A Sea-motion-al Day. By Isla

Over the sand dunes kids play on their boggie boards day after day.
I watch from my boat bobbing up and down, up and down, keeping a float.
Waves are crashing and tumbling rolling and unfolding as far as the eye can see.
The sun is shinning bright there is not a single cloud in the sky, a perfect day for a snooze.
The gentle sway of the boat reminds me of when I was little, lying in a cradle rocking from side to side.
A comforting memory.

*

I’m asleep.
I smell a warm tropical breeze fragrant with hibiscus and pawpaw.
I hear the distant strumming of a ukulele.
I open my eyes and see the vast, shady leaves of the coconut palms.
I feel the gentle sway to and fro, to and fro of my restful hammock.
I drink deeply of my delicious fruit cocktail which slips through my hands and delivers a cold shock!

*

I am awake now, trying to get my breath back, I’m wet through.
A boiling, foamy wave has swamped my boat.
Panic sets in, I have to get back to shore, a storm is brewing.
My boat surfs the peaks of monstrous waves then crashes down into the troughs over and over, like some petrifying rollercoaster ride.
The spray from the waves batters my face and stings my eyes.
The motor of the boat is almost dying, coughing and choking like an old sewing machine.
The shore looks so far away, will it ever come closer?
Surprisingly, I hear the familiar sound of sand scraping against the bottom of the wooden boat.
Relief washes over me, safe at last.