Kai

• Vanessa Kinsman, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2014

Kai was gliding through the dark grains of the shore, swinging his grandmother’s hand who weaved through his. Out beyond was the ocean, waveless and calm while the sun soaked through their skin. He swished and swooped his toy whale through the air, making what he thought were whale noises. ‘Imagine seeing a whale in the ocean Grandma! What if it eats us?’ His grandmother smiled, ‘It would have been very interesting to be alive when whales roamed the seas. And they didn’t eat humans my boy, in fact, some people ate whales.’ Kai gasped. ‘But they’re so big. I bet it took 3 hundred years to eat one whale.’ ‘Yes’, his grandmother giggled. She then looked out to sea with a grim expression. They perched down on the sand and munched on ripe apples and beef sandwiches. ‘I remember seeing a shark one day. We used to be able to go out to the horizon on our boat, before the sea was deemed too dangerous. The Tiger shark, it was called. It was a very special sight.’ Kai looked at his grandmother attentively, soaking in her knowledge. ‘Why are there no more?’ He cocked his head slightly. His grandmother took his hand again, and continued walking down the shoreline. ‘Sharks killed a lot of humans at sea. In the old days we didn’t have force shields. So the government thought they had to do something about it, I was very young at that time. But they started culling sharks. I don’t remember much dear, but your father probably knows a lot more than me on what happened. He was there during the culling, although he didn’t want to be. Right here,on Scarborough shore.’ Kai nodded and started playing with his whale again. The grey clouds were starting to roll towards the skies. ‘Come Kai, looks like it might pour. We can go down to the whale and shark museum under shelter.’ Just as they were about to go, the wind picked up, separating the toy whale from Kai’s hands where it fell and floated in the sea, eventually disappearing from sight. Kai looked at the sea with horror, his grandmother reassuring him that they can buy a new one. Kye gazed at the ocean admiringly. ‘Do you reckon they’ll let people swim again?’ ‘I hope so dear.’ His grandmother replied. Kai let his mind wander pass the horizon, imagining what it would be like if these creatures still roamed the ocean. They left just as it starting sprinkling.