The salty ocean water was beginning to sting my face. The depressing sound of the waves of the great body was beginning to annoy me. The very heart breaking sound of couples and families jumping and playing in the water was beginning to break my heart.




The previous summer held the weeks that were the best I have ever experienced in a lifetime of misery. I looked at the wooden bridge and remembered the moment that Ryan and I ran under there for cover from the pouring rain. I set my attention to the little boats over by the dock and remembered when we rode on that boat up to a little island and had a picnic. I looked back at the Snack Shack and remembered when we met. Oh, that was the best memory of all. I had been drinking a cool, refreshing soda after a long day in the ocean, after my friends had ditched me for their dates.




Ryan came in the Snack Shack after surfing. I could tell because he was soaked and he was carrying a surf board. He ordered a soda and nachos. I can remember the vivid smell ocean water and cologne of him as he walked past me to order. Anyways, when he got his food and drink, he looked around for a place to sit. But there was nowhere, the few tables in the shack were taken up by couples and kids. So, since my table was the only table where there was a chair left so he plopped down right next to me.




Not that I cared, I was already to mad. How should I have known that a car can’t be parked on the beach side? The only sign that stated this was torn to shreds from some tropical storm years ago. So I got towed. Anyways, I didn’t even have a license. Luckily the police didn’t catch that. So, like any romance book or movie, we clicked. Automatically. No problem at all. We got to talking, and I can’t even remember what we talked about. I just remember getting lost in his eyes and swimming for a way out, but every time I had the chance to get out from his magical trance, I denied it. I wanted this to last FOREVER. But what love doesn’t want to last forever?




I know that I was only 17 years old, and though I have lived at Tropie Beach all my life, I have never once seen Ryan. But, obviously, I instantaneously fell into a deep love with him.




I suppose that all the great moments we were experiencing didn’t give me a dose of reality. I just kept thinking the summer would last forever and all’s well would end well. Ha. A fool would only believe that. So, literally speaking, I was a fool who believed love was a real thing.




Well, instead of wasting this whole story on our weeks in love, I’ll tell you how it ended.






It was the WORST day for all the town of Clarence, Florida. The day the invade hit. Ha. Invade. I’d call it an ambush. Well, it was the hottest day of the summer. So Ryan and I decided to hit the beach, not only did we know, the beach just hit us back twice as hard.




Everyone was playing in the water. Literally, like everyone. So we were just splashing around in mid-deep waters. Some people went out as far as the buoy. So we were having a great time. He dunked me, so I dunked him. We dunked each other and as we came up, we delicately kissed. I felt his cool skin against my body. His lips felt like water to a desert, only better.




Well, in the middle of our kiss, someone shouted and people started running out of the water. We were oblivious as to what was going on. People were always shouting while playing in the water so it made no difference at all. Whelp, in the middle of us kissing (it was a very long kiss) he went under. I couldn’t see anything through the water. All of the sudden it was turning brown and murky as to the usual clear, glassy water. I screamed at the top of my lungs for him. It felt like I searched the entire ocean for him. People were yelling at me to get out of the water and save myself. Yeah. Like I can understand the traumatic screams of local citizens. Anyways, I started to catch their drift as I felt a painful, sharp, stinging sensation as I went below the surface.




Sharks. Sharks! Here! Honestly? How could this happen to me? Well, I could only think in despair as I replayed the moment that Ryan went under as the shark was starting to rip off my skin and flesh. I couldn’t stand the painful moment. I started to fight back. I even opened my eyes. BIG mistake. I looked around the ocean water and saw TONS of sharks, maybe twenty or so. I saw nobody in the water. All I saw was this big blob that these two smaller sharks were fighting over. Oh no, I thought. Ryan. I started to punch the shark until my knuckles bled. I got an idea from the stranger danger class in eighth grade, so I began to jab at the shark’s eyes with two of my fingers till the shark let me be. He started to retreat, taking along all but three sharks.




I decided to go up for air once or twice before continuing my mission to rescue Ryan. The saved swimmers on the beach were going crazy. Saying the ambulance would arrive in a matter of minutes. How could they not know that Ryan could be ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds?! I HAD to save him. I couldn’t stand living without him. He was my all, my heart. I couldn’t let him die.




I swam with one leg over to the two sharks fighting over Ryan. I tried to just grab hold of Ryan, but I couldn’t. Something grabbed me from behind and pulled me to the surface. I could hear my own terrorizing scream coming from the depth of my throat. I was being thrown from side to side. I could feel sharp teeth sinking into my weak body and puncturing painful holes into my skin.




My love, I had to save my love. I couldn’t just let him go and suffer. I heard something loud and ear piercing. A gun shot. The shark released hold of my limp body. I heard two more gunshots. I saw three bodies about 10 meters away from me rise to the surface. I could make out two sharks and one human, Ryan. I think. I didn’t care if another shark attacked me; so I swam over to the body and pulled Ryan away. With the last of my strength, I swam to shore. I couldn’t walk with my legs or even swim, so right when I felt dry sand; I stopped and lied there with Ryan next to me. I heard screams and whispers and felt myself being carried and laid on a gurney. Thank gosh. Finally out of the horrific water and to safe land! People were shouting, “She saved him! She wouldn’t get out of the water without him!”




They were right. I couldn’t get out of the water without Ryan. It was impossible. Unthinkable.

I’d known I saved him when I heard the Medical Examiner say “We should hurry and get them to the hospital. The good Lord won’t let them die.”




And he was right. Ryan and I both lived through this terrible incident. Looking back at the memories, I thought that the experience had brought us closer together. I am 18 years old now and Ryan and I are still together.




We are planning to get married when I turn 21 and we both get out of college.






I again looked at the happy, giddy families playing in the ocean and thought, Crazy psycho sociological people! Had they not remembered the shark attack? Well. The Mariners Aquarium had built a protective wall underwater around the beach. And the shark I beat up probably wouldn’t come back for another piece of me. This isn’t a JAWs movie. Nonetheless, it was a shark attack. Only two people were injured, Ryan and I. Nobody had died either; unless you count the fish.




I was in deep thought about visiting Ryan. He was at home. He was still very weak, even though it had been a year. But we both spent months in surgery and blood transfusions and such.




Then I felt a tap on my back. Who could it be? I turned around, and it was Ryan. Standing there with a bouquet of roses and a picnic basket. He said,




“Hey beautiful. I have a surprise for you. Remember that little island?” he motioned toward a little boat. “I’m gonna take you there today.”




I stood up and we walked over to the boat and he said “Don’t worry about sharks. They’re through with us.”




We kissed. Like never before. Once we got to the island, we hiked up to the tallest mountain and looked at the spectacular view. I asked him if he was weak or tired and if we should go back to let him rest. He said no, he wanted to spend the day with me and never wanted to let me go.




So I guess that story is done.