An Approaching Storm

A cold, biting wind blew in from the ocean.  Daniel Johnson looked out at the whitecaps from the roof of the old convent at the top of the cliff.  The dark grayish-blue water contrasted the increased frothiness of waves and warned with heightened urgency the impending storm.  Daniel scanned water for signs of any ships still trying to make it into the harbor.  No sign of any boats.  He pulled his cell phone and called the police station to let the chief know he saw nothing.

He continued scanning the shoreline for any small driftwood that he might be able to use before the storm covered the beach.  He spied the large tree trunk that washed up last winter and noticed the lone figure sitting on the bleached piece of wood.

Daniel ran back inside and down into the basement.  At the far end, he unlocked and pulled open the heavy door to the entrance to the stairs that would lead him almost all the way down the cliff.  He felt compelled to warn the stranger of the storm.  Perhaps he already knew that the tide was coming in and the surge from the storm would cover the beach; regardless, he needed to get that man off the beach.

The stairway was dimly lit and steep.  Daniel had intended to change out the bulbs with LEDs, maybe even replace the wiring, but there were so many other things that seemed to bubble to the top of his to-do list.  He hurried down the stairs.

Daniel found himself using the hand railing for part of the journey down to the bottom.  He reached the bottom of the stairs and quickly unlocked the door that led into the cave.  He moved twenty feet from the door to the cave entrance to the beach.  He stepped out.  The ground was still rock for another fifteen feet where the sand of the beach covered it.  Looking south from the entrance, he saw that the man was still seated.

As he drew nearer the man, Daniel took note of him.  He seemed to have average features, average height, weight, stature.  But Daniel noted a sense of how attractive the man was.  He was dressed like a model in the LL Bean catalogue, reminding Daniel of a man dressed for a cold day hiking in the forest.  The man stood and stepped forward to meet Daniel.

The man smiled,  “Hi.”  He held out his hand.  Daniel noticed a sadness in his eyes that contradicted his smile.

Daniel put his hand forward.  “Hi,” he replied as he gave a firm handshake.  “I’m Daniel Johnson.”

The man’s handshake was firm.  “Logan Deering.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.”  Daniel gazed intently into the blue eyes that now looked him over.  They were darker than the blue of a still ocean on an early summer day but not as dark as today’s.  They reminded him of a summer when he was a kid.  “I noticed you here on the beach when I looked out to see how close the storm was.  Did you know that a storm was coming?”

“No, not really.  I thought the water looked a little choppy, but I’ve never seen it in the fall.  It was summer when I was here before.  Happy times, then.”  He smiled again.  This time the smile seemed real.  Perhaps it was the memory, thought Daniel.  “I’m not sure what I was going to do after that.  Logan’s face appeared to darken, and his eyes seemed unfocused.  He looked out at the increasingly rough surf.  As he looked back at Daniel, the wind blew his hair into his eyes.

Without thinking, Daniel reached up and brushed the hair from Logan’s face.  “Logan, there’s a storm coming, and this beach is going to be flooded.  We need to get somewhere safe.  Where’d you leave your car?”

“I don’t have one.  I took a bus to Renton and walked here.”

“Are you staying in town?”

“I’d plan to stay on the beach,” Logan looked back at the water.  The beach seemed a little smaller to him.

“It’s time to get off the beach, and it’s too late to phone a friend.”

Logan looked at Daniel.  “I don’t have any friends.”

“No friends?  A good-looking guy like you?  Well, you can tell me why later.  And while you’re at it, you can tell me why I don’t have any friends either.”  Daniel noticed that the shoreline had moved in a few feet.  The tide’s moving in, he thought.  “Let’s go, that way.”   Daniel pointed toward the cave entrance.

“Why wouldn’t a nice guy like you have any friends?  Look, you came here to talk to me and save me from drowning, and you don’t even know me.”

A large wave crashed on the beach and splashed the two men.  At the same instant, rain came pouring down.  

“Water’s coming in faster than I expected.  We need to make it to that cave.  Do you see the opening over there?”  Daniel grabbed Logan’s arm.  The water rapidly turned into a monster trying to swallow the beach.  The two men began to run.  It became increasingly difficult as the water reached and covered their shoes.  They struggled over the sand, the rain made it difficult to see, but they made it to the rocky entrance.  

“Aren’t we going to be trapped in here?” Logan asked.  Water dripped down his face.  He shook his head. 

Daniel reassured him.  “There’s a way up.  Sometimes, this cave will flood in storms, especially when there’s a high tide, so we need to head to the top of the cliff.  There’s a regular set of stairs; they’re a little steep, but they’re lit.  And, there’s a railing on the left.”

They left for the confines of the stairs.  Daniel latched and locked the door behind them, and they headed up.

“I seem to remember some stairs next to the beach when I was here last, but I don’t remember a cave, and there was plenty of light.”

“The lights were brighter before.  They’re on my list to fix, but there are a lot of things on my list to fix.”  Daniel chuckled.

Logan replied with a single, “Yeah.”

The two men reached the top of the stairs, and Daniel pushed open the door that led into the basement.  They stepped into the dark, cold room.

“Sorry for how cold it is.  There’s a fireplace on the main floor.  We’ll get rid of our wet clothes.  The washing machine is near the stairs, and there’s a sink.  We can let them drain.”

“And after that, you’re just going to take me into your house, your home?”

“Well, of course,” Daniel chuckled.  I can’t let you stay out in the storm.  We didn’t just save you from drowning on the beach to let you drown outside my door.”  Daniel raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“I can’t,” Logan announced, clenching his teeth together.  “I can’t be in your house, not without being honest with you.”  He paused.  “I’ve been in prison.  I just got out about a week and a half ago.”

End of Part One