章節 2: 2
"Do you need help with that?" It's seaweed-green eyes again. I'm convinced he's following me. "No, I'm good."
He's doing the thing. He runs backward. A life-ring under his arm. He's all muscles. "Are you sure?"
"We should get going," a man says to him. He's ten times bigger than seaweed-green eyes. He consisders the man.
"You should be careful," he says to me. An after thought. "The waves are looking kind of rough today."
They run in the direction of the water. I'm not going near water. I should tell mum… An after thought.
I walk further down the beach. Thre are weeping caves neraby. I lay my towel on the wet sand. I toss mum's bag on the towel.
There's a valley of mossy rocks. Tiny crabs go crashing across the moist sand. Tidal pools in the dimpled stone. I rest my back against the cave wall. Crack open my book.
The quiet is rushing. Sleepy. Butter-coloured sunlight filters inside the cave. The beach becomes background noise.
I fall asleep. Then I'm in frigid water. The back of my neck is stiff. My foot is stuck. My ankle tangled in mum's tote. It spills its contents into the murky cave water. I sit up. "Fuck."
I pull at my foot. I'm surrounded by mum's SPF lotion, body cream, a tube of lipbalm and all the inconsequential things stuffed in the tote. My chest closes. The ocean air is musky. Black water rushes inside the cave. My book drifts. Its off-yellow pages slayed. "Fuck! Fuck. Fuck…"
I grab at it. I'm frantic. The water trembles. It's carried deeper into the swallowing darkness. The sky has gone grey.
"Mum?" I yell. There's no answer. I've gone into a tidal cave. I've fallen asleep. He warned me about the water.
My body goes numb. My t-shirt and jeans tight. The hoodie I'm wearing twisted around my arms. I'm pulled down. I swallow seaweed. Sand and salt water in my throat. I'm heaving. Nose burning.
The water level dips. I yell, "Mum! Fuck—please."
I'm swallowed again. Then I'm pulled up out of the water. I resist. My ankle doesn't budge. I'm drowsy.
"Is she still breathing?"
"Yeah. But she's stuck! I think her foot is caught on something."
"I'll go under."
Then I'm free. My foot is wedged out from around the tote bag. We stagger backwards. I'm dead weight. We break the surface. My ears pop.
"Shit! Mal, I'm going to need some assistance!"
Then I'm out of the cave. I think obesses over mum's stupid tote. I should've gone to find her. Should have told her about what seaweed eyes had said. I forgot to apply sunscreen lotion. The book. I just bought it. My ankle aches. It's dull. The kind of dull that will feel like I've broken bone when it bruises.
"Landon." I'm being held. Well my face. The guy I met at the bookstore… He's holding my face in his hands. He's as cold as the caves. His seaweed green eyes brimming with saltwater tears. "Hey! Can you hear me?"
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