Wait for me...

Chapter 9: Can't hide from the ocean forever? What are you? A psychic?

Chapter 9: Can’t hide from the ocean forever? What are you? A psychic?

The sound of distant shouts drifted my thoughts away from Holly for a moment. I focused my gaze on a couple of figures on a boat coming closer to the shore.

“Hey boy! Give us a hand here will ya?” One of them shouted. I stood up and walked closer to the water. Their boat looked battered. The sides were scratched and it seemed to be full of water.

“Here catch the rope and tie it up. Tie it on that rock over there. Yeah that one.” I did as he asked and watched them hop out of the boat and wade up to shore.

“Thanks for that,” The man said, shaking my hand. Water poured out of his shoes every time he stepped. The white t-shirt stuck to him, soaking wet and dripping everywhere. In fact, both of the men were soaked in water.

“What happened?” I asked them.

“Been raining since… I dunno around one last night? We’ve been up all night trying to get the boat back to shore. Big storm, big waves, almost got drowned out there,” He shook his head, “Ran out of petrol coming back in. Just been floating around for a couple of hours, hoping we’d wash right back up to shore.”

“Storm?”

“Yeah. Right here on the coast. Where were you? Living at the bottom of the ocean?” He and his friend laughed.

Bottom of the ocean. Surrounded by the fish. Dying there would be terrible. But then that’s exactly what happened to Holly wasn’t it? She had died there and no one could save her. It had been too late.

“I’m not Poseidon,” I replied stiffly. I started walking backwards, away from the two strangers who had washed up on shore with their boat.

“Alright, just a joke. Calm down will ya? Just a joke. No need to get all angry,” He turned to his friend, “Hey why don’t you go check to see if there’s a petrol station near by? Maybe we can refuel and head back out to look for more survivors once we’re all set. I’ll clean the boat.”

“Yeah sure.” I watched the quieter one depart and then turned back to the man who had been talking to me.

“Who are you?”

“Oh yeah. My name’s Leroy. Leroy Fisher. What about you huh? You gotta name or you really live down there with Patrick the Starfish?” Leroy started scooping more water out of his boat.

“Jesse Hale. What were you doing out there last night?”

“I suppose I could say the same to you. What were you doing out there last night? Me and Trevor were hunting for people in the sea. Trying to save them you know?”

I followed Leroy to his, standing just where the water couldn’t reach me, “Save who?”

“You don’t know? God you’ve been living under a rock all right. Tied to a rock and sunk to the bottom of the sea,” Leroy rolled his eyes.

“I spent the whole night out on this beach. I wouldn’t know anything about you saving anyone!” I protested.

“Come here,” He beckoned, “Help me scoop out the water and I’ll tell you.” I hesitated. The entire boat was filled with seawater, surrounded by seawater and smelt of seawater. I hadn’t touched seawater since… Holly died. I hadn’t stepped on a boat since I was six.

“No. I can't. I can’t… swim,” I said, stepping back, away from the flooded boat. Lies. I could swim perfectly well and I knew it. But how was I supposed to tell him I wouldn’t go on the boat without telling him my whole life story? It’d be ridiculous to explain to a stranger everything in my life.