Adam slammed the screen door behind him as he headed out into the bright sunlight. He couldn’t take one more minute in that house. The constant noise, the bickering and loud music at all hours of the night - all of it might have been tolerable if his aunt and uncle would just let him be. But no, they had to keep reminding him of how grateful he should be that they let him stay there in the first place. That his parents had been no good vagabonds that should have never left a child alone while they took off on a weekend trip. That it was his parents’ own fault for getting themselves killed.

He strapped on his roller blades and started down the blacktop road toward the coast. About a mile west, there was a little stretch of trees that concealed a path to the beach. There was no one around–no one lived or worked on the outskirts of his hometown. Recklessly, he veered off the road and onto a mostly hidden dirt path. Stopping just inside the tree line, Adam removed his roller blades and hid them beneath the underbrush. Seemed the anger was always there now, just simmering underneath the surface. They shouldn’t have left him. They shouldn’t have taken that trip six months ago. Then he could have stayed in his own house and things would have stayed normal.

Angrily, he stripped down to his shorts and plunged into the water. Even the fierce waves couldn’t wash away the frustration. Why weren’t they there?! Why did they have to take the one plane that was destined to crash at the little airport. They should have been alive, watching him grow up, guiding him to be the man he wasn’t yet at fifteen. Stroke after stroke, he battled the surf, blindly trying to escape the hurt and anger that seemed to followed him relentlessly. Finally, he slowed and turned over to float on his back. He closed his eyes against the sun and tried to catch his breath. The waves rocked him up and down as his rage threatened to melt into heart-wrenching sorrow. Scrubbing at his eyes, Adam willed himself not to cry, not to release the grief that consumed his soul. Anger was the only way to keep the tears at bay. He couldn’t bear to feel the emptiness that came with the tears.

When the tide of emotion eventually passed, he sat up, treading water, and looked around. He was alarmed to see how far away from the shore he was. It would take him until sundown to swim back. He sighed, suddenly aware of how tired he was, not just from the swim but from the constant tension that he kept trying to escape. Knowing the only way to get back to shore was to start swimming, he took one more resigned breath before leaning forward to take that first stroke.

Something with a sandpaper surface suddenly brushed against his leg. Startled, Adam stopped his swim and looked around. Every muscle in his body tightened as he spotted the telltale fin turning in the water to circle him again. Internally, he cursed himself for letting his emotions get him into such a dangerous situation. He should have known better than to swim out this far. He was an easy target for the shark that started toward him again.

Adam swam as hard as he could, knowing his only hope was to reach shallow water before the shark reached him. But even adrenaline couldn’t make up for all of the energy that had been spent on the swim out into the depths. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw the shark rushing up to ram him. He twisted out of the way but not fast enough, as the shark’s nose caught him in the ribs as it went past. Adam knew it was just a matter of time before the shark would stop circling and start feeding. He drew the knife that had been tucked in his waistband and turned to face the shark that had started to rush him again. Panic welled up inside him as creature’s jaws opened to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. He raised to knife and prepared to strike. But as the shark approached, time slowed and a force that seemed to come from the depths of his being caused him to lower the knife. He couldn’t harm this creature. There was no rational reason; it was an unexplained feeling so powerful, he had no choice but to drop the knife.

The shark had no such hesitation. Stunned and unable to do anything but watch, Adam felt the powerful jaws clamp onto his side like a vice. The pain registered a split second later and he was on fire. Searing agony consumed him and he felt his consciousness start to waver. Not like this, he despaired, I don’t want to die like this. The shark let go and Adam felt himself slip beneath the water, unable to keep afloat any longer. Dimly, he saw the shark turn and start towards him for the final blow. Anywhere but here, he felt more than thought before the darkness closed around him completely.

‘Dreaming,’ he thought, ‘this has to be a dream.’ He was lying on what seemed to be a low table in a strange room. Turning his head to the right, he saw a column that seemed to glow with a cool soothing light. He tried to turn onto his side, but the pain from the shark’s bite stopped him short. As he tried to catch his breath, a light suddenly enveloped him from head to toe. A surge of energy seemed to concentrate on his side and he realized that he could no longer feel any pain from the bite. But the energy didn’t stop there. The light glowed brighter and he found himself remembering events of the past fifteen years. He remembered his parents and all of the love and laughter that had filled his life. It was as if all of the anger was being lifted from his soul and replaced with a feeling of comfort, such as he had never felt before. There was still sorrow, and loss, but the pain of it was lessened by a feeling of not being alone any more. He looked again at the column and suddenly had the impression that the glowing light was trying to tell him something–as if it knew about loneliness and loss in a deeper way. But there was comfort too, like he and the column were no longer alone, but connected in a way that was unexplainable. The light around his body faded, and he was filled with a longing to stay, to find out more about the light. But the exhaustion of his ordeal overcame him, and he could no longer keep his eyes open. As he drifted back into the darkness, he heard, or maybe felt, a voice warm and ancient.

When Adam next opened his eyes, it was twilight. He was lying on the beach, his clothes an arm’s length away. Slowly, he sat up and reached for his shirt. He felt a slight twinge in his side and he remembered his encounter with the shark. His hand forgot the shirt and explored his side, finding not a bloody gaping wound, but a long scar, completely healed. Adam frowned as he tried to remember what had happened and realized he couldn’t. There was only an impression that things would be alright now. He dressed carefully and headed up the path to his roller blades. He felt calm, more at peace than he had ever felt possible, yet he couldn’t explain why. Something told him that the future held promise.

One Year Later

Pulling himself up from the strange beach, Adam pushed the hair out of his face and looked around. He was puzzled. How could someplace he’d never been before seem so familiar. He headed toward the strange outcropping in the sand and knelt in front of a strange circle in the sand. As his hand traced the edges, he felt himself being pulled in. Adam yelled, first out of terror, then out of glee as he plummeted down the winding tunnel into the foreign interior. He walked slowly through the corridors, feeling guided somehow toward the center. Finally, he saw it, an open room with the glowing column whose light seemed to fill his being. The column grew brighter as he felt a warm and familiar voice.

Adam smiled.

I know it's been done before, but this was my personal interpretation. 

Feedback welcome.

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