Beached

Something happened to me years ago that I’ve never told anyone about, but I still think about that day all the time. It was when I lived in California, and in those days, I used to like to take walks along the beach around sunrise.

One morning, along a deserted stretch of beach, a movement caught my eye in the water about 50 yards out. It was a flash of pink and white, and I thought I saw a pale slender arm wave frantically above the surf. Then I heard an unmistakable cry, “Help!” and saw a girl fighting the crashing waves. She looked to be in distress, and I stood there transfixed for a minute trying to comprehend what I was seeing.

As she sank below the surface, I realized she was in trouble and I kicked off my sandals and ran towards the water. The waves were rough and I was soon being buffeted around trying to swim to the area where I last saw her. It was farther than I thought and the current made my progress even slower. It took a couple of minutes to get to the area where I thought I last saw the girl. I paddled around, treading water, and looking on the surface for any sign of her. Suddenly, something brushed against my foot, and I pulled my leg away quickly in reflex. Then, I realized it might be the girl, so I dove down to look. The salt water stung my eyes, but I saw the shape of a woman’s head, her dark hair flowing back and forth like seaweed. I grabbed her hair and pulled her to the surface, and began frantically towing her towards the beach. I couldn’t tell if she was breathing, but I tried to keep her head above water and swim towards shore.

When my feet touched the sandy bottom, I lifted her by her armpits and dragged her limp body up on to the dry sand, laying her on her back. She didn’t seem to be breathing and her well-rounded form was limp and still. I looked up and down the beach for someone to help, but it was still quite early and no one else was in sight. I knew no one else would be able to help her but me, but I wasn’t sure what to do.

I had seen people apply CPR in movies before but I didn’t really know how. I realized time was critical so I thought I had better try to resuscitate her.