I paddled out just as he got another wave. And it was beautiful. He jumped to his feet as gracefully as a cat and surfed up the wave. I knew he was setting up to do a cutback and at the top he kicked the back of the board around. I waited for him to turn around, but instead his board slid over the back of the wave and he fell off.
I couldn’t believe it. Then I saw why – one of his fins had snapped off. That was why his surfboard hadn't stayed on the wave and he’d slipped over the back. He popped his head up from underneath the water and started laughing.
He got a score of five for that wave, which meant that I had the best score and I was going through to the semi-final.
‘Hey Grub,’ Roy yelled when we were walking up the beach.
I looked over at him. I didn’t think he’d known who I was.
‘Good luck.’
Chapter 10
Dad picked me up and congratulated me and shook my hand and patted me on the back. He had no idea what had happened, but he was as proud as punch. I couldn’t believe I’d beaten Roy. I saw him high-fiving all his friends and laughing. Some of them tackled him in the sand and tried to bury him alive. Someone found the broken fin and ran around pretending to be a shark. Ryan walked over and said some words to them. They all jumped up and high-fived him too. Then Ryan came over to see me.
‘Hey, Mitchell,’ he said, ‘nice surfing, mate.’
‘I can’t believe I beat Roy,’ I blurted.
Ryan glanced over at Roy, then his brown eyes flicked back at me.
‘You think you beat him?’
‘I got a better score.’
‘Yes, but…’ He stared straight at me, just like on the first day I’d met him. ‘I think the ocean beat him today,’ he said slowly, before ruffling my hair with his big hand and walking off to talk to more people.
The voice over the loudspeaker crackled to life. ‘The contestants for the first semi-final are Mitchell Sheehan and Kell Boardman.’
My mouth was suddenly dry.
‘Good luck,’ Dad said, while Mum gave me a kiss.
I walked down to the water’s edge thinking about what Ryan had said. If Roy hadn’t broken his board, would he have beaten me? Probably. He probably would have won the whole competition. Maybe Ryan was right. It wasn’t a competition against each other, but a competition with the ocean. It had already beaten me once, and I’d been lucky that Ryan had been there to rescue me.
Kell was waiting for me and was holding something white and soft in his hand. I think it was a milk bottle lolly.
‘Guess what Witchetty Grub,’ he yelled.
‘What?’
‘I eat witchetty grubs.’ He stuck the white gooey lolly in his mouth and chewed loudly.
I snorted and paddled out after him. The smell of the ocean was still something I was getting used to. I'd grown up with the smell of dry, dusty wind blowing off the land. I licked the salt of my lips and inhaled the clean hair. Once I’d paddled through the surf break I sat up and looked clear to the horizon; that was something that I was used to from the farm.
Kell splashed some water at me and interrupted my reverie.
‘This is different to standing on the back of a horse,’ he sneered.
I pretended not to hear him and kept staring out to sea. I realised I didn’t need to respond. The only way he knew I could stand on a horse was because Marcy must have told him. I smiled slyly.
The hooter sounded just as the waves started to come towards us. The first one was bigger than anything I’d surfed that morning.
‘My wave,’ Kell demanded.
He was good to watch, almost as good as Roy. He did some nice turns and then went for a cutback; it wasn’t that good. He didn’t look very smooth, but the judges gave him a score of eight-point-two and he fist pimped triumphantly. Once he'd paddled back out he sat beside me without saying anything. In surfing competitions there’s an unspoken law that contestants alternate waves; it was now my turn. I inspected the coming wave, looking for the best place to paddle onto it and was about to move into position when Kell paddled for it – stealing my wave.
‘Mongrel!’ I muttered.
I turned my head back to see what the next wave was like. It was okay, smaller than the one I’d wanted, but it looked like I could do some tricks on it –maybe even a cutback. I had to do a cutback if I wanted to win.
I started paddling and imagined I was riding Pippa, just like old times. The cutback was no more difficult than standing on the back of Pippa when she was galloping. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kell surf up to the lip, going for a cutback again. He looked awkward and his body was all twisted. I could tell he was trying to force it. Ryan had told me that a wave is a wave; you can’t force it to change. You have to accept it the way it is. I focused on what I was doing and jumped to my feet smoothly.
Kell swore loudly and I guessed that he’d stuffed it up. I only had to beat eight-point-two! I concentrated on setting up a strong bottom turn. I was surfing towards where Kell had fallen and I could see his board floating in the water. The wave had already passed and I knew it shouldn’t be holding him under anymore. He should've been able to swim to the surface – why hadn't he?
I pulled a smooth bottom turn past his board and started going up the face of the wave. It was the perfect wave for a cutback.
Then I did a big turn – something was not right.
I dived into the water.
Kell was suspended underwater a few metres away. I grabbed him and pulled him to the surface. He was bigger and heavier than me and I had to kick as hard as I could. On the surface I tried to hold his head out of the water so he could breathe. He had a big red mark on his forehead from where he’d hit the bottom and been knocked unconscious. It was really big – the wave must have really smashed him hard.
I wasn’t sure if he was dead or something. I remembered how Ryan had used his board to rescue me, so I grabbed Kell’s board and stuck it under his body. There was another wave coming and I climbed on behind him, surfing the wave into shore. I heard the hooter sound, which meant I didn’t have time to get another wave, but I didn’t care. I had to get Kell to shore.
Chapter 11
People were standing on the beach yelling and pointing at us. I saw a man running through the crowd down the beach. By the look on his face I figured he must have been Kell’s dad.
When we got into the shallows I stood and lifted Kell up. My arms where burning as I dragged him through the water. I looked up at the crowd of people for help. I didn’t think I could hold him up much longer. I was exhausted and he was so heavy. My arms felt like jelly and the beach was still twenty metres away.
Thankfully, Ryan appeared, just like last time. In one swift motion he scooped Kell from my arms and ran up the beach. He laid him down on the sand and rolled him on his side. Everyone crowded around to watch what was happening. Ryan stuck two fingers into Kell’s mouth and suddenly, Kell came to life, coughing water everywhere. He made a loud hacking sound and his whole body jolted with each cough. He sounded like a wild animal dying – but he was alive!
After a moment he sat up with a confused look on his face and rubbed the red mark on his forehead. It was the shape of a small egg now. His dad and Steve crowded around him to make sure he was okay. I could hear Steve telling him that the best thing to do was to get back out on the water for the final. His dad didn’t look too thrilled about the idea. But Kell was alive and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could feel my heart still pounding – rescuing Kell had been tiring and scary.
As I went to get my board Marcy passed me and slipped through the crowd of people. She didn’t even notice me and I heard her asking if Kell was okay. I kicked a pebble under my feet, maybe I should have taken the wave and won, at least then I would be in the final.
Ryan came over to me. ‘Mitchell. Good work, my man,’ he said as he patted me on the back. ‘You saved him.’
‘I remembered how you rescued me,’ I replied, kicking the pebble again.
br /> ‘I couldn’t have done it any better.’
I shrugged. ‘Will he be able to go in the final?’
‘He should be okay. He swallowed some water… nothing too serious. I always say the best thing to do is to get back out there.’
I nodded understandingly. Ryan had always made me get back on the board when the ocean had knocked me off and tried to drown me. He started walking off, but stopped and turned back. ‘Mitchell,’ he called.
‘Yeah.’
‘If you don’t make it as a surfer you could always be a lifeguard. That was some good stuff.’
‘Thanks,’ I mumbled.
I picked up the pebble and hurled it out to sea – good stuff or not, Marcy had gone to see if Kell had been okay. She hadn’t even looked at me. It was time to go home. Kell had beaten me, even though the ocean had beaten him. Maybe I should just stick to riding horses.
‘Hey, mate.’
I turned.
Kell was standing there with his surfboard.
‘Yeah,’ I said.
‘You can go in the final.’
‘What?’
I looked at him and I saw the same look that Marcy had in her eyes when Pippa had scared her.
‘I’m not feeling too good.’ He stuck his hand out and I took it. He shook it firmly and then slapped me hard on the shoulder. ‘Good luck, mate.’
He walked off with his dad as the announcer came over the PA system,
‘The contestants for the final are Chelsea Blake and Mitchell ‘The Grub’ Sheehan.’
I was too shocked to be scared – I was in the final!
I started to walk into the water to paddle out.
‘Hey, Grub,’ said a soft voice.
I turned, wondering how I had suddenly become known as The Grub.
‘I was just looking for you,’ said Marcy.
‘Yeah,’ I replied.
She smiled. ‘That was amazing. I saw you surf that wave on Kell’s board with him on it too.’
I smiled back at her and tried to look away, but I couldn’t. She walked through the water until she was beside me, I thought I smelt apricots and peaches.
‘Can I give you a kiss for good luck?’
I didn’t know what to say.
My pulse started racing. Oh, my god.
‘Sure,’ I stuttered.
She leaned up and kissed me on the lips. She tasted of strawberries and the smell of apricots and peaches made me dizzy.
‘Maybe we can go horse riding again soon,’ she said.
‘Definitely.’
***
I didn’t win the final even though I did a cutback; I guess my mind was on other things. Chelsea was really good, better than Kell, but not as smooth as Roy.
Marcy and I went horse riding again and now we go nearly every weekend. She’s getting really good at controlling Pippa.
At school I sometimes hang out with Kell, but after school I surf with Roy. He reckons we’re mates because we both understand the ocean. When the surf is really good we try and skip school, but if Ryan sees us he always takes us back. He reckons there’ll be plenty of time to surf when we finish school.
And even Dad calls me Grub; he reckons it’s the best nickname ever.
***
About the author:
Thank you for reading. I live in Noosa, Australia and when I'm not writing I'm usually in the ocean, swimming, surfing or scuba diving.
The second Grub adventure where The Grub, Marcy and Roy go camping and end up being locked in a lighthouse by Crazy Cracking Christo will be available soon.
Visit my webpage for more information lockpollard.com
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