The Both Wonderful and Terrible Tsunami

It was a seemingly normal afternoon, and I was lounging on my sofa while scrolling through my friends’ social media accounts. The sun was filtering into the room, lighting up everything. I sighed as I looked at photographs of their gleeful faces and shining eyes as they received their Bachelor’s degrees.

Ever since I dropped out of college four years ago during my second year at Browne Gold University, I found myself envious of all of the certificates and awards my close friends were earning. I knew I could never work as hard as they could in academics, but I often wished I was born with at least one talent that could have been beneficial in school.

Currently, I had a measly job as a waitress at a cafe called Good Old Spirits. I barely made enough to go grocery shopping every two weeks or so, and I usually had instant noodles for dinner every day. I was sure my buddies would become amazing doctors or software engineers or entrepreneurs and they would own nice, big houses. All the while,  I would stay in my musty rented apartment.

A single tear began to drip down my cheek, and I wiped it off in stunned silence. I hadn’t contacted my friends after I dropped out, but I still kept up to date with what they were doing. Geneva…I thought to myself. What are you doing with your life? You didn’t even wish them anything on their birthday posts, and you haven’t even spoken to them! And what about Momma and Dad? They won’t even talk to you since they are disappointed in you!

I sighed again and when I began to swipe through pictures of my old friend Kailey Johanneson throwing her graduate cap into the air happily, a notification popped up. It immediately caught my attention, and my eyes widened when I realized it was an extreme weather alert.

I read it aloud. “Alert! Meteorologists have reported that the largest possible tsunami in a decade will hit residents of Ashbury within the next hour. We advise everyone in the to-be impacted area to evacuate immediately. Motels and inns in the neighboring town, Southwood Borough, will be ready to receive any evacuees. Stay safe.”

At first, I stared at the alert in shock for a few moments. I couldn’t imagine that Ashbury, the town I had spent my whole life in, could possibly be destroyed by a large wave. My apartment complex was close to the seaside, so I knew I needed to get into action. 

I need to get out of here before the real damage from the tsunami hits, I thought to myself as I decided as I hopped off the couch and grabbed a duffel bag. I’ll try to take as much as I can…which isn’t that much. I quickly tied my untamable curly brown hair into a bun and slipped on my sneakers.

I zipped open the bag and stuffed my favorite clothes, my toothbrush and toothpaste, my smartphone charger, and some canned food. I squeezed in my car keys, diary, blanket, and pillow until my bag was full to the brim.

After I finished my packing, I twisted the blinds open and gasped as the sky was nowhere near as sunny as it was 30 minutes before. Dark gray clouds were clustered into the sky, and when I glanced down at the shoreline, people were rushing away from the sea. The water was crashing against the beach, and the wind was getting aggressive.

I closed the blinds shut again and began to take a deep breath. However, I was interrupted by an almost monstrous low moan. I suddenly felt like the floor was tottering around and shaking very slowly, and I was on the sixth floor of the apartment complex.

An earthquake! I thought, rushing toward the door and running into the main hallway of my floor. My neighbors, a frightened-looking couple who were trying to dash toward the elevator with heavy backpacks, suddenly appeared behind me. I made a run for the stairs in case the elevator system had broken down, but when I saw the couple speed toward them, I yelled at them to stop.

The earthquake temporarily haulted, and I knew it was our chance to drive to Southwood Borough before another started.

“Wait! Don’t go inside them!” I yelled. “Take the stairs instead!”

“Geneva, the elevator is much fas-” my female neighbor, Jude, began to say, frantically clicking the button that called the lift multiple times. She was interrupted when the elevator reached our floor level and threw sparks out when the doors opened.

“Agh!” Jude said as the sparks grazed her hand.

Her husband, Rick, tried his best to console her as I pulled both of them down the stairways before anyone got seriously injured. After five minutes of dashing down the white concrete stairs and slipping past other evacuees, we finally arrived at the parking lot.

“We’ve got to drive as far as we can before another quake hits, or we’ll have to pull over and be possibly hit by the tsunami!” I yelled to Rick as he and his wife jumped into their Jeep.

I hopped into my car and started the engine, heading toward Southwood as fast as I could. Rick and Jude quickly overtook me until their car disappeared behind a corner and I found myself blindly trying to head for higher ground.

Suddenly, the car hit a sharp rock on the road, and I jumped in my seat as the front tire gave out. This is the worst day ever!

I went to grab an extra tire from my trunk when a sudden shift in the ground made my small white car shake slightly. Another earthquake? Seriously?

I was halfway up a road directed to the top of a mountain that was the landmark of Ashbury. If I can just walk the rest of the way up, I should be safe from the impact of the storm, I reasoned. But I’m also at least three miles away from the impact area, so I should be okay…

Suddenly, another loud long groan from the sea made me whip around, and I watched in shock as a large wall of water soared into the air. It was an amazing and terrible moment as the tsunami came crashing down on the shore and the rushing water demolished buildings and structures that took years to build. I clutched a fist to my chest as my apartment complex was split in half and the debris went flying everywhere.

I gazed at the scene until the water settled and the area became calm again. I made my way down the road until I reached the main part of town, Porter Street, where the worst of the storm had hit. I winced at the sight of destroyed homes and buildings, and dead fish.

When I heard the sound of whining and shouting for help in a place that used to be a residential area, I turned around and dashed toward the sound. A young boy and a tiny dog were struggling to stay afloat in a public pool which was completely flooded, much over the brim, and the kid was trying his hardest to reach the surface.

“Help!” the child yelled.

He and the chihuahua were in the deep end of the pool, and I didn’t hesitate to dive in and scoop the dog into my arms. Once I had the shivering canine wrapped securely in my hands, I threw him onto the concrete beside the pool. Then, I reached for a pool noodle that had somehow stayed intact in the storm and tucked it under the boy’s stomach. I guided him to the side of the pool where he climbed out and stroked his chihuahua.

“ Thank you so, so much,” he said, tears welling in his eyes.

I was about to answer him when a woman with disheveled hair and a face like the boy’s ran up to us and wrapped the dog and the child in her arms.

“Matthew! Joey! You’re safe! I was so worried!” the woman, who I assumed was the boy’s mother, cried.

She suddenly noticed my presence and wrapped me in a hug as well. “Thank you for saving my son,” she said.

I was surprised when I hugged her back. “Of course.”

The woman pulled away and promised that I would be repaid eventually for my deeds. She asked for my name and contact details before running toward a rescue squad.

I found a rescue squad member to take me to a hotel in Southwood, and fell asleep soundly in a soft, clean bed after the events of the day.

***

It has been seven months since the Ashbury tsunami hit my hometown. Everything is slowly being rebuilt, including my old apartment complex. As for Matthew Hill and his mother, I was repaid in an amazing way: I earned a Silver Life Saving Medal from the Coast Guard for saving Matthew.

I also earned 4,500 dollars for my services, and I was able to buy a large house and even buy plane tickets to reconnect with my parents in Colorado. I took a big leap by contacting my friends, who made plans with me to go out for a movie night.

Everything hasn't exactly gone back to normal yet, but I have liked how it has turned out so far. Even though the tsunami was horrible, it also helped me in many ways.

I started to enjoy staring at the horizon of the sea from the balcony in my new house, wondering what will pop up next in my life.