Personal Narrative: The Beach

Birds tweeted, waves crashed and the familiar salty smell filled the air around us. As we got closer to the house, you could smell the salty water and hear people yelling on the beach. The drive always seemed to take forever but it was all worth it once we pulled in to the long driveway of the house.

We stayed in the same house almost every time we went. The beach was in walking distance from the house and there was a small shower outside to wash off any sand you have left on you. There was a pool in the back. When we weren't at the beach we were in the pool. I loved that beach so much, even though we never go to it anymore. The long grass along a wooden bridge leading you to the beach, the calm waves, the seagulls always trying to take your food. There was almost never a boring time when we were there. As soon as we got to the beach my brother and I would kick off our flip flops and ran across the burning hot sand and jump into the water. My grandpa would set up a huge umbrella over the towels my mom had laid out. The waves would crash right
at my knees. It was like paradise. I remember this terrifying day like it was just yesterday. We walked to the beach, kicked off our shoes, ran across the hot sand, and jumped into the water just like normal. After about 30 minutes of being in the water, the lifeguard called a warning to get out of the water. My brother ran back to the shore and tried to drag me along. He let go of my arm as a wave came from behind. I thought we were close enough to shore for me to get away, but I was wrong. The wave was as large as a skyscraper. My knees gave out as I collapsed into the salty water. The giant, roaring wave crashed into me, taking me under the salty water. I tried to open my eyes to see where I was but all I could see was the rushing water around me. I didn't know what to do, this had never happened to me before. All I could do was try to force my head from under the water. I could hear the muffled sound of the lifeguard shouting “Get out!
Get out of the water!” “Help!” I tried to yell but all I got was a mouthful of water. The lifeguard still screeched “Everyone out of the water!” but nobody seemed to notice I was stuck. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I was able to get out from the water. My eyes felt like they were on fire and I could barely breathe. There was wet sand all over my body, face, and hair, but I was too shook to care. “Maggie! Where are you!”I heard my dad yell. I ran through the water to the shore. My legs felt like collapsing. Which they did. As soon as I got to my parents, my legs collapsed and I fell straight onto the towel. The towel felt as soft as a bear in this moment. My grandparents dog ran towards me and stroked its soft head against my arm. “What happened? Why didn't you come back? You could have died!” My mom
lectured. “I tried but..” I replied “But what!” My mom yelled “The wave hit me and… I got stuck..” I mumbled After all of this, I was happy that my parents let us go get ice cream. The ice cream was cold and delicious. I was so tired once we got back to the house. I could still feel the fear I felt when the wave hit me. This experience still haunts me to this day.