasping for each breath but nobody seems to notice. Does anyone even care that I'm alive?

   I quickly realize that it's nothing personal to me, but rather there is another emergency happening right now. Lifeguards are running frantic, observers gather on the edge of the shoreline staring numbly into the greying horizon. Then I see a car I recognize. A car I felt I haven't seen in ages. Then I see the two familiar figures standing amongst the crowd, holding each other, crying.

  I try desperately to get their attention but it just isn't working. It does however draw the attention of a jacked lifeguard. He rushes over to me, his concerned green eyes locking onto mine. "Are you alright kid?" He asks, assessing my injuries. I can barely shake my head let alone say anything. He holds me down. "Don't move." He instructs me, and then hollers out "I need some help over here! Now!"

   The ambulance seemed to take hours to arrive, but that nor the fact that I was lying severely injured on the beach seemed to phase my parents or any of the other spectators. What the hell is going on over there? The paramedics who were men and both looked bigger than professional football players,  lifted me into the gurney with ease. After hooking me up to some breathing tubes, IVs, and such, one of the men, Andrew, tapped my shoulder. "What's your name buddy? I can't find any ID on ya."

  I took a few deep breaths, trying to find my words. The first few times I tried to speak nothing came out but coughs. On the fourth try however, I managed to get something out. "Jonathan." I mumbled. "Jonathan Casey." His jaw almost hit the floor.

  "Oh my god." He whispered. "You've been missing for like three months man." I nodded. "Holy shit." He mumbled, "It's a miracle. You're folks will be so happy to get some good news today." I looked at him puzzlingly, my chest too tight to ask him what he really meant. "Oh, you don't know. I mean of course you don't, you've been missing for three months," I grabbed his arm to stop him from rambling. He released a  monumental sigh, and looked straight in to my eyes. "John," he began, "They think your sister was in a brutal shark attack, but they can't find her anywhere. She's lost at sea man." And that's when everything went black.