The Rising Tide

Laying on the beach, the grains of sand sliding under me with every soft wind, the sun seemed like a consoling hug. The air filled with laughter and the sound of waves slamming against the coast, producing the ideal symphony of a summer's beautiful day. Young children created sandcastles, couples walked hand in hand, and friends talked under colorful umbrellas.

But my day was about to turn into a nightmare.

It began as a benign practical joke. Always seeking a joke, my pals decided to bury me in the sand. Trusting their lighthearted intentions, I laughed with them. They excavated a little hole, and I laid down feeling the cold grains surround me while they stacked the sand even higher. Not long thereafter, I was buried up to my neck, the weight of the sand crushing down on my chest making breathing a little difficult. I laughed, acting in fright, and they laughed too.

But something changed thereafter. I was suddenly shadowed, the sun blocked. From minutes before, the brilliant blue sky were starkly contrasted with black clouds collecting menacingly on the horizon. The wind picked up, bearing with it a cold that stung at my flesh. Sensing the approaching storm, the once-vibrant beach started to empty quickly as people rushed to pack and go out.

"Hey, guys, get me out of here," I said, a little nervousness seeping into my voice. But my buddies were already preoccupied gathering their stuff. Rising wind and the tremendous sound of the incoming tide drowned out their laughing as it receded far away.

"Guys! These days, this is not humorous!" I yelled, my voice tinted with real panic. They were gone, and I was buried in the sand with nowhere to get out. As I battled the relentless weight, panic shot through me yet it was useless. The sand grabbed me tight, a quiet, stifling jail.

The first wave came cold and relentless, on my feet. I gasped; the frigid water stunned my system. I bent my neck to observe the water moving quicker than I could have ever dreamed. Once a seemingly large and welcoming beach, it was now a diminishing area of sand fast being engulfed by the merciless sea.

"Help: Please, anybody! My voice hoarse with desperation, I yelled. The few remaining beach visitors were only shadows against the lowering sky, too far apart. The water rushed higher, soaking my legs then my torso; each wave erasing the sand around me caused me to fall farther.

The waves slammed over my head as the tide rose, salted water flooding my mouth and nostrils. Fighting for each breath, I coughed and sputtered. Once a lighthearted hug, the sand seemed like a vice, squeezing around me with every second. It was weighty and I could feel it resting on my chest; deep breathing was difficult.

Though it was useless, I thrashed and wrung. Now the water was up to my neck; the waves attacked nonstop. The horizon was a haze of gray, the storm having come completely and reflecting my panic. Before throwing the disorderly scene back into darkness, lightning stroked, briefly blinding everything.

My muscles hurt from the effort; my strength was withering. Every breath was a fight, every pulse a stinging reminder of my approaching catastrophe. The water closed in, frigid and brutal, smearing across my face. I leaned back and gasped for the few priceless inches of air left.

I sank with a last, desperate cry buried in the sound of the water. The beach and sea surrounded me totally, the gloom total. My lungs burned, my head whirlpool of guilt and anxiety. The world darkened as the weight of the sand crushed down.

There was only the icy embrace of the water and the terrible knowledge that I was really, hopelessly, buried alive in the deafening quiet of the depths.