Missing

Sam looked at his watch as he tapped it to skip to the next song on his AirPods. It was 11:58 A.M., and lunch was calling. It was their second vacation day, and he hoped it would be relaxing. He grabbed his water bottle and was about to take a sip. 

"Where is Will?" Sarah shrieked at her husband. 

He took his AirPods and looked up from his iPad. "I don't know. He was just here digging." Sam responded carelessly, unaware of what was happening. Sarah looked at him in usual dismay. 

The shrill sound of a lifeguard's whistle and the chaos of people running in all directions on the beach quickly changed Sam's demeanor. He sprung up from his chair, looking around frantically for his six-year-old son. Sarah started screaming her son's name and dashed towards the beach with everyone. Sam wanted to tell her she should stay back in case Will returned, but who could stop a panicked mother? Sarah was already in the water looking for her son. Everyone was shouting as theories spread like wildfire. Someone mentioned a woman found a body floating. Another mentioned there was a shark in the water. A third person said someone had a heart attack while swimming. Not too far away, a couple of college boys were laughing. All the voices sang a haunting melody against the backdrop of crashing waves. Where are you, Will? And where the fuck is Sam? Absent as usual. 

Sam tried to remain calm, rational, and positive, which was the complete opposite of everything around him. He tried to think. He couldn't have lost sight of Will for more than a minute. There was no way he was in the water. And if he was in the water, he couldn't have gone too deep. But Sam's mind reminded him that you need not go deep to drown if you are a child. Sam walked anxiously as he looked around abandoned beach chairs and umbrellas. 

A few other lifeguards joined the young lifeguard who had whistled a few minutes before. The lifeguards commanded authority and reassurance in their bold red uniforms as they moved with purpose through the crowd. With their bullhorns, the lifeguards ordered the beachgoers to clear the area and stay close to their family members. Calmly, they stated that a shark had been sighted and that they were monitoring the situation. As if on command, the thudding noise filled the air as a helicopter appeared on the horizon. Sarah pushed through the crowd towards the lifeguards. 

"Excuse me! I can't find my son. Can you please help me?" Sarah yelled to get their attention.  

One of the lifeguards came closer and motioned people to make room. The lifeguard, who identified as Kevin, quickly took down Will's description, name, and age and asked Sarah to guess the last time she saw him and where he was. She said she was not sure, but her husband would know better. Kevin radioed others to look for a missing boy and quickly gave Will's description. He reassured Sarah that this always happened and that they would find Will soon. He asked if Will knew how to return to their car or residence.  

They didn't drive a car, and their hotel was just across the street from the beach. She didn't know if Will could find his way back. He relayed the information again to others over the radio and asked Sarah to walk him to where they sat. 

As they walked, Sarah noticed the look of pity and sorrow on people's faces as they whispered to each other. More lifeguards appeared now, surveilling the water edge and talking to people. Other lifeguards on Jetskis appeared on the water, going back and forth and monitoring it. Seagulls screeched overhead; their cries mournfully accompanied the frantic activity below. 

As they approached their umbrella, she saw Sam standing with his hand covering his mouth, his face terrified. Her heart immediately sank. She ran towards him with the lifeguard running right behind her. 

"What's wrong?!" 

"I . . . found his bucket by the beach. Someone said they saw him going towards the water but don't know where he went after that." 

Kevin relayed the information right away on his walkie-talkie. 

"Is that a bad thing?" Sarah asked the lifeguard.

"Well, we have a sighting of him, so that's a good thing. We will continue looking, mam, don't worry, we will find him." 

Sarah looked at the ocean, which now appeared ominous and foreboding. Its vast expanse mirrored the depth of despair and anxiety gripping her heart. 

A moment later, the lifeguards on jetskis signaled they saw something in the water. The rhythmic purr of the jetskis cutting through the waves echoed like a heartbeat quickened by anticipation. Their red and white frames skimmed the water with purpose as they converged towards a spot in the sea. Sarah and Sam held their breath, their hearts pounding in unison with the escalating suspense hanging heavy in the salty air. Tension peaked as the lifeguards circled a specific spot several times before stopping. At that moment, time slowed to a crawl. Sam gripped Sarah's hand as they waited to see. Finally, the walkie-talkie roared to life and made Sarah jump as she heard the lifeguard say it was just a floating tarp. Sarah took her hand back from Sam's grip as they continued the search for their son.  

In dismay, Sam looked at his wife, shook his head, and kept walking. His wife had been mad at him since last night when she saw a message from Trish, his childhood friend, on his phone. Ever since Trish divorced, Sarah has become very jealous of them hanging out together. He told her several times that they were just friends and there was nothing between them. Trish was having a rough time after the divorce, and he was there to support his friend. But Sarah didn't see it this way. He hated that she always thought the worst of every scenario and blamed him without checking the facts. She probably blamed him for their son being missing.

The sun blazed overhead, casting long shadows and intensifying the heat, but Sarah barely noticed as she scoured the shoreline, her eyes scanning every inch of sand. Worry consumed her as time went on without finding Will. Up to this moment, she has kept her tears, but the bad scenarios kept swirling in her head one after the other. First, he drowned, then a shark bit him, then he was kidnapped to be tortured by some evil monster. She couldn't keep this up. Out of despair, she started screaming her son's name. 

While Sarah screamed, Kevin's Walkie-Talkie beeped again. The helicopter confirmed that the shark had moved from the beach and it was safe to return to the water. Sam and Sarah looked at Kevin anxiously. 

"The shark left the waters, so this is good news," Kevin said confidently. 

"How? How is this good news?" Sarah asked nervously and in a harsher toner than she wanted. 

"Well, if there had been a shark attack, we would have had a visual by now, such as blood in the water, clothes, or a body washing ashore. Humans are not part of a shark's natural diet. We need to.…" he stopped talking for a second as he watched a couple of kids digging sand with a turtle-shaped mold. Sarah looked at what took his attention but didn't understand.

"Does your son like turtles?" Kevin asked with a twinkle of an idea in his mind. 

"He likes to see them at the aquarium. Why?" 

Kevin smiled and said, "I think I know where he went; follow me," as he walked swiftly with a new purpose.  

"Where are we going?" Sam asked as he tried to keep up with the young lifeguard 

"I am not sure if you know, but our beach is prime real estate for nesting loggerhead mothers. Around this time, newborn loggerhead turtles hatch, and we have a rescue and rehabilitation center right on the beach that is not too far from where you guys are sitting." 

Not too far away, a boy with tousled hair and sand-streaked cheeks knelt on the golden beach; his laughter mingled with the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore. Tiny baby turtles scuttled across the sand towards the sea; their small, determined movements mirrored the boy's excitement. He gently picked one up, examining it with wide, curious eyes, unaware of the shouts in the distance as his name was called out. 

Sam and Sarah sprinted when they saw the outline of a boy who looked like Will. Their hearts pounded with fear mixed with hope. They kept calling his name, wishing he would look up. As they drew closer, the scene became clear: their son, blissfully unaware of the turmoil, giggled with delight as he followed the baby turtles waddle toward the sea. He finally looked up to see his mother and father running towards him. 

"Look, Mommy, I found baby turtles. Aren't they so cute? I was helping helping them." The boy spoke with such joy and innocence that made his parents cry even harder as they saw his bright smile spreading across his face as he waved, holding up a turtle to show them. 

"Daddy, can we keep it? Pleaaaaaaase." His excitement was contagious, a bright light that broke the storm of fear that had enveloped the parents, who collapsed beside him, wrapping him tightly. Their relief was palpable as the world faded around them. Will continued to chatter excitedly about the turtles. Around them, onlookers watched with smiles of relief, the tension lifting as the family reunited.  

"I don't think we can, buddy. They want to go and swim with their mommies and daddies, but tell you what, you can sit here and watch them as much as you want every day until we leave." 

Sarah quickly added, "But you have to be with either Mommy or Daddy, okay? We were very worried that we lost you, honey. I understand you were very excited to see the turtles; that's why you left without telling us, right ?" The boy nodded with a worried smile, acknowledging that he had not told his parents when he ran to see the turtles.

"Don't worry, you are not in trouble. How about we get some lunch? And maybe some ice cream?" 

The boy's eyes lit up when he heard the magical words. He looked at the turtles another time and waved them goodbye as he stood up to walk with his parents, never letting go of his hand.