The Tsunami
Let me start off by saying, I never thought much about water. Just something that comes out of the tap, but that all changed. After one long, boring day.
“Morning sweetie,” Mum murmured softly. “Do you remember what day it is?” I did. Mum has been talking about it months before it actually happened. Water Saving Day. This was a big thing in my environmentally friendly family. Because of the fact that most of the people in my town care for the environment more than they care about themselves, this was a big thing at my school too. Which meant learning about water all day. Why should we care? We like fizzy drink better anyway. I mean, what is there to learn about water? It’s in the sea but it’s salty, it comes out of the tap, and fish live in it. There, I already know everything about water. It can’t do anything, like it’s fun learning about environmental things like tornados and everything like that.
The morning at school today was the most boring thing I have ever attended. It was even more boring than your grandmother lecturing you about what you like and do now compared to what she had done in the dinosaur era when she was young. The most interesting thing that day was about tsunamis. It was still boring, but about 0.01% less boring. Then again. What damage can a tsunami make anyway, it’s just water? It would be so COOL!!!! No school. Swim inside our house. Drink fizzy drink 24/7 instead of plain old water. Who wouldn’t want that?
Two nights later I slept soundly, because it was Boxing Day and I still felt full after last night’s Christmas dinner, until I heard my mum, screeching my name in the corner of my room. “Sarai!!!” Sleepily I squinted through the darkness. Suddenly I noticed my brand new Christmas present, my alarm clock floating past me. It’s midnight. The look of horror on my mothers face strikes me
As we clung to the vigorously swaying palm tree the treacherous, dirty water collided with our trembling pale bodies. The new lit-up 2004 music competition sign came crashing down and exploded sending an electrical current through dangerous water. My heart thumped against my bruised ribs threatening to escape but the churning water wouldn’t let it. Crushed cars floated by as though they were lighter than feathers. Palm trees, buildings, all of these things that seemed impossible to destroy, came crashing down. I only realised that I have been holding my breath when I desperately needed to catch my breath. I screamed but all the came out of my quivering lips was a muffled sound and a myriad of misshaped bubbles. Finally. The belligerent water takes over. I am terrified. I have never been so scared before. Not even of Dad. Broken bits and pieces of peoples memories and belongings crash into me. I can’t breathe, but everything is a lot more quiet, slightly peaceful. I feel my consciousness slipping.
I wake up. In a clean white room. The first thing that hits me is the disinfectant smell. Quietly, in fact, almost silently except for the small creak from the door, a young nurse comes in. That’s when I realise I am connected to myriads of little tubes and wires. “What happened?” I whisper. There is a slight shrill in my voice for being unused for a while. I don’t understand why I am here. The nurses sweet face breaks into a sympathetic smile. “I will bring your mother in, she will explain everything,”
Oksana 12 years old
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