Page 15 - CORNICE GRADE 9

- A R Y A J I B I G H I M I R E

S T R A N D E D

The sun shone from the horizon and its effulgent rays woke me up. I felt the warm sweat passing through
my body and the compression on my joints. “Ouch! My arms and knees are sore,” I gasped. Shouldn’t I be
cuddled up under the blanket, surrounded by the comfort of my bedroom? It was at that moment I decided
to open my eyes and realized I wasn’t in my bedroom in Florida. I WAS ON AN ISLAND IN SOUTHWEST
HAWAII!!!
I tried to recall what had happened the day before but my mind was still hazy as exhaustion took over.
After deep contemplation, I remembered the moment when my best friend Calvin and I flew over to
Hawaii to see dolphins. One of the many things Calvin and I have in common is our obsession with
dolphins. We found a perfect opportunity to take a break from our busy work schedule and come out here
to swim with the dolphins.
We had a professional coach, Akela with us. It was just the three of us and we had our life jackets to keep
us afloat. Our coach was there in the boat looking after us. Calvin and I jumped out of our boats to go
swim with the dolphins, and had the time of our lives until I lost track of him and the boat. I started
freaking out. I waved my hands over my head in big semi-circles like the wiper of a car, and cried, “HELP!
I’M OVER HERE. CALVIN? AKELA? WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!” At that moment, I felt a sense of betrayal.

How could they leave me in the middle of the Pacific ocean?
But, there was no response. Instead, I could hear the somber yet leisurely music made by the waves. I
looked around and saw the eternal cerulean blue ocean all around me. I kept looking at the dolphins for
comfort but my whole body ached. I longed to stand on the ground and hear a human voice.
The ocean was its own master. It pushed out the quivering waves, harnessing its mighty power. I must’ve
fallen asleep while doing the backstroke ‘cause I didn’t realize how far I'd drifted. When I woke up I saw
an island, approximately 10 feet away from me. I had high hopes. Finally, I could be safe here on the
island, people will rescue me.

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