My Short Short for the Day

“How fast do you think you can go on that thing?”

Eddie looked at his surfboard.  “As fast as the wave will carry me.”

Eddie had loved surfing ever since he was able to sit up and watch his dad surf.  He used to sit in his playpen on the beach, cheering his dad on and wishing he could be out there too, on that magical, sparkling place of serenity. 

He still could remember his first time on a surfboard.  His dad sat him down on the board and waded out so that he was waist deep in the ocean.  It was a calm morning, so there were only some gentle, little waves making the board rock a little.  But Eddie loved it.  The smell of the salty air, the chill of the water, the sun smiling down on them.  Eddie was in heaven. 

It was only a matter of time before Eddie was standing and balancing on his own surfboard.  And as he grew, he began to catch up to his dad.  Soon they were riding the waves every morning, competing for the same waves and cheering each other on.  There was no one Eddie loved more than his dad.

Eddie walked out into the ocean and jumped on his surfboard.  He paddled out to the group of surfers and sat up, waiting for his wave. 

“Hey kid!  Little late this morning.”  Eddie’s dad grinned with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

“Yeah, my alarm didn’t go off for some reason.”  Eddie smiled back.

“See you on the other side!”  Eddie’s dad called as he paddled quickly catching a huge wave.

Eddie watched as his dad sailed across the wave, moving and shifting.  After all these years, he still made it look so easy.  Eddie ignored the waves behind him and watched, quietly cheering his dad on.  Suddenly his dad froze and a moment later collapsed into the water.  Eddie yelled and paddled into the next wave, riding it as fast as he could.  When he got to the beach, his dad was being pulled up onto the shore.  He yanked off his ankle strap and knelt by his dad.  Someone was doing CPR.

“Dad, wake up!  Dad!”  Eddie’s heart thundered in his chest. 

The next several days were a blur as the family prepared for the funeral.  The service was solemn and then everyone went to the beach and had a bonfire.  People told stories about Eddie’s dad.  Eddie listened struggling to keep the tears away, then Al, his dad’s best friend, came over and sat down. 

“He went out the way he wanted.”  Al took a sip.  “I can’t think of any better way to go, then riding a wave to the great beyond.”