Body Surfing Read Online Free PDF Page A

man.
    Ben switches on the light for the walk along the boardwalk and the descent of the stairs, but then he switches it off.
    "Best to let your eyes adjust," he says. "Leave your shoes here."
    Sydney steps out of the flip-flops and sets them on the bottom step. As if by prior arrangement, she walks between the two brothers. The something illicit begins to molt, unleashing in Sydney a sensation close to giddiness. It seems that any minute now, one of the brothers will take off running, challenging the other to a race.
    They head down the beach, the sand cool underfoot. The voices on the porch recede at once, muffled by the white noise of the surf. Sydney watches her legs, out of sync with the brothers' longer strides. There's a half-moon in the sky, some lights from the cottages along the beach.
    "You'll be able to see the surf once your eyes adjust," Jeff says.
    "You guys do this often?" she asks.
    "It's kind of a first-night ritual," Ben answers.
    "Even if it's raining?" Sydney asks. "Even if it's cold?"
    "The trick is to keep your feet planted when you stand," Jeff says. "That way, you can feel the direction of the undertow."
    "You'll be amazed at how well you'll be able to see," Ben adds.
    Sydney has no choice but to take his word for it. Already, she has stepped on something sharp she might have avoided in the daylight. Perhaps he is right, though, for she can see a ruffle of white along the shoreline.
    "We'll leave our clothes here," Ben says, stopping suddenly. "The tide's coming in."
    "How do you find your clothes afterwards?" Sydney asks.
    Beside her, she can just make out the shape of a man drawing his shirt over his head. She steps out of her shorts and begins to unbutton her blouse. Only by height can she tell the brothers apart, Ben having an inch, two inches, on Jeff.
    "Are you afraid?" Jeff asks.
    "No," Sydney says, her answer pure bravado. And then she wonders if perhaps she has disappointed the brothers, fear being half the fun.
    The water, when it hits Sydney's feet, is a vise around her ankles. She lets out an involuntary yelp.
    "If you get into trouble," Ben says, "just stand up and holler. One of us will hear you."
    He touches her lightly on the shoulder. She turns and tries to see his face, but she can't. Not really.
    "But you won't get into trouble," he reassures her, letting his hand fall to his side.
    Sydney watches as he runs forward to meet the ocean, high-stepping over the surf. "First one in. . .," he calls and instantly both brothers are gone, swallowed up by the waves. No wonder Mrs. Edwards doesn't like this, Sydney thinks.
    Sydney feels shells and small pebbles being sucked beneath her feet. She lets her calves go numb and then her thighs. She hears a hoot, one brother calling to another. She sees the white curling edges of a wave coming and dives into it, letting its force wash over her. When she stands, the ocean seems to empty out at her knees. She shakes her head, wiping the salt from her eyes.
    "You catch one yet?" someone calls.
    "No," Sydney answers.
    "Go for it."
    There is nothing but cold and surf, shifting sand beneath her feet. She is hit suddenly from the side and understands that already she is disoriented. She searches for the line of lights from the cottages in the distance. A wave hits her from behind and pushes her down into the water. She scrapes her shoulder hard. She hears another hoot from one brother to the other.
    Simple tasks seem monumental, distances extreme, like learning to walk after a long illness. When the water level is just below her waist, she listens for a coming swell. She lets one pass and then another. She plants her feet and watches as a wave advances, showing its white teeth. With years of body memory, Sydney leaps onto the crest, her timing perfect.
    A roar in her ears, the utter black of the water. She has no power, none at all, and couldn't release herself from the wave even if she wanted to. The surge seems a living thing that has no purpose but to