Have Some Cake
Christmas: San Diego, CA
San Diego, California, USA
A midnight blue wave swells, rushing over the glistening ocean surface.
Feet ahead of the wave, Sam Steel stands waist-deep in the cool, sloshing waters with his boogie board sticking up in front of him. With the thundering of the approaching wave flooding his ears, he whirls around as his eyes grow wide.
The wave is crashing toward him.
“I’m catching this wave, I’m catching this wave!!!”
Sam plops onto his boogie board and paddles and kicks to gain momentum. The wave slips underneath him and throws him through the surface. Sam gleefully clutches onto the edge of his boogie board as the salty, cool mist hits his face.
The wave then calms and spreads out, reducing its momentum. Sam’s boogie board glides to a slow halt in the shallow waters.
“Haha, yeah!” Sam leans back to get off his boogie board and stand in the knee-deep water. He then turns around.
Yards away from him in the ocean is his friend and teammate, Max Jones, with his own boogie board.
Sam waves at him with his free hand. “Come on, Jonsey!”
“Sorry!” Max echoes back. “I missed that wave!”
Sam groans with a roll of his eyes. Yet when he lifts his eyes, they widen. His jaw drops. “Whoa! Max, look!” He jabs a pointer finger out beyond him.
With curiosity, Max peers behind his shoulder.
Nearing toward him is a massive, thundering wave.
Max grimaces at it as he steps away. “Ohhh maaan!!!”
“Ride it, ride it, ride it!” Sam chants from near the shore.
“Ahhhh--!” He lies on his boogie board then paddles and kicks frantically.
The wave crashes underneath him and shoots him across the water.
“AHHHHH!!!”
Sam follows him with his eyes as he passes by him. Max continues screaming as he flies to shore and abruptly halts against the gray sand.
Sam gazes at him with wonder. “Awesome!” He pushes his boogie board while wading behind it to shore and scoops it underneath his arm to approach his friend.
“Whoo!!!” Max climbs to his feet and tucks his tied boogie board under his arm. “Best ride ever!”
Sam gives him a grin before high-fiving him. “And best Christmas ever!”
The two then amble through the thick, soft, sun-heated sand, heading toward a beach umbrella with two laid beach towels on each side and a paper bag.
“Christmas?” Sam starts, gazing around the bright, yet cloudy skies above the cliff parallel to the shore. “At the beach?” He turns to Max. “And this isn’t even Australia!”
“No hassles with digging up snow or thick jackets!” Max pipes in.
“No worrying about blizzards or getting hypothermia!”
They arrive at their spot and unstrap their boogie boards before placing them on the outer side of their beach towels. They simultaneously sit on their beach towels under the large umbrella.
Max lies down with his arms behind his head. “This is the life.”
Sam whips out a pair of black sunglasses and slips them on. “Thank you, Anaheim, for drafting us.”
Sam then takes the paper bag and pulls out two wrapped sandwiches. He hands one to his friend.
Max sits up and unwraps his sandwich. “And it’s still peaceful!” He takes a bite and holds the sandwich out from his side. “Hear the crashing of the waves…” He draws in a deep breath. “...the salty air…” He looks down at his feet stuffed in the sand. “...the soft, warm sand.”
Sam peeks at him from over the sunglasses. “Don’t forget the epic waves.”
A thrilled smile pops on his face. “Oh-ho, yes, the epic--”
CAW! a seagull screams from Max’s right side.
With wide eyes, Max leans forward as he feels a heavy weight bob against his sandwich. “Whoa!” He whirls to his right.
Propped on his wrist is a seagull, poking its yellow and orange beak at his sandwich.
“GAAAHHHH!!!” Max flails his arm, throwing the seagull off of it.
From the other side of the umbrella, Sam stares at him through his dark lenses. “Whoa! A seagull!”
The seagull flaps back to Max.
“No!” Max smacks it.
With surprise, Sam shuffles to his left, putting himself in a safe distance from the angry bird. “I think it wants your sandwich!”
The seagull hovers above Max’s sandwich and pecks at it.
“But I want it!” Max redirects his sandwich across his chest.
The seagull flaps across him, its yellow eyes aimed at the sandwich.
“GAH!” Sam throws himself off his beach towel as the seagull’s wings dangerously flap near him.
“NOOO!!!” Max launches to his feet and dashes off.
The seagull soars after him.
Sam sits up and adjusts his sunglasses before peering ahead. He spots Max rushing down the shore with the seagull gliding inches from his held sandwich.
He can’t help but laugh. “HAH! Jonsey! You’re being chased by a seagull!” He places his hands on his chest. “Even though we’re Gulls!”
“NYYYAAAAA!!!” Max replies, becoming smaller and smaller with the seagull as he runs further down the shore.
Sam dips and shakes his head. “Where’s Gulliver when you need him? He’s gotta tame his folks.”
“SAM!!!” he hears Max yell. “HELP!!!” He lifts his head and gazes ahead.
Max is sprinting back toward him. The seagull is still flying behind him.
Sam gawks at him. “Really? You can’t get rid of it?”
“NOOOOO!!!”
Sam gawks at him, watching his friend grow larger as he nears him.
With a huff of determination, Sam crawls back to his beach towel, snatches his sandwich from it, unwraps it, and gazes ahead.
Max, with the seagull furiously following him, begins crossing his path.
“UGH!” Sam hurls his sandwich at the seagull.
The sandwich hits the seagull, falling apart on contact. The bird is batted aside, yet quickly gains its composure. It spots the fallen food on the shore and lands. With a caw, it begins gobbling up the pieces.
Sam darts his eyes to his friend, spotting him still hurrying past their spot. He cups his hands around his mouth and bellows, “It doesn’t want your sandwich!”
Max slows to a halt and turns around. After gazing down at the content seagull for a few moments, he jogs up to his friend.
Max approaches him and leans over, panting hard. “THANK YOU,” he breathes out.
“Yup.” Sam nods.
He perks up at him. “That was your sandwich?”
“Yup. It was a hungry seagull. Just like us.”
Max chuckles. “Hah, how ironic.” He straightens up and gazes at his intact sandwich. He then rips it in half.
“Here.” Max holds it out to him. “I’ll treat you to dessert. Thank you for saving me from...that seagull.”
Sam smiles at him. “Thanks.” He takes it.
The two return to their beach towels and sit down on them. They eat in the sounds of the waves rolling as they gaze ahead.
On the shore, where the sandwich was spilled, is now a flock of white and gray seagulls.
“Wait ‘til the boys here about this,” Sam remarks before turning to him.
Max looks at him. “I’m gonna need to talk to Gulliver about keeping his folks in check.”
The two then burst into laughter.
The End.
