Threeraj gazed up at the tall staircase on the sand.
It rose up and away from him.
On their first day at the seaside holiday resort, his father told him this was where the lifeguard sat. From the little box up the stairs, the coastguard could see if swimmers had a problem. Or, if sharks were showing an interest in people on the beach.
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“The lifeguard blows a whistle to warn people,” his father said. “He rushes down the steps and jumps into the water to save them.”
The more he looked, the more he wanted to get up those stairs. Finally, Threeraj began to climb. He didn’t have much time. His parents would soon be here. It wasn’t an easy climb. Threeraj imagined he was a brave soldier climbing Mount Everest. He reached the top and looked proudly down at the ocean, panting hard. Sweat ran down his face.
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“Hello! I have a visitor!” came a voice.
Threeraj whirled around. The lifeguard lay on a beach chair, wearing only a pair of swimming trunks. He wore dark glasses. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Threeraj,” he replied.
“You mean Shreeraj?” asked the man.
“Actually, yes. But there are three boys named Shreeraj in our class. So the second and third are called Tworaj and Threeraj.”
The man guffawed. “That’s nice!” he burst out. He removed his glasses and peered at the boy. “Would you like to do some guarding?” Shreeraj nodded eagerly. “Then sit here and watch the coast.”
“And you?” asked Shreeraj, amazed.
“I’ll go back to sleep. Here’s my whistle. Blow loudly on it and wake me up if you see any trouble.” And in no time at all Shreeraj heard a series of loud snores from the man’s open mouth.
A little schoolboy protecting an entire coast!
Imagine scared swimmers becoming brave because they trusted the famous lifeguard Threeraj!
Imagine sharks and sea-monsters shivering in fright because the mighty Super Threeraj was guarding the coast!
His head became a comic book of adventure. Threeraj was Superman Of the Sea.
As he watched the high breakers dashing the sand, he saw a small boy running into the water. He snatched the whistle and blew into it. But the lifeguard lay there, blissfully snoring. He whistled again, crazily. “What, what!” sputtered the man, jumping up. “Boy in water!” yelled Threeraj.
He would never forget the next few minutes.
The coastguard ran. Threeraj ran after him. They reached the waves and the coastguard dived in. Threeraj watched anxiously. The man swam expertly and reached the boy. He scooped him up with one hand and turned around. Threeraj clapped his hands joyfully. The lifeguard gave him a thumbs-up. But then his face changed. It crumpled as if he was in pain. He screamed.
Threeraj didn’t know what was happening. Without thinking, he leaped into the water. As his head went in, he saw the coastguard’s leg trapped by a large seaweed dancing up from the sea floor. If he didn’t do something, both of them would drown, the coastguard and the boy!
Threeraj dived in. He saw the messy sea floor with thousands of plants and weeds. He grabbed the one that trapped the man’s leg, and began to tear it with both hands. Time was running out. His breath was running out! He used his teeth, biting the seaweed. It seemed like hours to him. In the end, the man’s leg came free of the weed. He rose from the water with the rescued boy, like a proud soldier holding up his flag.
As the three of them walked triumphantly back on the sands, Threeraj heard someone calling him. He shook himself, and opened his eyes.
And there he was, back in the lookout box. And there was the lifeguard in his chair, calling him.
“I told you to guard the coast. And there you are, fast asleep!”
“But I thought...I thought I was saving you...!” said Threeraj, wretchedly.
“You were dreaming!”
But Threeraj looked so miserable that the lifeguard burst out laughing. “Okay, you weren’t guarding the coast, but you certainly did guard the lifeguard, and thank you for that!”