Dazzling sunlight made the hot sand sparkle like a million tiny jewels. Wind was blowing lightly and the waves crashed on the beach in amazing ripples. It was playful and gentle on the beach full of chatter. There was a bright infinite blue sky with a nice promising sunshine. Thin palm trees lined the white sandy beaches.
The boy hadn’t been to the beach since a couple years back. Listening with both an open heart and ear, the boy heard the loud waves crashing against a close by rock. As the newest memories poured in, the boy decided to head over to the ocean where he knew that a flood of happiness would follow him. The best stress relief wasn’t pills or medicine, no thank you… it was the peacefulness serenity of the relaxing beach. The interesting smell of saltwater traveled up his two nostrils, releasing a strange trance on him. Yes, it was the amazing warm sand against his bare feet.
But it wouldn’t end there on the sand. One thing that always made the boy want to return to the beach wasn’t only just because of the sand. It also had to do with the ocean, diving in with his friends and splashing each other until one got hurt. They would go out on their body boards and ride with the waves. They would bring water to the beach and build a volcano out of sand and water. They would never finish, but indeed it was fun. They would draw characters on the sand or race to the water. But the next day, the boy’s mom tried something new: paddle boarding.
Basically, paddle boarding uses a surf-like board and a long paddle. In that regard, it is pretty much a cross between both canoeing and surfing.
The boy started going out onto the water, nonchalant and carefree. He wasn't afraid of falling or anything. He was even on his knees. The farther he got, the more nervous he got but kept going. By the time he went out far enough, he prepared for the turn. He was doing the exact motion the teacher had taught him, but he wasn’t turning one bit. The boy decided to use his hands to steer the boat. He dipped his hands down in the water and…Woosh!
The water pushed down on him from both sides. The more he struggled to get up, the more disorientated he got. Up and down, left and right, nothing made any sense to him anymore. The paddle fell out of the boy’s hands and he was still connected to a rope from the boat. The rope was still around his ankle. The boy pushed everywhere with his arms and legs but he could still find no leverage, for all he knew he was pushing himself even further down. His lungs burned for more air. Instead cold water filled his lungs and blood pounded behind the boy’s eyes. The darkness engulfed him and he had barely anything left in him to fight anymore. The boy gave into the darkness and let the water take him in.
He knew already his battle was nearly over. The boy’s life was slowly dwindling away…soon his heart had stopped…his lungs gave up and he knew death was near.
The boy woke up on the beach. Impossible. He tried to get up, but found himself stuck to the sand. He managed to turn his head to one side. “M-mom,” he groaned.
“Oh, thank god!” He saw his mom talking to another man who was holding a paddle board. She ran up to him along with the man.
“Wh-what happened?” The boy asked.
“This man,” Mom began, “another paddle boarder came as soon as he saw you and grabbed you out of the ocean. He brought you back on his boat. He even went out again and grabbed your boat and paddle. I waited here with you and stayed here while you were unconscious for like ten minutes and then you woke and scared the hell out of me. The ambulances are coming soon, but explain to me what happened out there! This could’ve been all avoided.”
“Your overworking him,” the paddle boarder said.
“Don’t tell me how to raise my child!”
“I’m a father of four and I know how to be a good parent unlike you! What were you thinking! Letting this ten year old boy go out to the ocean.”
“I thought you were a dad! He was eight, not ten! You’re really bad at ages for a parent!”
“Proving my point! You shouldn’t be letting this young man out there at eight years old!”
“I can let my child do what he wants.”
“Not something dangerous! If it weren’t for you to let this kid out there, I wouldn’t be here right now! And-”
“Stop!” The boy managed to sit up. “Please, sir. Thank you for your help and all but I would ask for you to leave. Now!”
The man sneered at the boy’s mom one last time before he left and ran away.
For some reason, the boy started crying and he balled himself into his mom’s chest. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I know,” the mom said. “I know. Just promise me—“
“What?”
“Don’t ever go do another stunt like that again.”
“B-but.”
“Not buts.”
“F-fine.”
The sounds of sirens filled the air.
20 Years Later
The man was stubborn. He was still the same kid he was twenty years ago, but in a man’s body. He was still stupid and never did anything with his life. He could easily go and get a job, but no, that was too much work. His greatest accomplishment was getting his drivers license, and that was only possible because his mom forced him too. She had always told him stuff like “You need to get a life,” or “Get up, you lazy fart!” He would always reply, “Let me sleep,” as he burrowed his head into his pillow. But for the next three days, he had the apartment to himself since his mom was gone for a business trip.
The man got out of bed and groaned. “Day one with this house all to myself.” The man left for the kitchen which had a coffee maker and a microwave only. He decided to make some coffee and heat up some leftover pasta from yesterday’s dinner. He left for the couch, holding his hot coffee in his hands. The man turned on the tv to watch the news or something.
Bang! The man turned. Something happened in the microwave. The man rushed to open it. Oh shoot, he thought. I’m not supposed to microwave the fork.
His face went from infuriated to a menacing grin as the tv showed an ad for a paddle boarding experience for only five dollars for an hour.
“Is this real?” The man took the plate out of the microwave. He checked the microwave for any fire. None. The man took his phone out of his pocket and listened as the voice on the tv said Just dial in: (829) 274-2315. The man dialed in the number.
“Hello, this is Jake from Kenny’s Paddle Boarding Experience where we give you the same paddle boarding experience as anywhere, but cheaper.”
“Uh, hi. Yeah, I saw a commercial saying that you’re having a deal for five dollars for an hour of paddle boarding. Is that true.”
“Yes, but you have to make a reservation first. You can do it right now if you want.”
“Er, um…sure. Wait! No. Wait! Maybe.”
“Is this a yes or a no?”
“Uh yes.”
“Okay. What time would you like to come?”
“Is um…1:30 a good time?”
“Any time is a good time here.”
5 ½ Hours Later
The man got inside his Honda. It was from 1986 clean and somehow still working. The man had the option of taking his mom’s car to the beach, but last minute he changed his mind. Probably because there was no reason for him to drive a newer car since he had no one to impress.
The last time the man been to this place was ages ago. He wasn’t even sure if he still knew where this beach was. Oh well, it was worth a shot to just try to get there.
When he got there, he immediately recognized the place. He recognized the dazzling sunlight that made the soft sand sparkle like a thousand tiny jewels. The same wind was blowing lightly and the same waves crashed on the beach in amazing ripples. It was still playful and gentle on the beach full of chatter. There was the exact same infinite blue sky with a nice promising sunshine. There were still thin palm trees that lined the white sandy beaches.
A man came up to him. “You must be the man who was supposed to come at 1:30.”
“That’s me,” he replied. “Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s ok,” the other man said. “I get plenty of late customers.”
“You must be Kenny. Am I right.”
“No.” The man chuckled. “I’m just a coach to help you learn how to paddle board. That’s Kenny over there.”
He pointed to an old man lying down on a beach towel. When he saw him first, the man thought his hair was very unusual. It was very long and lush with a strange salt and pepper tint. He had a clipped, Abe Lincoln beard and the man reckoned he must be in about his seventies because his face is very time chiselled and weather beaten. The man was wearing beaten jeans and a Hawaiian t-shirt.
“Then who are you?” The man asked.
“I’m just a wannabe paddle board coach.”
“I ain’t need no coach. I have done this before, and I can do it again.”
“But sir-”
“I’m can do it,” the man said in a stern voice.
“What if I get fired?”
“Look at Kenny.” Both of them looked. “He’s asleep for goodness sake. You don’t need to worry.”
With that, the man left after he gave Jake a five dollar bill. The man walked over and grabbed a board and a paddle. As he came close to the water, he heard a voice say, but you promised that you wouldn’t do it any stunts anymore. Then he thought, she’ll never know.
He pushed the boat into the water. The boat rocked and the man was afraid to get off his knees. The longer he went out, the less scared he got. The winds breezed against him and he laughed. The elegant waters brought the smell of salt and freshness. The man couldn’t help but smile. The man came back from the water standing on his board.
12 Minutes Later
(Driving)
The man was texting an old friend, when he ran a red light. That’s when this big Toyota truck rammed into his passenger’s side. His little car rolled over several times, breaking windows and inflating the safety bag. His head made contact with the cement ground not a moment later. It was obvious he had a hard time with facing reality. The moment he got out of the car, he nearly fell over, dizzy. The man’s head looked like it hurt; good thing there was people out and around to help him. The man, on the other hand, wanted to keep his distance. The smell of fuel leaking from his car didn’t help the situation at all. The man had to cover his nose in order to breath properly.
That’s when he saw it. His arms were bent in a weird position. The man was confused by how it got that way, but it didn’t look pretty one bit. Though, he was yelling alright. The pain must have been a lot too much for him to bear.
The paramedics loaded him up into the ambulance. The wound on his head kept him in shock. The way he saw it, he only had ten minutes to live. Before he could take a step in the ambulance, the man fell to ground.
A bright light appeared in a dream. So bright, the man had never seen anything like it before. Then, he saw himself falling, the light went out and all around him was pitch black; all he could do was hold onto his body.
“A promise is a promise,” the man heard his mom say in the background.
“Mom?” The man looked around but found only the darkness that surrounded him.
“When you break those promises, you pay the price. And that price may sometimes cost life. Even yours. Life doesn’t give you second chances.”
The boy’s life dwindled away and the last thing he thought was, karma.