My brothers and I were out swimming. This was nothing strange or unusual while we were at the bay. We would get to swim for a couple of hours in the morning, and then again for a few hours in the afternoon, unless there were too many jellyfish that year, or we had other plans that day.
Anyway, we were out swimming, and diving through the waves, or playing chase or Marco Polo or trying to get all three of us on the innertube at the same time, and this pile of debris came floating by with the tide. The waves and the wind were pushing it slowly through our swimming area between the pier, and the tall poles that were all that remained of the pier that marked the public beach.
It was strange to see debris like that floating by, in fact that is the only time I remember it occurring. OK, so we were only there at best 10 or 12 days out of the year, and anything could happen the rest of the time, but we didn't see that much debris floating by. Then, we noticed it. There was a glove in with the debris. Not a flat, empty glove. A glove with something in it. The glove didn't move - well except as a part of the floating debris, but it definately had something filling it out. Was it a hand? Was there someone attached to that glove? What was that finger pointing at?
Well, it was certainly a dilemma and a concern. We huddled and discussed the possibilities. What if someone needed a rescue? What if it was a dead body?
"You go see if there is someone in there," my brothers suggested.
"No, you," I replied. Even Carl, who could be persuaded to try almost anything first, wouldn't go. We couldn't even talk or dare ourselves to go together and check this out.
We watched that pile of debris as it crossed under the pier and into someone else's water space with a feeling of deep relief. It wasn't our problem any more. We returned to our splashing, jumping, diving and yelling.
To this day we can remember that debris, and that glove sticking out of it, though fortunately our adult reason says there was nothing more to it.
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4 comments:
You never know, though.
My mom told me that she was driving once and saw a brown paper bag in the street. At the last moment, she decided not to run over it but to swerve around.
Looking back in her rear-view mirror, she saw a toddler crawl out of the bag.
She pulled off to the side of the road, threw up and went back to make sure the baby was okay.
You just never know...
Then too, have you been following the news up here? Five sneakers have floated to shore. Filled with five feet. All left feet.
Phew... and Ewwww.
Still, all in all, is that the kind of discovery you want to make when you are - say - 10?
It's not a discovery I want to make at 52! Or ever!
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