Night Swim

The lifeguard closed the door to the hut, then latched it with the salt-rusted padlock. As he stepped on the wooden planks down to the cooling sand, he heard a brief scream that bounced off the surface of the water, half-muffled by the waves. Turning his head toward the horizon, he saw a family near the pier, bobbing in the water. Then a second scream.

He unlocked the hut, and used the radio to call in a possible distress situation. He flicked off his flip-flops, then raced down the sand toward the people. As he approached, a lifeguard UTV came racing towards him. Together they ran into the darkening water to pull the family of four out of the surf. The sun depressed beneath the horizon, orange flickers disappearing from the waves as the family coughed up saltwater.

No. 150