Cowabunga Christmas (8 page)

It all
happened so fast. She was up, her tiny form mastering the board under her. I
sprang to my feet as Willow had done, took my stance, wobbled, and boom! I was
unceremoniously plunged into the water. I did a couple good rotations under
water before I righted myself and came up blowing water from more than one
orifice. I wore a face-splitting grin, though. No sand in my teeth and I had
been up on my board for like a whole five seconds before the sea claimed me.

“Woohoo!
That was a good try, Babe. You almost did it!” Brien came hurtling toward me,
his face only a few inches from mine.

“What
do you mean almost? I stood up on my board. Now all I’ve got to do is figure
out how to stay there.” He swooped in, put an arm around me and pulled me up
out of the water. He crushed my lips with a kiss, before rolling me onto my
board. I hung there for a second, dazed by the show of strength and that kiss.

“There’s
plenty more where that came from. Want to try it again?” Did I ever. He headed
back to the line. I was right behind him. Willow and the others were soon
beside us. Brien had me go over our practice session in my mind, visualizing
where my feet should be when I was up on them. He reminded me how to shift my
weight and catch my balance as I had done when he wiggled and rolled the board
for me. I tried to call every detail to mind.

“Follow
me on this one, okay?” Brien took off a moment later. I paddled like a maniac
and when he got up, I got up. This time I stayed up maybe a good fifteen
seconds before I tumbled backward off the board. Spit, spit, cough, cough! I
pulled myself up onto my board and looked for a route back to the line without getting
into anyone’s way. I felt frustrated, but for a few fleeting moments I had
experienced what it’s like to have the water carry me. Half a dozen tries
later, I was pooped. I had managed to stretch my longest ride to thirty seconds
or more. That still meant I got dumped long before I reached shore.

In
between my efforts to ride, I watched. I tried to understand what Willow and
the others saw in the swells that moved past us in sets. How did they know that
a wave was a good one? I watched as they moved and maneuvered on their boards.
I was fixated, like a cat staring as a ball of twine unraveled, dangling threads
for me to follow. I was so intent—mesmerized by Brien’s latest ride, that
Willow caught me by surprise for a second time.

“Good
effort this morning, Kim,” she said. I startled. She jumped, too. Then we both
had a good laugh.

“Sorry
I made you jump. I can’t believe I did it again. I’m heading in for a bathroom
break. You want to come with me?”

“No,
I’m studying,” I winked at her as I fixed my eyes on the big smile Brien wore
as he paddled my way.

“Can I
bring you water or a juice box?”

“Wow,
juice would be great. We packed water, but a jolt of sugar would be perfect.”

“Okay,
I’ll bring juice for the guys too. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.” The tiny
woman, with the power to move water and her board like it was nothing, took
off. When Brien joined me, I told him where she had gone and what she was
doing.

“That’s
awesome, Kim. I could use some sugar, too. You’ve been a good sport. Any time
you want we can head on in and hit the Christmas brunch buffet.”

“Are
there still good waves?”

“Sure,”
he responded.

“Then
let’s hang out and let you get in a few more rides. I might even try it again
once I put away that juice box.” I smiled and Brien rewarded me with another
kiss. Brien and I bobbed around at the line, content to let the gentle swell of
the ocean lull us into a happy state. I searched the beach for Willow. Her
board was stuck in the sand, but no sign of her.

Minutes
later, Mick paddled over and challenged Brien to get back out there. That’s all
it took for Brien to swing into action. They took off in tandem, whooping it
up, having the time of their lives. Soon they were both back, ready to do it
again. This time they didn’t get very far. The wave petered out on them before
they could even get up on their feet.

That was
the big lesson of the day—how much more time surfers spend paddling and
waiting, rather than riding. Even the experienced ones like my Brien and that
wannabe tribal leader, Mick. The two of them had come back, parallel to me once
again, and were conferring with Snaggy and TonyO when we heard a blood-curdling
scream. A big splash, too, followed by gunshots.

“Oh
no, not another dead Santa,” Brien exclaimed, paddling furiously in the
direction of that scream.

“That
was no Santa,” I hollered, paddling as fast as I could with my weary arms. That
had been a woman’s scream.

T
he
adrenalin pumped through my veins, powering my arms that were burning with
fatigue. We headed toward the shallow area closer to the cliffs. The waves
tossed and turned around rocky protrusions in the water. We were nearing that
area Willow had shown me the day before from up above on the cliffs. I did what
I could to keep up with Brien.

“Brien!”
I gulped, as water splashed against the rocks and into my face. “Brien, be
careful. Somebody’s got a gun.” I slipped down lower on my board so I could
kick too. Using my legs, I finally managed to get around another outcropping of
rocks. I looked up just as a man fired down into the lagoon. Before I could
control myself, I shrieked at the top of my lungs.

“Stop
that!” Brien grabbed me and flipped us both into the water as another shot rang
out. When I returned to the surface, the gunman had fled.

“He’s
gone, Kim.” Brien shouted. “That wasn’t smart though, you do know that right?”

“Yes,”
I glub-glubbed, as I continued to spew water. I stayed low in the water and did
not try to get back up on my board. The churning of the waves kept me focused
on just trying to stabilize myself.

“What’s
going on?” TonyO asked, as he and Snaggy caught up with us.

“We’re
not sure,” I said. Spit, spit; gasp for air. “A guy with a gun shot at us from
up there on the cliffs.”

“Whoa,”
they said, almost in unison, rolling off their boards into the water beside us.

“He
took off. I’m not sure where he went,” Brien said, as he scanned every inch of the
cliff tops with those eagle eyes of his. I was straining to check out those
cliffs, too, when I heard a plaintive cry.

“Help!
I need help.” A woman’s voice—one I recognized, even though her cry for help
wasn’t very loud.

“That’s
Willow, Brien. She’s in trouble. We’ve got to help her.” Brien took off, and
before he could tell me to stay put, so did I. We found a way through the rocks
into the small, shallow lagoon. Smaller than a lagoon really, it was more like
a tide pool. One of several interspersed among the rocks. At the back side of
the largest pool we had just entered, Willow lay on her side. She had crawled
up out of the water near the entrance to a large cave in the cliff. Brien and I
slid off our boards, removed the ankle tethers that kept them close, and went
to Willow.

“What
happened?” There was a rip in her wetsuit at her calf—blood was seeping out.
“Have you been shot?” I asked. She moaned, but said nothing. She had a scratch
on her cheek and another on her forehead along with a big welt.

“Willow,
can you speak to me?” She mumbled a response I didn’t quite get. I poured a
little water over the scratches and gently brushed her hair back. I wanted to
see how bad those cuts were—especially the one around that knot forming on her head.
Willow tried to open her eyes, mumbled ‘gun’ under her breath and closed her
eyes again.

“Willow,
it’s okay. No gun. It’s Kim. Talk to me.” She opened her eyes.

“Kim?”
she said, more a question than a statement of recognition. I worried she had
been knocked unconscious by that fall for a few minutes, or she was going into shock.

“Stay
with her—keep under the cover of the overhang.” Brien pointed to the edge of
the cliff protruding above us. “I’m going to get help. Keep her talking, Kim.”

“Brien,
please be careful. That guy with the gun could still be up there or on the
beach by now.” Brien planted a kiss on my lips and took off.

“I’ll
be back soon. Stay put.” He grabbed his board and found his way out of the
lagoon area. The route he chose would let him remain closer to the rugged shoreline
where I hoped he was better hidden from anyone who still might be up on those
cliffs. Soon he would have no choice but to risk exposure in order to get help.
I heard him holler at Snaggy and TonyO, telling one of them to stay with us and
the other to go with him.
Where was Mick?
I wondered.

“Willow,
it’s Kim.” I leaned in as I spoke trying once again to break through the fog
she was in.

“Kim,”
she said, as her eyes fluttered open. I caught a sign of recognition in them
before they closed this time.

“Willow,
talk to me. What happened? Please, can you tell me what happened?”

“A man
grabbed me at the shack. He wanted a GPS—Owen’s GPS... ” She stopped speaking.

“Did
you give it to him?” Her eyes opened wider as she looked around, fear and
confusion in them.

“What?
No, no. I don’t have it. I told him that. I don’t know where it is. He forced
his way into my shack and tossed everything—like a maniac. I got away and ran
up the path to the top of the cliff.” She stopped and closed her eyes.

“Keep
talking, Willow. Then what did he do?”

“He
came after me. I heard someone yelling about a gun. I kept running, but heard
him coming after me... ” She stopped talking and started to weep. “There was nowhere
else to go. I had no choice. I jumped. When I hit the water I caught my suit on
something, a sharp rock or piece of coral stabbed my leg, and I banged my head.
Then I heard a gunshot, so I dove under water. It’s not that deep, but I moved closer
to the cliffs while I was still under the water. When I came back up, I crawled
over here... ” She grabbed at me. Then she struggled for a moment to sit up.
“Where is he?” I pressed her back down.

“Take
it easy! We’re safe now.” I hoped I was telling her the truth. “The guy up
there on the cliff ran for it when he saw me and Brien. Brien’s gone for help.
He’ll be back soon.” I hoped that was true too. “Did you know who the man was?”

“No,
but I think Benny knows who he is.”

“Benny?
What makes you say that?” I asked. Willow raised her head a little, propping it
up on one arm.

“Benny
followed me when I got out of the water. I hit the restrooms at the dock area,
first. When I got back to my shack to get our drinks Benny was hanging out
nearby. I wondered what he was doing there, but thought he must be getting
drinks too. Or maybe he was waiting to walk back down to the beach with me.
That’s when this guy came out of nowhere and pushed his way into my shack.”

“If Benny
was still hanging around why didn’t he try to help you?”

“I
don’t know... maybe he’s the one who yelled, ‘gun’, I, I... ” Willow stopped
speaking and slumped back onto the ground. “I don’t remember much besides
pushing past that guy while he was busy trashing my place. I still had those
drink boxes in my hand. I threw them at him and ran.”

I sure
wished we had those drinks, now. I was parched. Then again, when she mentioned
making that pit stop at the restroom I realized I needed to do the same. Soon!

“You
did good, Willow. In fact, you were amazing. That dive was, wow... ” I was
looking around wondering if I could get this suit off and make that pit stop
right here. There were plenty of rocks to hide behind. With my luck I’d get
caught, literally, with my pants down as Brien and a whole rescue squad stormed
in here. I could hold it a little longer. I had stopped searching when all of a
sudden I spotted a shiny object just inside the mouth of that cave.

“Will
you be all right for a second while I go check something out?” Willow looked
puzzled.

“Sure,”
she responded. “Is somebody there?”

“No,
it’s nothing like that, Willow. No guy with a gun or no sign of that loser
Benny, either. I’ll be right back.” I ran about twenty feet or so and picked up
the object—a doubloon! A gold doubloon! Not a real one, but a piece of the
scrip used by the hotel. “Well, how do you like that?” I said aloud.

“Like
what?” Willow asked.

“I’ll
show you in a sec.” I ventured into the cave. It was darker, so it took my eyes
a few seconds to adjust. A path looked as though it led deep into the recesses
of the cave, up and into the cliffs no doubt. When I moved in a little farther
I could see that the cave branched off. There on one wall of the branch to my
left was a dinghy tipped up on its side. Too bad I didn’t have a flashlight
that would let me see better into the dark interior. It’s as if the black rock
walls absorbed the rays of sun that managed to reach inside from the opening at
the entrance. I could hear the lapping of water, dripping sounds too, and then
a flapping sound. I looked up and saw motion on a ledge above me. I was poised
to run for it. Maybe that gunman had found another way down the cliff and was
coming for us.

I felt
a gust of air from above me and heard that flapping sound again. This time I
saw a flicker of light caught on what must be a shiny plastic surface. A tarp—the
edge of a plastic tarp was flapping. I searched for a way to get closer. Then I
stepped up onto a large, flat rock and stretched as far as I could while
steadying myself with an outstretched arm. The tarp flapped again. This time as
the edge lifted I caught a glimpse of gold coins—spilling from what appeared to
be a sack of them. I was about to see if I could get an even closer look when I
heard noise outside the cave entrance. The sound of a motor boat and
shouts—help had arrived!