Flashback

4 years old | the storms

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I sat on a boogie board in the shallow waters of the ocean that were 2 feet deep. It swayed back and forth as the faint waves hit it. I was laughing at what my dad was doing with my brother, Max.

I jumped off the boogie board and went for the shore. Thunder crashed. I wasn't afraid. I thought I was a big four year old. My dad sat with his legs crossed next to Max, he was two. They also moved up shore to me, but they were farther into the water.

I looked for shells on the beach as my dad watched the dark clouds form over the ocean. Thunder that was even louder boomed. The lifeguard blew his whistle signaling for everybody to get out.

As the life guard did that, a gigantic wave crashed.

Taking my brother back with it.

He went under. No oxygen for him to breathe.

My mom, my dad, and the lifeguard went running for him.

By the time they got to him, he was so far out that his breathing had already stopped and so had his heart.

Minutes later ambulances arrived and they tried to jolt him back to life but as you could've imagined, it didn't work.

After that day, his death was a news paper headline.

'Two year old boy dies while on a family vacation to the beach'