Scripts

Fearless?

Title: "Fearless?"
By: Lilly Johnson, Age 13, Missouri, USA
Gender: Female
Genre: Dramatic
Description: A teenage surfer narrowly escapes a shark attack and it changes her view of the ocean forever.

You're scared of the ocean? Yeah, I understand that. The ocean seems scary to many, even dangerous. People fear of drowning or being attacked by creatures from below. But this does not apply to me. I'm as fearless as it gets when it comes to water. Or, at least I was. There are some things that I've seen happen in the ocean that would normally scar you for life. I've heard about shark attacks, but they never really scared me...didn't seem real. Until one day last summer. The morning sky was clear, not a cloud could be seen for miles. The sun had already risen, its heat overbearing. Seeing the waves reach all the way out from the deep to the shore, I couldn't help but think of what a perfect day it would be for surfing. I grabbed my surfboard and broke into a sprint across the beach; I could feel the ocean spray before I reached the water. I waded through the water, trying to keep from being pushed back by the rising waves. After about two minutes, the water was above my waist. Right about that time, unfortunately, a huge wage was forming, and was starting to come my way. I grabbed my board and tried to pull myself onto it, but it was too late. I opened my eyes, only for the saltwater to flood them. Now, some people would have panicked, but that's not who I am. As I attempted to swim up, a huge object pushed against me, sending me farther down. I looked around. What I saw was terrifying. A shark, at least fifteen feet long, was staring at me the way a barn owl stares at a mouse. With all my might, I swam upward. It seemed like forever until I reached the surface and swam towards the shore. I used to brag about being fearless, but I can't imagine what would have happened if I didn't get scared that day. Being scared saved my life. Yeah, I'll admit it. I'm a little scared of the ocean now too.