A Sunrise Not To Miss

The sun was just beginning to crest above the Atlantic as Jessica exited her beach house. It was a beautiful house on the coast of Maine. The sky was hazy from the almost constant forest fires on the West Coast, but she could see a beautiful sunrise unfolding before her. She stood and watched, in a state of awe, the sun rising above the Atlantic Ocean - at first a fiery red, then gradually becoming a more normal orange.

After having watched the sun for several minutes, she turned on her bluetooth headset and started her run along the shore. She had gone about half a mile when the sight of a beached animal lying on the rocks caused her to stop running. She made her way slowly down the rocks until she was next to it. "A nurse shark," she said out loud emphatically. "I wonder what happened to bring him here on the beach?" She walked to the front of the shark and beat down to look at its eyes. They were cold, dispassionate eyes that were just staring listlessly back at her.

"I am guessing he must have been hit and stunned by a boat, and just floated in the tide to the shore. Too bad, because this is a terrible way to die." She stood back up to leave, and just as she started to leave she heard it. The noise was faint, but she could tell what it was, and more importantly, what it meant.

The shark was alive.

Quickly she assessed the situation. It was low tide, so the water was about 25 feet away. The shark probably weighed around 300 pounds, and to top it off she had the feeling he was dying, and what's more, dying quickly. She looked up and down the beach quickly to see if anyone else was close. The realization that there was no one available to help made her stomach drop a bit.

"How in the hell am I going to move a 300 pound shark?" She stopped, unsure if she just spoken out loud, or more likely, simply thought it. But there was no time to think of anything but this shark's labored breathing. She walked quickly around the shark, noted that its skin was oily, yet dry and cracked already on his back. He was about ten feet long, very muscular and every bit of 300 pounds. Carefully she moved so she could grab the tail, and then determinedly pulled with both hands, attempting to pull the shark to the water. It became quickly apparent that the shark would not budge, and for a moment her tiny body shook as if she were going to break down weeping. After 30 or 45 seconds, she stopped and carefully looked at him.

“Bruce! You look like a Bruce, my friend. So now that I know your name, I must wonder again …. how in the hell am i going to save you?"

She looked around the shore. Nothing appeared very helpful. She looked back towards the water. Again, nothing. Feelings of despair and helplessness started to creep into her thoughts, which caused her to swear quietly as she stomped her foot against the rock and sand. Suddenly, she had a plan - dig out any rocks in the way on the beach and then roll her new friend Bruce down to the sea. Gleefully, she patted Bruce gently on the back.

"I will get you home," she said quickly. "Bruce, I am going to save you!"

She walked over to the first rock on the way back to the water. It was heavy, sharp, black shale, and as she pried the rock from the sand, she kept cutting her fingers on the sharp edges. When it was out of the way, she went to the next rock. And when she finished that rock, she went onto the next one, not stopping until she had cleared a path. She walked back over to Bruce.

"I can get you out of here, but its going to be tough for both of us!" She laughed quietly, then continued. "So don't go biting me, dude!"

She went over to Bruce’s side, stuck her hands under him, and started to lift. He was so heavy, and she immediately began to break out in a sweat. She continued to lift him until he was on his back. She didn't notice that her heart was pounding. Nor did she notice that she felt dizzy. It was at this point she realized that he was struggling to breathe, so hurriedly she pushed her hands under him and rolled him on his belly again. Now he was closer to the water, but her heart was pounding and her arm started to hurt. She stopped just a moment, and then realized that Bruce was less and less responsive, so she redoubled her efforts to roll him to the water.

By this time, her chest hurt and her arm was throbbing and painful to move. Determined to rescue him, she quickly threw all of her strength into turning him over. She pushed her body under him to get leverage, and just as he reached the apex of his roll, her arm suddenly stopped throbbing. Her chest suddenly painfully felt as if she were being stabbed, and all her strength and resolve melted away. Bruce fell back or top of her, and as her heart stopped and as she slipped into the dark oblivion of death - Bruce stopped breathing.