The Final Plunge

It was cloudy at the ocean that day. As the sweat darkened his striped shirt, Balaraj peeked above the spine of his dog-eared crime thriller to look at his family frolicking at the shore. His son, his wife, and their three kids - toddlers who deserved a safer vacation spot - stood with their leggings stretched up and squealed in joy as the ocean devoured their feet one moment and give them back the next. Balaraj grumbled and returned to his book. His elderly anxiety always fell on deaf ears.

Presently, he lost himself again in the travails of Detective Gopal as he braved perilous waters to solve the mystery of the missing ship. It was only after Gopal had reached the spot of the wreck and his sidekick had started voicing his misgivings towards the whole mission that Balaraj looked up to notice the absence of his family, along with the sun. He glanced at the beach parking spot, now empty. He stood up indignantly. They'd forgotten him again; now he'd a have to walk back home. But before I leave, he thought, let me check what unseen dangers my kids have been skirting. He waddled over to the shore, and with enormous effort, managed to dip a wrinkly toe into the water. The awesome cold of the ocean radiated upward through his body, and all the anxiety that had formerly crippled him dissolved instantly. In a wild frenzy, Balaraj flung away Detective Gopal and his meticulous methods, dove into the ocean and, between gasps, sang "This isn't scary at all!" over and over again as he swam away into the horizon.