When the Sea Pulled Back

'Ouch,' I cried when I felt the sharp jab at my back, a small cobblestone hid under my beach towel. I turned and threw it away before lying down again, wiggling my body a little, searching for a comfortable position.

The beach was full. I could hardly find a spot of solitude among the hundreds of people. And that's why I was lying here on this giant black volcanic rock, instead of the smooth, firm sand on the beach. This spot was just above where the beach ended, high enough to be out of reach of the waves but close enough to feel their spray, jutting out from a large rocky outcrop and forming a small cliff. I found it because a small path from the beach led to this spot. Not only was I here, but a few groups of teenagers had also settled nearby. The rock was bare to the sky, and I could see wave after wave crashing not far below. Spray from the crashing waves drifted up to tickle my skin and face, and I welcomed its cool, refreshing touch.

Today the beach was busy, even though it was a cloudy day. Maybe because every day had been so grey lately that people decided they had had enough. No longer caged in their homes, nothing, not even the grey looming sky, could stop these townsfolk from enjoying the day out on the beach. Although it was cloudy, the temperature was still warm and pleasant.

I lay in my swimsuit, drying myself after a quick swim. I nearly dozed off listening to the seagulls' cries, then I heard a familiar voice.

'Hey,' Bonus said. She was one of my best friends. We hadn't seen each other in years, as we'd been living on different continents. She had been my dorm roommate throughout our three years of high school in Thailand, and we went our separate ways after graduation. At university, I pursued my business dream, and she chose a path in science. Now she was a nurse in Australia, and I was working in marketing in Germany. It seemed like we were both pretty good at pursuing what we wanted.

I opened my eyes and saw her big smile. She handed me a small bottle of water and plopped down next to me.

'Thanks,' I said, taking the water bottle and propping myself up on my elbows. 'No snacks?' I asked, eyeing her empty hands.

'The kiosk was too crowded,' she said and shrugged, but before we could say anything else, several screams rang out from the beach below. I jerked upright and saw the cause of the panic right away. The sea had pulled back so far that the seabed was exposed. The water had been sucked away as if some giant monster had swallowed the whole ocean in one gulp.

The siren blared across the beach, loud enough to reach the whole sky.

What?! Why is the siren only going off now? It's too late!

I stood right up, knowing what would happen next: the tsunami.

People on the beach were already running to higher ground. Shock spread and numbed my body, but my brain still worked fast. I realised this rock we were on wasn't high enough. It wouldn't protect us from the big waves. Groups of girls next to us realised the same thing; they shouted for us to go and had already started running down to the beach, heading for higher ground.

In the chaos, one of them accidentally pushed Bonus sideways, and she tripped and fell off the cliff. Horrified, I screamed her name and rushed toward the edge. Relieved to see her holding on, I quickly dropped down, grabbed her, and hauled her up. While pulling my best friend up from the brink of death, I could see a horizontal moving line in the distance- the first giant wave was coming. Bonus stumbled to her feet. Shock spread across her face as she realised the same thing.

'We need to go now!' I shouted against the rushing wind

'Oh my God! There are rocks floating in the sky!' Bonus screamed.

As bizarre as it sounded, I turned and squinted. She was right. In front of the line of waves, solid objects floated above the ground, round like giant rocks.

That's not possible. It goes against every law of nature.

My eyes widened, my face pale, my mind unable to comprehend what I saw.

And they are coming fast.

I followed the path of the closest one with my eyes.

It will land right here!

The realisation stopped me cold. But the rising siren pulled me back to reality. I tore my eyes away and grabbed Bonus's hand, dragging her toward the small path to the beach.

We need to get out of here.

But she yanked at my hand.

'Get down!' she screamed.

I turned.

The first giant rock was already above us.

Oh God, it's HUGE.

My mouth dropped open. For the first time in my life, it hit me that I was going to die today.

I braced for the impact.

The giant rock slammed into the ground several metres in front of me. The rock beneath my feet shook violently, like an earthquake, as if the ground had been ripped apart. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing that any second I would be squashed to death.

A whoop of wild wind rushed over my head.

And…

Nothing…

I felt no pain…

My eyes snapped open.

The giant rock had struck the ground right in front of me, bounced upward, passed over my head and crashed down somewhere behind me.

Holy shit.

I stared at the place where it had first hit.

It missed me.

Stunned and grateful for whatever luck I possessed, I searched for Bonus, but she wasn't in sight. Dust from the impact swallowed everything around me. I peered toward where she had been standing.

'Bonus!'

Nothing.

Then another whooshing sound pierced the air.

I tilted my head up.

The next rock was coming straight toward me.

No…

Still reeling from what had just happened, I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the fear. I grounded myself. My eyes locked onto the rock.

Think.

The first one hit the ground and bounced right over me.

I watched the second one fall, following its path with my eyes. If I could judge where it would hit, I could get behind that point before it landed. Then, when it bounced forward—

It would pass over me.

I ran.

The rock dropped lower.

Closer.

There.

I threw myself toward the spot just behind where I thought it would hit.

The second rock slammed into the ground.

The impact almost knocked me off my feet. I crouched instinctively as the enormous rock bounced upward, flew over my head and crashed down behind me.

I did it.

No time to celebrate; the third one was coming close. I screamed for Bonus again, searching desperately for any sign of her. Nothing. No reply. I cursed. I couldn't stay here. What had looked like a thin line in the distance was now a towering wall of water rushing toward me.

Desperate, I cried out her name again. Tears sprang to my eyes; guilt tightened my chest. I can't leave her. I can't. I screamed for her, dropping to my knees and scrambling around through the dust, searching for any sign of her. But nothing. I looked at the wave that was getting closer. No time. I called out one last time. It felt as if my heart were being torn apart. But I forced myself to stand and ran for my life.

Only a few people were on the beach; most were already gone. I ran without looking back.

I ran faster than I had ever run in my life.

Tears streaming down my cheeks were blown away by the wind. I had just left my best friend to die. The thought made me sick. I hated myself for leaving her, and guilt tightened around my chest. But I couldn’t let it consume me. Not now. I had to survive.

I ran and ran and ran and ran. With every step, fear gave way to determination, and my survival instinct kicked in. For the first time since everything had begun, my mind was clear. I was completely myself again, grounded, and knowing exactly what I was doing. A surge of certainty filled my heart; I knew I would live. Nothing was certain, but I knew I was always at my best when uncertainty presented itself. Maybe it was instinctive self-preservation, or pure stubbornness, but in that moment, I knew it wouldn't be my last.

So I ran, shutting everything else out and pouring every ounce of strength I had into my legs. The beach seemed so long, black sand smooth and firm under my feet. I felt no pain; I felt no ache. Adrenaline rushed through me. I didn't know how long I ran, but the next thing I felt was the pressure of the water; the sea swept my feet off the ground and surrounded every breath I took.

I choked on the air.

Sweat beaded in every pore.

I looked around, breathing heavily; it was dark, but I knew where I was. I woke up shaking in my own bedroom.

Fucking hell, it was all a dream.