THE SKIER IN DANGER

The Skier in Danger

This is a novel about reality and true friendship. It is very inspirational and contains some emotional contents.

THE SKIER IN DANGER

…. by Franklin Berthnos

In coastal areas, many people derive a lot of sports from the vast sea. Some people make racecourse of the shore; some make volleyball courts of it and others make football pitch of it; all for entertainment. Likewise, the sea serves humans many purposes, which include: using the sea for fishing; bathing and skiing/surfing. In fact, the sea is very essential to the survival of the ecosystem, sheltering many aquatic fauna and flora.

One most common sport involving the sea is surfing. However, considering the risk involved, many people question the entertaining aspect thereof. Surfing is “the sport or pastime of riding the tide while standing or lying on a surfboard.” Though It’s a risky sport: of course, what makes you happy, blinds you from its risks; therefore, avid lovers don’t see that, they only see the joyful entertainment it brings forth.

They used to have surfing competitions among themselves each day after school. When it was exactly closing time, the three friends would find a means to alert the class teacher that it was time to go home. Sometimes, about five minutes to time, they would become very serious and contributing; asking questions incessantly and answering questions quickly with all the liveliness of a school boy. This alerted the teacher that it was almost time. Other times, when they didn’t enjoy the lesson much, they would thump their bags on the desk almost simultaneously, making a loud noise, whenever their alarm watches beeped. Rarely, they would start singing their closing song, and soon the whole class would join in; this always angered the teacher so they seldom employed this technique. Once they’re dismissed, the three boys would fetch their surfboards from a nearby barn, where they kept them. Then off they go to the sea side to enjoy their hobby. After an hour or two, they would return their surfboards to the barn and chat all the way home; sometimes they would quarrel, thrash one another till they all cried and then quarrel again while crying, to resolve their issue. Soon their cries would turn into laughter; in this way they went home everyday. The next morning, all their conversations would be about how the race went the previous day; who was first the most and who was last the most; who beat whom; who cried first; who cried the loudest; who nearly forgot his bag on the shore; who said he would report the other to his parents and who could do his homework, for they usually forgot to do their homework. So the one that could have time to do it, would then give it to the rest to copy his work: a uniqueness of boys. If none did his homework at home, then that day, they would be flogged for refusing to do their homework. They gave themselves names; one was called The Skier, another The Beast and the other The Squid.

“…The next morning, all their conversations would be about how the race went the previous day; who was first the most and who was last the most; who beat whom; who cried first; who cried the loudest; who nearly forgot his bag on the shore…”

One day, as The Skier, The Beast and The Squid reached the shore, they beheld a few Pelicans, flamingos and mallards washing themselves, entertaining themselves and making some harmonious and rhythmic sounds. They didn’t want to drive them away, so they hid behind some coconut trees sighting and admiring the animals. Occasionally, the birds would jump one over another; flap their wings against one another like they were fighting; the pelicans would spear some fish out; hurl them up in the air and receive them into their baggy throat; it was a beautiful sight to see.

They watched the birds for a long time until the birds finally flew away. It was sunset already, so The Beast suggested they went home and aborted that day’s competition. However, The Squid and The Skier insisted they had the race, since each one was determined to win the most races that day. The Beast gave in to their persuasion and the race started.

The Skier won the first race and the Squid won the second. Now, it was left with one last race to decide who gets mocked till he cries home. Each of The Squid and The Skier, was the most determined to win the race. The sky began to darken, engulfing even the orange-coloured light from the sun. Yet, the race was heatedly ongoing. Unfortunately, there was a clash between the two determined racers due to poor vision from the dimly lit atmosphere. The Skier vanished at once whiles The Squid proceeded in high hopes of claiming the win, but he was outrun by The Beast. In the end, all three friends won a race. It was the most competitive surf-race they had had so far. On reaching the shore, The Squid and The Beast waited for The Skier, but he never returned. After a while, the two boys began to feel sad and sorrowful. They wondered where The Skier could have gone without their notice. After a minute, The Squid recalled the clash and told The Beast that he hadn’t seen The Skier after that.

Meanwhile, The Skier was struggling to survive inside the sea, he was shouting for help, but he himself couldn’t even hear what he said; he groped for a hold, but no one can hold water. Fortunately, he had learnt how to stay afloat in water so he didn’t drown outright; he kept paddling his legs and arms, that way he wouldn’t drown; but that wasn’t enough to keep him afloat for a long time. Soon, he became hopeless out of exhaustion, said his last prayer, made his wish and gave up paddling.

He began sinking down, suffocating and perhaps crying as he sank down; but no one could see or hear either. He struggled, shrieked in excruciating pain, did all he could but to no avail. He lost consciousness at last. As he was sinking down gradually in the sea, he reflected on the good times he had spent with his friends; the many times they had beat him; all the stubborn missions they had undertaken; his memories of his classmates, class teacher and finally his parents; especially his mother. Suddenly, his thoughts shifted to the dreadful place of the dead, the place of no return, the place of torture and the place of spirits: that which is called The Hades. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to be separated from his parents, classmates, The Squid and The Beast forever. What pierced his heart the most, was the fact that he was never again going to see Emily, the girl he loved and had envisioned a future with. He was now filled with utmost regret for not listening to The Beast and aborting that day’s sport. It was the worst torment for a boy his age. He felt the worst pain ever in his entire lifetime.

All of a sudden, he had a strong feeling that his friends wouldn’t leave him to drown and die alone down there in the heart of the sea. He consoled himself with the strong belief that even if The Squid and The Beast didn’t come to his rescue, he would meet them in Hades once he reached there. This offered him comfort and relief, though he was drowning to death.

Immediately, the entire environment, though inside the sea, seemed like a playground to him. He could apparently see his friends, chat, laugh and cry with them. He started feeling that he had become a spirit. Because, he could no longer do anything that mortals do; he couldn’t move a muscle, he couldn’t cry, he couldn’t paddle anymore; all he could do was thinking and speaking inside of himself. To his surprise, he seemed to have had his friends immediately by his side. And in his apparitional imagination, all three of them were discussing something and trying to kind of reach a consensus. He was amazed and confused, because never in their life had they ever settled matters that way. Not even when The Squid announced that he had a crush on Emily. Everything seemed like a dream to him. Suddenly, in the apparition, he felt his friends jerk him to his feet and began dragging him towards a gloomy expanse. Meanwhile, he was crying, shouting and raining curses on them for doing such a cruel thing to him. How could his own friends drag him into such a place of total darkness? Sure enough, when they reached the edge of this mysterious place of gloom, they shoved him into the darkness and disappeared.

Immediately he entered this gloomy place, he simultaneously felt his mortal body respond when he tried to move them, he felt like he was shivering and that he was feeling sickly. The whole hallucinations vanished at once. And he began feeling like a human being again. Probably, his friends’ spirit had rescued him. Finally, when he was able to open his eyes again, he saw that he was in bed at home; all shivering, surrounded by family and friends, his class teacher, some strangers and The Squid and The Beast.

It so happened, that while The Skier was paddling to stay afloat, The Beast and The Squid went swiftly to the town and sought for help. The townsmen ran in their numbers with torches and boats, and being directed by The Squid to the exact destination of the clash, they rescued The Skier. They sent him home and when the doctor had done his diagnoses, analyses and injected some drugs, he said that The Skier’s condition wasn’t direful and that he would be alright after some rest. Therefore, they put him in bed to rest.

“…They sent him home and when the doctor had done his diagnoses, analyses and injected some drugs, he said that The Skier’s condition wasn’t direful and that he would be alright after some rest. Therefore, they put him in bed to rest…”

Moral lessons:

1. There is time for everything, hence, do what should be done in the appropriate time.

2. Be willing to lend a helping hand to those in urgent need.

3. Let love prevail in your life; where there is love, there is care, there is empathy, there is protection, there is slight paranoidism, there is superficial quarrel; there is happiness even through cries.

4. Friendship bond is strong; let’s groom it. Friends are our family that are not bound by blood ties.

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