The Ocean and the River| A Short Florida Story

 My earliest memory is of the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean as it sucked my mother and seven-year-old brother out to sea. I screamed and screamed in terror. My brother, Danny was only joking when he said, “There’s giant sharks like Jaws in the water. They’ll gobble you up in one bite.” I believed him. Mom left me on the shore because I had refused to step into the roaring, crashing, spraying liquid behemoth. I shielded my ears from the deafening noise of the waves and wailed in despair.

Mom and Danny laughed together as they bobbed over the rolling ocean current. On returning, Mom patted me on the head. “I told you we’d be right back.” Somehow, I couldn’t believe her. This was not the first time I felt alone and afraid, nor was it the last time I’d realize the world was a dangerous place. Read more here.