An Adventure Story

Ranul Edirisinghe

Following is the essay written by Ranul Edirisinghe which won the bronze award at the Commonwealth Essay Competition 2011 Class C

The sea stood still as the sun blazed gracefully in the clear pacific sky on a beautiful Sunday morning. The salty aroma of the sea swam into my nose and I could feel the relentless wind whipping strongly on my face. I was readying my little wooden kayak, preparing myself for an eagerly anticipated day of fishing along with my sister who agreed to give me a helping hand.

We set off after a short while and the first hour went somewhat quickly during which time we had paddled ourselves far into the endless ocean. We soon began preparing the fishing nets and within minutes we had already caught a satisfactory amount of fish. My sister was unusually useful as she assisted me in carrying the nets which were quite heavy and paddling the kayak. I could also see that my sister was enjoying, suggested by the gleaming smile on her face as we laughed and joked under the magnificent morning sun which seemed to shimmer over the glossy sea as the icy cold waves rippled peacefully.

Hours flew by fast at sea, much like the gulls overhead and after being bathed by the morning sunshine, tired and exhausted we decided to head back to shore. Our hands were drained after fishing and paddling proved rather tiresome, as we made our way back on our tiny kayak. It was all going well, until suddenly it started raining. At first, it was quite beautiful as the tiny droplets pelleted the giant ocean making a somewhat faint yet routine splattering sound. However soon, the tiny peaceful ripples had turned into angered waves which splashed violently.

The clear blue sky was now engulfed by dark festering clouds which loomed menacingly over turbulent sea. Gigantic riotic waves slapped our kayak from side to side and soon we were swaying uncontrollably. I tried steadying the kayak with my paddle but to no avail as the belligerent sea seemed to toy with our kayak. At every wave which crashed onto us, there was a growing sense of trepidation which only added to my ever growing angst. I remember the worried look on my sister's face as a sleet of thunder ripped open the gloomy sky.

This was followed by a gusty current of wind which raced across the horizon at a blistering pace which almost seemed to blow our kayak away like a kite at the restless rain continued to shower down heavily. I knew that the tiny wooden kayak would eventually break as we desperately tried to twist and turn our way through the tempestuous storm only to be dragged back by the tumultuous sea which seemed to somewhat strangle our kayak.

I remember muttering to my sister that everything was going to be alright as thunder lit up the dark sky, much like fireworks on New Year's Day as we watched on fearfully. Time passed briskly and the agitated sea only seemed to worsen.

The waves had now turned into enormous skyscrapers which seemed to clobber our boat, battering it from side to side. Drained and burnt out by the intense paddling every agonizing second seemed to take eternity, as hanging onto dear life, half crippled I was soon reaching my breaking point.

Suddenly, when all hope seemed to be lost, the sea seemed to rise together forming a gigantic singular wave which seemed to rise majestically much like a graceful eagle, which was truly a spectacular sight before crashing down with all its might onto our kayak which seemed to snap upon impact, catapulting me and my sister into the infuriated sea. I cannot remember what happened next, although to my good fortune I woke up on the soft, golden sand of the beach some time later. However I had woken up to the painful, heartbreaking realization that my sister hadn't been so lucky.