“My mom sat to my right in one of those three piece beach chairs that unfold into a lounger like some kind of reverse plastic origami. She'd moved the chair to face the sun, which I remembered because the sun beat against my back while I played in the sand next to her. Every so often I'd glance up, catching her turn the page of her grocery store paperback or readjust her hand to shade her eyes.
I was nearing completion of what I can only assume would have been the most marvelous drip sand castle to have ever been created when I got distracted by the sun on the water.Similar to heat waves from a hot sidewalk, the shimmering water seemed to be rising.
I was just about to reach out - to erase the illusion my eyes were obviously playing on my mind- when everything went silent.
I'm not sure how long I was under water- sometime between long enough to grab hold of the curved metal of my mom's beach chair, but not long enough to register I couldn't breathe.
Then, just as quickly as it arrived, the water receded. If not for the damp sand littered with car keys and sunscreen bottles, you may have thought it was all a dream.
Even though the likelihood of another rogue wave hitting the exact same spot was slim to none, my mom hoisted me onto the rock wall that ran alongside the beach. Perched on the rocks, I watched as my mom collected all the wave had swept from our bag- my lime green Universal Studios shirt, a half eaten bag of chips, her book- when a black and white striped towel suddenly wrapped around my shoulders.
"You were shivering."
I looked up and saw a young woman smiling down at me.
"It's going to be okay. You're safe now"
I never learned her name, but to this day I can't help but think of her kindness and generosity whenever I see black and white stripes.”
-Courtney Khail