Chapter Eighty-Three
Eighty-Three
Undertow
The wave hits Ted – he doesn’t even seem to see it coming – and he’s sucked into the backwash, ragdolled like he weighs nothing, and trying desperately to get back on his feet. He’s a miniature Shih Tzu, a short-muzzled breed renowned for being poor swimmers. This is the end of him. He won’t be able to pull free of this undertow.
Suddenly, Caleb is powering past me and into the waves, reaching his hands out for Ted. He almost gets him, but another wave hits and Ted goes under the water. I can’t even see where he is in the swirl of the breaking waves. He’s dead. He has to be. No dog could survive this, let alone a tiny one like Ted.
But Caleb isn’t giving up. I see him dive under a breaking wave, which hits him with the force of an explosion, but when he comes up for air, he’s holding a lifeless Ted against his chest.