Jaws Of Tide

• Julia Tan, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2012

I awoke one night to face yet another nightmare. The clear jewel sea that I had become accustomed to had transformed into its primitive being-a merciless killer, danger masked in its beauty. I shrank back in fear, my darting eyes following the roll of the ocean. The water and foam was close to touch, its intense form separated from me by only a thin brittle window. It was vast; as infinite as the night sky which it had seemed to block out from my view. Water thundered all around me, enveloping me in a blanket of danger and fear. As I watched the waves encompass the building, I felt my face contort into an expression of both horror and fascination. The smell of salt engulfed my senses, breaking though the barrier of unknown towards me.

The crashing of the surf against the lighthouse was unrelenting, and my eardrums were pounding with the pressure. The waves seemed to pass over my head in slow motion, and then strike the roof above with immense ferocity. Swirling murky water blended starkly against the remaining blues, its likeness a sharp contrast to its blinding turquoise counterparts. Merciless. Harsh. Cruel. The perfect words to describe the sea. I felt like I was suspended in a dream, unable to move as the walls caved in. I let out a cry, alerting nothing but the harsh, biting wind that whipped through my face and hair.

The waves were approaching in quick successions, marching onward in a large, army-like multitude. They hit with viciousness, slowly fragmenting not only my physical defence, but my mental walls as well. I had nothing left to stand on, fear eating away my strength. The water had broken into the room, and was rapidly filling it up. In the time of a minute the air space had shrunk, and was left at a mere metre or two. Breathing was close to impossible now; opening your mouth was an instant sentence to a rising swamp of water. I was just a puppet, being manoeuvred to my death. The thought was too dreadful to think about.
The loss of air was resulting in a dense fog, which existed only in my vision. I struggled to stay afloat, my actions looking clearly disorientated to any watching bystander. However, there was no bystander. I was alone. Instead of providing a sense of calm, the solitude only made me feel small; vulnerable to any attack. I hacked and coughed for a moment, feeling my chest begin to tighten and contract. Making a movement between kicking and treading, I strained to see an exit. My searching failed me.

On then backwash of the next wave I flailed against the sidewall, my head smashing hard on the sheer stone. I reeled backwards, my mind momentarily paralysed. My body was deluged, and I could feel my muscles go slack. Tide after tide washed over me, as I resisted the urge to close my eyes for the final time. I am going to die, and the worst thing is- that I know it.