The Mermaid's Mirror - L. K. Madigan [22]
Lena nodded.
"So you know to swim parallel to shore until you're out of it. Don't try to fight it."
They sat quietly. Lena glanced over at Ani, who was studying the waves intently.
Doesn't everyone know how to do this? thought Lena. She had been "reading" the waves as plainly as if they were books for as long as she could remember. It had never occurred to her that some people had to be taught how to do it.
"Perfect," murmured Ani. "Nice, mushy waves. Good for beginners."
She looked at Lena, and now her expression was stern. "Next thing, before we even get in the water, I want to remind you that this isn't a swimming pool. This is Mother Nature, and she is powerful. Respect her power. Learn to protect yourself, because this Mother has no loyalty. Once you've learned how to take care of yourself, then you'll be able to have fun."
Kai stood up and said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just let her get in the water." He caressed Lena's cheek and said, "See you out there."
As Kai splashed into the water and lay down on his board, Ani said, "Let's watch him for a few minutes. Then we'll get in, I promise."
"Okay."
"See how he's got his back kind of arched, and he's using nice fluid motions? That's the right way to paddle. Just your arms. If you put your whole body into it, you'll wear yourself out." Ani pointed to the surfers already in the water. "That's the lineup. Don't get in their way ... like Kai is doing. If a good wave broke right now, they'd have to try to avoid him. Or worse, someone might decide to ride right over him, to teach him a lesson."
They watched the surfers for a few more minutes. A promising wave rose up, and three of the surfers began to paddle furiously, including Kai.
"See that girl?" said Ani. "She's on the inside of that wave."
Lena nodded, studying the position of the three surfers.
The girl surfer popped up first on her board, on the "inside," as Ani had said, earning the right of way. One of the other surfers cut his board back up over the wave and kicked out to wait for the next one.
Kai, however, continued riding the wave next to her, knees bent, wiry body balancing with the swell.
"Okay, do not do that," said Ani. "Do not drop in on someone else's ride. It's not cool."
"Why would he do that?"
"Surfers can be really competitive. Especially to girl surfers. I guarantee he wouldn't do that to a dude. He might get his skinny butt kicked. Which reminds me. As a girl, you have to be hyperaware of the mood out in the lineup. If you ever find yourself in a situation that feels unsafe, get out of the water and leave. Live to surf another day. Now. Let's practice your stance before we head out."
"Okay."
"I want you to lie down on the board, do a pushup, and land on the deck like this." Ani demonstrated, then had Lena practice a few times. After she was satisfied that Lena had mastered the landing, Ani said, "Awesome! Let's go surfing!"
The water was cold, but Lena barely noticed the temperature. It was such a relief to relax into weightlessness in the sea that she nearly wept. Lena hadn't been swimming for ages. The heartbeat of the ocean pulsed around her, as if to say "Welcome back."
"Lie down on your stomach on the board," instructed Ani. "Feet together. Good. Wow, you're doing great with balance! Just staying on the board is hard enough."
Lena smiled. The rocking motion of the swells felt as soothing to her as being rocked in a cradle.
"Okay, Lena, here comes a little wave. Arch your back and grab the rails to do a pushup."
"The rails?"
"Sorry, the rails are the sides of the board. Here it comes!"
Lena did as Ani instructed, and Ani helped push her board over the wave. "Great! That was a little one. When you get a bigger wave coming toward you, you'll have to turn turtle. That means you're going to roll over, holding on to