(An ongoing piece of work)

The ground hurt his face. The sand burns his skin. The water irritates his eyes. His body feels heavy, too heavy. He tries to raise himself on his hands. But he cannot. He is lying face down on the cold soggy beach. His naked body is bedraggled with a tattered and torn shirt and ragged shorts. He has nothing on his feet. He looks shipwrecked. He is. He is tired and limp.

“Mister, you’ll have to get up, or you’ll drown. The tide is coming in.”

Three 10 year old boys were standing by the body laying face down in the muddy sand. The man moved, wriggled, pushed with his hands but could not lift himself.

After looking at each other, shrugging their shoulders, the boys rushed into the water, and all helped to lift the young man and pull him, drag him, out of the shallows onto the high drier sand.