SSP/Douglasthedog Habitica August-7-2020

I was at the beach, just enjoying my time. I went out to the ocean to cool off. Suddenly, I could see a fin in the distance. The lifeguard then yelled, "SHARK!". Hearing this, I ran back to where my beach towel was. I then looked back at the ocean and saw that the "shark" did not look like a shark at all. Instead it looked like a shiver.

There were others in the area. People lay on over-sized towels and sat in reclined wooden chairs under colorful umbrellas. People played in the ocean. They built sand castles. The day was sunny and clear and warm and everything you'd want for a summer day at the beach.

Except for the sharks.

The lifeguard called out the warning. The people in the waste deep surf ran back to the beach. They stood and watched as the group of fins, fifty yards from shore, made tight circles around each other.

"What about the surfers?"

Beside me stood a tall young woman with platinum blonde hair and light golden skin. A small pink bikini testified to hours in the gym. Dark, large-lens sunglasses hid her eyes. She pointed toward the ocean. A group of three surfers sat on surf boards, the shiver of sharks between them and the shore.

"I don't think they heard the warning," I said.

"Somebody needs to tell them. Or a boat needs to pick them up. If the sharks see them splashing around they're finished."

She took a step forward. She stood erect, her back and abdomen muscles glistening under a layer of tanning oil. She was pure confidence.

Others noticed the group of surfers. They arrived at the same conclusion she had. The beach became charged with tension.

"I don't like sharks," she said speaking to the ocean.

"I hate sharks. I hate everything about them. I hate seeing them in the ocean. I hate seeing them at the aquarium. I even hate stories about sharks."

She giggled. Her body quivered. A second later, mine did too.

"What's your name?"

She said her name was Amanda. She moved here from Boston a year ago. She was a yogi but she worked full-time in an office for a company that sold and serviced pumps for swimming pools and hot tubs. She got a paid vacation after a year and didn't want to go back home. She wanted to vacation in her new hometown.

She helped herself to the spot beside me on my beach towel. She lifted an arm and pointed to the ocean.

"Look, the sharks are moving."

"How can they still be sitting out there?"

"Their surfers. Hang ten, dude. Free spirits. They're probably smoking a joint."

The rest of the beach noticed it too. They became restless. A few people approached the lifeguard stand. They exchanged words. A distant skit played out with beachgoers asking, pleading, for action and the lifeguard defending himself. He appeared to tell them a boat was coming. They seemed slightly placated but still very concerned.

The group of sharks made wider circles and moved faster through the water. They were

highly stimulated. And they were getting closer to the group of surfers.

"Are you married?"

She laughed and said I was silly. She was too young to get married. There'd be plenty of time for that later. I agreed. She said she was single. She said there were boys but no one special. She said she was so busy she didn't really think about it. She had lots of friends and there were other things more important.

"What about you? What's your situation?" she asked.

"No one special." I brushed my knee against hers innocently. She tossed her white gold hair and looked at me. "There is this one girl. But we just met and she's ambitious and intelligent and way too busy for anything like that."

I smiled.

She jabbed me with an elbow and giggled. "Knock it off. There's sharks in the water."

She was right, they were moving closer to the surfers. The surfers still hadn't noticed them or the fact the beach was empty and all eyes were focused on the sea. They were in their own little world.

"Oh, dear. What time is it?"

I told her and she said she was running late. She said she was meeting some friends for dinner. I told her the sharks wouldn't mind if she left early. She laughed and leaned her shoulder against mine. She asked about my plans. I told her I had an open schedule.

The sharks were nearly on top of the unaware surfers now. The beachgoers were in hysterics.

"Would you like to come out with us? You could meet my friends."

"That sounds like fun. Do you think that would be fun?"

She fought back a smile and said, "Yes. Do you?"

"I think it'd be a whale of a good time."

She laughed and I laughed and we climbed off the beach towel. I gathered up the few things I'd brought and we started for the parking lot.

The beach was quiet. The people stared out to sea holding their breath. The surfers had finally noticed the sharks. But it was too late.