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One Last Breath

The cold and harsh wind blew hard under dark grey skies onto the face ofPatrick O’Connor. His long dark brown hair wove back and forth like a flag in the stormy breeze. Therain battered his head like hammers and the sound of the thunder sent chillsdown his spine. The sand beneath his feet seemed like mud. He felt himselfsinking through. Patrick looked up to the skies, the rain dropped on his face.The sun, nowhere to be found under the thick, black clouds that covered thesky. He thought about his four year old son James. Patrick’s wife died atchildbirth leaving just the two of them. Behind him were tents with blue tops.He could see the people inside in sweatshirts and hot mugs of coffee. He lickedhis lips, longing for their comfort. He only tasted salt.   

Patrick was bound in a rubber suit, with a leash onhis ankle attached to a surfboard; it felt more like a ball and chain. He bentover and picked it up feeling the stickiness of the wax. He bought it up underhis arm, and looked forward. In front of him was a vast sea. He was watching asfifteen to twenty feet waves came crashing down on to the ocean below. Itreminded him of when he took James to Sea World and they watched as the orcawhales leaped out of the water and come crashing down, soaking everyone who wasnear the tank.    

These were not orca whales; they were waves thatPatrick would have to surf. He had to, for James. He started to walk towardsthe oceans labyrinth. He stood on the edge of the coast his toes barelytouching the water. He took one last look at the beach and jumped in the wateron top of his board.     

 Hedidn’t want to think about the excruciating sting of the ice-cold water. Hepaddled: left, right, left, right. He could hear his heart beating: thump,thump, thump, thump. Shivers were sent down his spine. The first wave came andbroke about twenty feet in front of him. He pushed down on the nose of hisboard and pressed his right foot on the back of the board. He went under waterand under the wave. He could feel the pressure of the water pounding onhim.    

There was no time to think, he had to keep paddling,his arms grew tiresome. He had to go at a consistent pace or else he would gettoo slow and the waves would break on top of him. The second wave came and itbroke ten feet away. He pushed down on the nose of his board and pressed hisright foot on the back. He came up and paddled. A huge clap of thunder was soloud that it almost knocked him of his board. His arms were almost numb. Hethought about James and he was afraid that he would never see him again. Thethird wave came. Patrick hoped that he would make it over the lip of the wave.He paddled with all of his might to get over the top. To him, it felt likeclimbing a mountain. The wave started to break. He paddled and paddled. Thenose of his board broke over the wave, his body followed. He thought for surethe wave would suck him back over. It didn’t.        

At last he was on the outside. The set was over. Hetook a break and sat on his board. He looked back at the beach. He was aboutone hundred yards out. He looked forward. The rain and wind were still whippingagainst his face. He saw something coming. It looked like a wall comingstraight for him. It was his wave. He paddled closer to it then turned aroundand paddled to catch it. The wave was moving much faster than he was, so hewent and used all of his might to ride it. At last the wave was upon him. Thisparticular wave was much larger than the others. It was about twenty-five feethigh and it was breaking to the right. The wave let him in. He took his lastpaddle.       

He stood up on his board and looked at the rest ofthe wave. Everything started to move in slow motion. He started to drop downthe face of the wave. It took a lifetime to get to the bottom where he turnedand got in the middle of the wave. The roar of the wave that was just rightbehind him was ear shattering. It was the biggest barrel he had ever seen. Hekneeled down and uttered three words: "For you James." With that thebarrel came up on him and he was inside. His vision of the rest of the wave gotsmaller and smaller, as he got deeper into the tube. It felt a little warmerinside because a thick wall of water protecting him from the wind andrain.      

Suddenly there was a little bump arose in front ofhim, which turned out to be a spot of where a reef poked through. He tried togo above it but he hit it straight on.        His board stayed putwhile he flew forward. Right before he hit the water, he closed his eyes anddrew one last breath.          

 Thewater immediately froze his body and his muscles cramped. The pressure of thewater on his ears was tremendous. He started to swim down in hope that the wavewould pass over him but his surfboard was too buoyant and the wave took theboard and Patrick was sucked along with it. He was going over the falls. He sawhis board go over his head and then the wave brought him down. He hit his backstraight on the reef and his leash caught under a rock. The wave passed and hecould see his board float above him like a tombstone. He tried vigorously toget it unstuck. His heart beat faster. His vision started to turn black as hereached out his hand as to grasp something. There was nothing as he was done.There was no more for Patrick. He thought about James. Where would he go? Whowill take care of him?  He closedhis eyes one last time.

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