The Shark.

I could see the shark's dorsal fin cutting the turgid water as it slowly circled me. It was just waiting for the right time to launch its attack. The line from my fishing rod was slack. The shark was not fighting to get away any more... he was stalking me. Out for revenge! He smelt my fear. I had ventured too far into the sea on my paddle ski, and the shark had pulled me still further from shore. I could just make out the dunes in the distance. I was in big trouble. This was no longer a fishing trip, it had turned into a contest. A fight with no holds barred. One of us would die today.

I am always amazed at the size of the idiot I can be. I was on leave and my friends had said, ”Hey why don't you try for some nice big fish instead of smacking the waves for small ones. Take a paddle ski and go to the reel and catch some real fish. Not the small stuff you get while you beat the waves from the shore.” Sometimes it's better to listen to your enemies rather that your friends because you expect bad advice from your enemies not from your friends. I had never caught anything really big, although after watching all those fishing stories on the TV, it seemed to be the cool thing to do. Out I went on a hired paddle ski into the deep water. I guess I left my brains at the hotel it was staying at or I would not have come this far.. So here I was knee deep in trouble. Lunch for the shark!

I did not want to catch a shark. Not any shark. I hated sharks. Big ones and small ones. They all had teeth. By the looks the menacing dorsal fin this one looked big enough to swallow me and use my paddle ski for a toothpick
.
It had been a good day for fishing, and the reef I was sitting over was the ideal place to fish from, because it faced against a deep gully which would hold lots of fish to catch. I was a fool. I had been so engrossed in the struggle to reel in the large fish I had caught that I did not realise that the current was taking me further away from the shore all the time.

And then I saw the fin! Oh God, I did not want to catch a shark, never mind the man eating monster which was stalking me now. All the horrible shark attack stories slipped through my mind, and even though the sea water was cold the sweat dripped off me like a tropical rain storm.

The slowly very slowly the circling fin came all nearer, and then dipped away under the water. I could follow the dark smudge of his massive shape as he swam under the ski. I lifted my legs out of the water and tried to make as small a target as possible. I could feel his teeth sinking into my butt. I reeled in the slack fishing line so that I could follow him around as it cut through the water. He was getting nearer all the time. It would not be long now till he charged in and slashed me to bits with his fearsome teeth.

Unless I could think of some way to stop him or get away, I was shark bait. My vivid imagination could see the bloody water thrashed to crimson foam and hear my anguished screams…It would not be quick. He would eat me piece for piece relishing every bit of my fear stuffed flesh.
No amount of paddling would help me now. He was faster and stronger than I was. He was just keeping me in the place best suited for his attack. He was coming nearer all the time. I sat as still as I could. Actually I was paralyzed with fear, but I though being still would keep him away longer. I had no doubt how it would end no matter what I did.

It was dead quiet, except for the lapping of the water against the side of the canoe. Time was running out for me…It would not be long now.