He muttered something under his breath but kept on running. I was afraid that he was going to try to convince them, go down and talk to them, but he didn’t. That was reassuring, and frightening. This wasn’t just me and my imagination. He thought this was dangerous too. We just had to get up to the hotel. Once we were there we’d be safe, and—I heard the sound at the same instant my father heard it. He looked back. I was afraid to look, but I had to. I turned and saw the massive wave washing across the flats!

“Run!” my father screamed as he grabbed me by the hand.

It was like some sort of nightmare—running from a killer through what felt like quicksand and not being able to move fast enough to escape. We stumbled up onto the pool deck. It was solid underfoot and I could run faster. There were other people running and screaming, and the sound of the water became louder and louder until it overwhelmed everything else. We were almost at the lobby, where my mother was, and I dared to glance over my shoulder again. There was a wall of water racing toward us, towering high over our heads!

We were picked up and I was plunged under the water, twisting and turning and spinning like a sock in some kind of gigantic washing machine! I slammed into something and started to scream but shut my mouth tightly when I realized I was still under water. I tried to look around but couldn’t see anything, or even figure out which way was up or over or out. And then my head popped above the surface. I gasped for air, catching a mouth ful before I was sucked back down and spun around and around. Things I couldn’t see were bashing into my legs, my body, the side of my head. I popped to the surface again, and in that instant realized I was in the lobby, with the roof just inches above my head, being pushed along toward the front doors!

My whole body slammed hard against something and I was spun around as the wave washed me out through those doors. I was part of a river of water that had overwhelmed the entire hotel and was sweeping me up the street. I grasped and grabbed and pushed away from the pieces of debris that filled the water. I was part of an avalanche of objects, bouncing against me and each other and the things that remained standing.

I struggled, trying desperately to fight my way out, going under, kicking to the surface, being smashed and hit and battered and tossed. I grabbed on to a tree, but the force of the water pulled me off and spun me around. I slammed into something—a wall—and the air was forced from my lungs. The water pinned me in place and I reached up, trying to pull myself free, trying to climb the wall, trying to get free of the water. Then something smashed into the back of my head and my whole body burned with pain. I felt myself go limp and my vision got blurry and my legs were suddenly numb. I had to pull myself up just a little…just a little…