Sandy Weather

• Lucy Trembearth, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2008

The rippling, blue ocean reminded Kelly of a meadow, as if the luscious, green grass was waving to her. Waves roared with power and strength as they crashed down on the surface of a perfect, soft blue rug. The flags were up today, and the sand was perfectly white, just like extremely clean teeth gleaming. She noticed a lone surfer; the edge of the board was gliding across a pipe wave, which was quite rare for the time of year. The time of the year was summer; the ground was hot underneath Kelly’s feet, making her dash off into the surf. She grabbed her floral surf board and glided into the cool water.
Grey and purple ripples lit up the beach as the citizens of Pelican Bay began to leave. Slowly, the crowd disappeared, like ants scurrying into their homes at dusk. Kelly had just left the sea, when she heard the mourning of a young boy looking for his father. Billy was his name, and a look of despair showed up on his face. Kelly asked the kid to describe his dad so that she could have a description for Greg who was back at the station.
“He was wearing black board shorts and has blonde hair. He’s a surfer and has a blue surf board.”
Kelly rushed through the sand to get her rescue board, flippers and two-way radio. Red hurried out with his golden retriever Sandy to help Kelly with the rescue.
They had found out from Greg that Billy’s dad was last seen at the blowhole. The blowhole was just behind the left side of Pelican Beach, and was a common hang out for surfers wanting a colossal ride back past Carpet rock.
‘Waves are monsters. They jump onto your back and then swallow you up whole.’ These words lingered at the back of Kelly’s mind, reminded her of Greg. She had become a surf lifesaver for two reasons: the love of the ocean and her willingness to risk her life for the wellbeing of others. She had never thought in her years as a Pelican Bay lifesaver that she would have to go into the blowhole and rescue a man. Sandy’s yaps woke Kelly out of her delusions.
The other side of Moss cliff splashed colours of purple, orange and pink. Night fall was going to arrive in just over an hour, so they would have to sprint down the cliff side to ensure Billy’s dad’s safety. Kelly thought what they might arrive to. She had never seen a dead body before, and she didn’t want this day to be her first.
The black hole was situated in an opening past a big rock that reminded Kelly of a tsunami. The tip of the rock stood high, as if it were king of the world. Sandy skipped over to Kelly, demanding attention. She fell down the crevice to the left of them both, disappearing. Sandy blended in with the sand at the bottom of the pit. The helpless dog howled as Kelly peered down at her. She struggled as the sand grabbed at her little feet. Water started to pour in from the ocean. Sandy would drown.
Daylight was gone now; using a waterproof torch was definitely an option. The beams the lighthouse made as like a big torch. Billy’s dad was stuck between two cliff-like rocks; ‘nature’s carpet’ wrapping the hard surface. He was clearly unconscious when Kelly and Red arrived. Red was already distraught after what had happened to Sandy, and he didn’t want to go through any more heartache.
“Pass me the rescue board and the torch! I’ll see if I can go underneath the crevice.”
It seemed like hours before Red could resuscitate the poor man. Dried blood caked his face. Kelly was nowhere to be seen. Red got a fright when Kelly gently touched the back of his neck. He shuddered and lost his footing. The carpet was slippery and soft; it was easy to fall.
Kelly was stuck with a conscious but badly-injured man and a stupid guy who had twisted his ankle.
“Kelly to Greg. This is Kelly to Greg. I have two injured men here; I need a copter and a medic immediately. Do you copy?”
“Roger that Kelly. I’ll send them over now. Where are you situated?”
“Uh, past the lighthouse on the left side of the blowhole.”
“Hang tight.”
Red turned the third page of his newspaper, starting a fresh page. He ate a spoonful of yogurt just before his two visitors came in. He rubbed his eyes when he saw Sandy waltz in; only a small scratch was in her left ankle.
“She’s a smart dog this one; escaped the crack by running into the water and swimming to a nearby rock. The next day I saw her asleep in front of the surf club.”
“I knew it! I knew she’d find a way! How’s Billy’s dad?”
“He’s absolutely fine. When he got revived he said, “The wind blew sand in my eyes so I couldn’t see, pushing me away from home.”
“Is he going to take a risk like that again?”
“Of course he is Red, he is a surfer! I think he loves the beach, just doesn’t like sandy weather.”