Quote Writing
“He remembered trying to crawl toward the screaming. No sense of direction, though, and the field seemed to suck him under, and everything was black and wet and swirling. For a few moments, all he could do was hold his breath and duck down beneath the water.”
Shark Attack
Sun shining, warm air, and cool water, it was the perfect day for the annual Santa Monica surf competition. People had gathered their from all over the country and only the top US surfers were invited. The waves were big today and the surfers were taking big risks. Each of them wanted the top prize of $10,000.
Steve was more nervous than normal. He had lived right outside Santa Monica his whole life and had been taught to surf by his dad. His dad was not only his coach, but his best friend. The would go to surf almost everyday, until his dad got sick. He had passed away a month ago and this was his first competition without his dad. He was ready though. Steve used his father’s passing as motivation to try harder and succeed.
Steve checked his phone and it was almost time for him to compete. His friends gave him one last “goodluck” before they left him alone to warm up. Steve got his board ready and zipped up his wetsuit. He did some static stretching and watched his competition. Currently in the water was his old friend Kyle. Kyle used to be coached by Steve’s dad too, but left because he wanted a more “professional” coach. It was just like Kyle to think he was to good for Steve’s dad. It angered Steve how he believed he was so much better than everyone, when he was really an average player. Kyle wiped out. The waves were really big and many competitors were wiping it. Steve felt a drip of sweat run down his face.
His dad had always told Steve that staying calm was going to allow him to perform best. He couldn’t escape his mind though. He started thinking about the worst possible situations. He flashed back to when he was a kid and got stuck in a rip current. Of course his dad was there to save him, but he wouldn’t be there this time. After that he didn’t surf again for 3 weeks. For the next two months after that he only surfed when there was life guards there. He couldn’t count all the injuries he had gotten from surfing. What if something happened like that again this time? There had to be at least 800 people on the beach or pier watching. There was all different surfing sponsors that could give him the start to creating his own boards. It was his ultimate dream to have his own customized surfboard line. He would need to place high in this competition.
It was his turn. His swam out into the water and the judges took out a new piece of paper to score him. Steve had never some of these moves before and was nervous. He tried to remain calm and thought positive thoughts. He waited for the perfect wave until he saw it in the distance starting to rise. He started paddling forward getting in perfect position to ride it. He caught the wave and relaxed. He nailed all his fancy moves and rode out the wave.
He had one more wave left to ride to do his second combination. This combination was a lot harder, but if he nailed it, he would sure place high. Once again his swam out deep to sea. He sat on his board waiting patiently for a wave to come. He waited longer than he normally should. The water was really quiet. To quiet. He looked around feeling lost and alone. A shark fin came up next to him and people from the beach started to scream. He remembered trying to crawl toward the screaming. No sense of direction, though, and the field seemed to suck him under, and everything was black and wet and swirling. For a few moments, all he could do was hold his breath and duck down beneath the water.
