Hey everybody my name is Alyssa.
And I want to tell you about how a special someone saved my life.
But first, let me give you a little backstory.
So I've grown up in a small beach town.
Yeah I know what you're already probably thinking, it must be nice surfing, snorkeling, and going
on boat rides in the ocean.
Well... that would be nice, however, there's a bit of a problem.
I'm afraid of the ocean.
It wasn't always like this, though.
I loved going on boat rides with my best friend's family when I was little.
We went on a ride nearly every weekend.
At the time, my friend and I we're both in second grade.
We knew the rules.
We had to keep our hands and feet in the boat at all times.
We were pretty good kids and obeyed her parents.
Except for one day, on a boating adventure, my friend saw a whale.
She was jumping up and down trying to get everyone's attention but the parents weren’t
looking.
Then her movements got bigger and while she was pointing and leaning over the boat, she
fell into the water.
I tried telling the parents, but by the time they realized what I was trying to say, we
were probably over a thousand feet away from my friend.
We turned the boat around and tried to find her.
Sadly though...
We never did.
That's why, to this day, I am terrified of the ocean.
However, I haven't let that get in the way for my love for adventure.
Now, I like to stick with dirt bike riding and mountain climbing.
I've even gone skydiving a couple of times.
It must run in the family because my parents and brother are the same way.
It's really convenient, because we run a small family business.
In the downtown area, my family owns an outdoor supply shop where we sell surfboards, kayaks,
dirt bikes, and a couple four wheel off road vehicles like dune buggies and quads.
I've tried to convince my family to take the dirt bikes out for a ride, but I usually get
outnumbered as the family votes to go kayaking in
I usually find myself joining my family for half the adventure by sitting on the beach
and watching them.
We usually have a picnic on the beach afterwards so it's not a total loss at all.
And, I mean, how can I complain, I'm living in paradise over here.
But just because I'm living in paradise doesn't mean fun adventures all day and gorgeous scenery,
I have to spend most of my day at school and doing homework just like everybody else.
Only, I have the additional temptations to avoid doing homework and instead hang out
with my friends and enjoy heaven.
And that's where this Story begins.
My friends were all going on one of my favorite hikes, a secret trail that only the locals
know about.
Near the end of the trail, especially at night, it gives the most beautiful view of the city
and its lights reflecting on the ocean.
Only problem was I had a math test the next day and I was hardly passing anyway.
If I fail this test, I may have to retake the class.
My parents always knew math wasn't my strong suit but they are always pretty forgiving
as long as they saw I was trying.
So what would be the wise thing to do...
Study for the test... or go on my favorite hike with my friends.
I knew what I must do...
Go on the hike with my friends of course haha!
And it was great!
We all laughed together, saw a sea turtle near the shore, sang some songs, and as it
got dark, we were at my favorite spot where we got to look over the city and see its lights
reflecting on the water.
While enjoying this view , a boy that I liked sat next to me.
He was saying how happy he was to enjoy the day with me and how gorgeous the view was.
He held my hand and looked at me.
... And you know what happened next?
Well... both he and I...
"... Failed our math tests the next day.
And my parents were not happy.
They said no hiking, no dirt biking, no mountain climbing, no adventures for the rest of the
school year."
At first I felt terrible, that is, until a week later where it seemed like my parents
were trying to get me jealous by driving their dune buggy over the sand dunes with my brother.
Guess who wasn’t invited, me.
I was left home all alone.
And feeling a little rebellious I decided to have an adventure of my own.
But what was I going to do, they took away my dirt bike, my mountain climbing equipment,
my hiking shoes and everything else I used for fun.
There is only one thing they left, the kayak.
Because they knew I would be too scared to use it.
Well, they were right about one thing.
I would definitely be scared but this time, I wasn't going to let that get in my way.
I put the kayak in the back of our truck and I drove off to the ocean.
The whole car ride I was just imagining my parents' shocked faces as they realized I
took the kayak.
Would I get in more trouble, maybe, but what else can they take away from me... the kayak?
As I arrived at the beach, I was happy to see the ocean looked pretty calm that day.
So I walked to a nearby sandwich shop so I can bring something to eat with me while I'm
on the kayak enjoying my rebellion.
As I paddled out on the kayak, my nerves started to set in.
The waves were rocking my kayak back and forth.
I haven't swam in any water since the incident with my friend and I was only seven years
old at the time.
I didn't even think to bring a life jacket with me.
I decided it would be a good time to distract myself and take a bite of my sandwich.
As I was enjoying the sandwich I noticed a large creature swimming by the boat.
It started circling my kayak and as its fin came to the surface... there is no mistaking
it...it was a shark!
And not just any shark, this one was huge!
It was the size of my kayak!
I know if you see a bear you're supposed to make loud noises and wave your hands around.
So I figured I would do the same for a shark.
But I think the boat thrashing around only made him angrier.
And then I accidentally dropped my sandwich into the water.
At that moment, the shark lunged towards the sandwich and ate it, but he also took a bite
out of my kayak in the process.
In a manner of seconds the kayak started sinking.
The kayak wouldn't fully sink even when completely filled with water, but it was no longer stable
and ended up flipping over with me in it.
I quickly swam out and came up for a breath of air.
All I could do now was hold on to the side of the kayak while the rest of me is dangling
in the water.
I was trembling as I was looking around for the shark.
But after a minute passed by, there is no sign of him.
I guess the shark didn't like turkey, but I wasn't taking any chances.
I looked back at the shore and realized it was only a few hundred feet away.
I thought to myself I could risk swimming back to shore and drown, or wait here for
help and become fish food.
But I wanted to put my life in my own hands and not wait for somebody else.
So I let go of the kayak and started swimming.
I was hardly getting anywhere and using all of my energy just to keep my head above the
water.
Completely exhausted I looked back to see how far the kayak was away from me.
It must have been the ocean current or something because the kayak was nowhere to be seen.
I started panicking and to make matters worse.
I saw another shark fin and it was coming right at me.
As its head breached the surface I let out a scream that I thought would be my last.
But all I heard from the creature was some squeaks and squeals.
It was a dolphin!
And with my last bit of energy I threw my hands over his fin and just prayed it wouldn't
shake me off or swim down.
Instead, the dolphin stayed on the surface and slowly swam towards shore.
It's like the dolphin knew exactly what was going on and was trying to save me.
He swam me close to the shore, and like any hero, didn't need a medal or any thanks.
He just slipped me off his fin and left.
I will always be grateful for that dolphin who saved me.
To this day I feel like that dolphin knew all too well exactly what he needed to do.
I can’t help but think he was sent from my friend who drowned years earlier.
Like she was still looking out for me and saved me from the same fate she did.
Let me know if you guys have any story like this where an animal has ever helped you or
saved your life.
Write about it in the comments.
Oh and one last thing, never steal your parents kayak.