The sea hisses; the boom yanks against my grip, but I stay sheeted-in; the board rises, planning over the water. Exhilaration!

I sheet-in harder to carve-gybe as Rags taught us. The speed’s crazy. I hear Rags’ Scottish lilt, “At this point yer brain’ll be screaming, ‘No, no, I’m going tae die. But don’t listen to yer brain. Listen to meee.’”

Panic.

I finish in the water under the sail. Gripping the boom, I push up.

The wind catches the sail, pulling me back onto the board. Ecstasy! I may not have mastered carve-gybing, but I’ve discovered how to water-start.

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Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here