Jamie the Survivor
“Radio 1's top stories today, how did Doctor Care well know that a car cash was going to happen outside his surgery 5 minuets before it happened?  Also a dog that seems to bark "no!" At her owner every time she doesn’t want anything, and we have a totally tremendous survivor with us today, Jamie Harley!" Jamie sat in the Radio 1 studio nervously. His story of survival was going to be the first to air live across the United Kingdom. He had never been on the radio before so he was just a bag of nerves sitting and twitching his hands uncontrollably. Before he spoke out live on air he looked out of the sound proof glass at his mother and sister and they gave him the thumbs up sign. He ginned back at them as best he could but even they could tell through the glass how nervous and tense he really was.  His sister then did a cheeky grin at him and pulled a face through the glass, Jamie smiled properly then and pulled a face back at her.

"Our first story today is on Jamie Harley." Said the radioman whose name was Nick. As soon as Nick mentioned his name Jamie turned his attention to the microphone and turned it on.  Once again his nerves came back to him, but bravely Jamie cleared his throat and got ready to speak.
"Jamie is twelve and lives with his mother and sister in their house in Ipswich. Jamie is here with us today to tell us how he survived the Devon tidal wave. Hello Jamie!" This was it, Jamie had no choice now but to speak.
"Hello Nick." He said, rather shyly at first.
"Now, you survived one of the worst waves Devon has ever seen. I understand you were in the sea when it happened and you survived. I think the real question on everyone's lips is how?"
"I don't even know how myself, I'm lucky to be alive really.  At the moment I'm sitting here with a broken right leg and a broken left arm." Jamie said with a smile, he was growing more confident now.
"Well I think that’s quite enough talk now.  I think it’s about time you told everyone all about your terrifying experience." Nick stopped talking then and laid back in his chair leaving Radio 1 all to Jamie.  Jamie swallowed hard, took a deep breath and began his story.

My family and I were going down to Devon for a couple of days and we made up our minds to go by car.  My sister Mary and I were going to spend the first day there with our dad.  Our parents are currently divorced and so dad now lives in Devon.  As soon as we got there dad was waiting for us.  Mary and I leaped out of the car and greeted dad with joy because we hardly ever see him now.
"Hello my darlings, oh I've missed you so much! How have you all been?" He said.
"We've been fine." Mum said shortly. "Now, I know you're all going on the beach today...."
"We always go on the beach." Dad cut in. "I don't know why you don't come with us Laura."
"I just don't! Look, I'm trying to tell you something so please don’t cut in again. There have been reports today of a storm, a bad storm that's going to happen here.  You can let the kids in the sea but not for very long ok. As soon as it turns afternoon time I want you to get them out."
"Oh, don't worry about that!”  Dad said shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.  “This "storm" that's meant to be happening want.  I mean look at the weather Laura, It's as beautiful and clear as ever."
"I don't care how beautiful the weather is now, it want be later on!”  Mum insisted.  “Please, I’m asking you to get yourselves off the beach as soon as it turns twelve o' clock."  We all promised that we would but as soon as mum was out of earshot we all said.
"Oh stuff it!"

We got onto the beach at around ten o' clock.  At first we were all building sandcastles and digging holes in the sand.  But then after awhile the sea began to look very inviting.
"Who's up for a swim?" Dad asked.
"ME!"  Both Mary and I said.  We all ran down to the sea together and jumped in.  Once in the sea we all started to have lots of fun and this is something Mary and I rarely share with our dad.  We all started to play this huge splashing game together and then we moved onto such things as ‘Tag’ and lots of under water games too. 
"I don't know what mum was on about.”  Mary said looking up at the sky. “There's never going to be any storm!  I mean look at the weather, why would it suddenly change from beautiful and calm to horrid and stormy?"
"Of course there's not going to be a storm! Your mother is just being very silly and scared." Dad said swimming to shore, he then threw in a big ball for Mary and I to play with.
"Play with that now kids I’m getting out.  But I don't want you going to far out with it understand?"  We both nodded and started to play with the ball.  Mary and I played nicely together for awhile as we were just throwing the ball back and forth between us.  In fact we got so absorbed in the ball game that we were unaware that the weather above are heads was changing from sunny and bright to cold and dark. Dad didn't realize either because he had fallen asleep in his deck chair.
"Hey!”  Wined Mary. “That's not fair Jamie you've had the ball longer then me!"
"No I haven't I've had it the same amount of time that you've had it." I replied.
"Don't lie, you're hogging the ball and it’s not fair! Give it here now!" She shouted tugging at the ball that I had in my hands.
"No!" I shouted back. "The ball's mine, it’s now my turn to throw it to you!"
"No it's my turn to throw it to you actually!" She shrieked.  We were now so busy fighting over the ball that we didn't realize that everyone else was leaving the beach.  Quickly scuttling away like frightened little ants to escape what was about to come.  Mary and I only stopped fighting when we heard a rumble of thunder above our heads.  We both looked up at the sky and it was as black as ink.  Then it began to get very cold and blowey, ruffling up the sea in a very strange way. Then suddenly the rain began to start and it was big, fat heavy drops which fell out of the sky and drenched both Mary and I.  The thunder had woken dad and he leaped up suddenly and began to yell at us to come back to shore.
"We'd better go Mary.”  I said fearfully.  “Mum was right all along there was going to be a storm."
"Ok, let's go!" Said Mary.  We began to swim back feeling that the sea was getting a lot rougher and more violent.  I was swimming with the ball under my arm and suddenly the ball flu away from my grip and landed quite a distance away.
"Oh no!" I said.
"Get the ball, get the ball!" Yelled Mary as lightning struck.
"Yeah ok, I want be long!" I yelled back and turned in the direction of the ball. To this day I don't know why I did that because it was the most stupid thing anyone could have done! I don't think I was thinking straight or I might not have been taking the storm seriously enough. I got to the ball and grabbed it with both hands and then tried to swim back to shore.

The rain was now pelting down from the sky and I couldn't see where the shore was!  The rain was hazing my vision and the lighting and thunder were deafening. I headed in what I thought was the direction of the shore, clinging onto the ball for all I was worth because it was the only thing that was keeping me afloat.  I swim around aimlessly, with the cold hard rain drenching me and the lighting tearing the sky apart.  The sea was getting much, much rougher now that it was hard to keep afloat properly.  I swam in one direction and then in another, to me it all looked the same.  There was no hint of the shore anywhere, just nothing!!  All I could see was a haze of rain and darkness in front of me.  I began to cry uncontrollably, I was just so frightened and alone.  Then the big waves began to start and I curled my entire body around the ball and prepared for the worst. 
Strong, tall waves, the size of houses were coming at me.  They towered above me all dark and powerful and they hit me with a force of a charging bull!  They curled me over and over underwater the water, they spun and twisted me in all directions, and they pulled and pushed me.  I shut my eyes and I swear once or twice my life flashed before my eyes. I honesty thought
'this is it, I'm going to die!'  And when you have that thought running through your head you're never so close to death as you are right then.  But what ever happened to me I never dared to let go of the inflatable ball.  That ball kept on bringing me to the surface even if I had been pushed down right to the bottom of the seabed.  It was a true life saver and it was the only one that I had on that night.  Pictures of mum, dad and Mary kept flashing through my head and it was terrifying.

After about twenty minuets or so of being under water after the last wave hit me my ball brought me back up to the surface again like it had been doing through out the storm.  As I floated amongst the terrible wind, rain, lighting, thunder and waves I swear I felt the entire sea suck away in one direction.  It sucked me with it and it felt as though I was being carried away on some kind of current. Then I remember I opened my eyes properly for the first time in that tremendous storm.  I looked up with the rain heavily spraying my eyes, but nothing I repeat NOTHING could cover this monster up!  I screamed louder and longer then I ever have in my life as there towering above me was the biggest, tallest wave that I had ever seen!  It must have been the size of a very high cliff face, there was mistaking it; it was most certainly a tidal wave!  Probably one of the biggest waves in the world was now about to swallow me up and maybe even end my life!!  That monster hit me with so much force that it knocked the breath out of me and for the first time I lost my hold on the ball.  I felt my arm twist in a funny angle and I knew straight away that I had broken it.  I cannot tell you how horrid it truly was to be in that wave.  It tour me apart and turned me upside down so that water shot up my nose and ears.  I was underwater for ages, I don't know how long for, but it did feel like a life time.  It twisted, turned, pulled and pushed me under its strength all at the same time!  Suddenly a miracle happened because I felt something round and soft beneath my feet.  It was my ball it must have got caught up in this wave too.  With my one remaining good arm I grabbed it once more and curled my whole body around it again.  Once I had the ball back it brought me to the surface of the tidal wave and for a few seconds I was riding the wave!  But I was too weak, scared and badly hurt to enjoy the ride.  The wave then crashed into these big, round rocks and that was probably the worst bit of all.  The wave threw me off of it and it was like it was spitting me out of its mouth.  It felt as though it had tasted me and didn't like my taste so was trying to get rid of me as soon as it could.  I sailed through the air and lost my ball for the second time.  I then landed with a splat on one of the big round rocks and broke my right leg.  I remember getting showed with some powerful spray before I passed out.

I was out cold for a long time because the doctors said that I was in a coma for five days with only a machine to keep me alive.  Apparently a few hours after the storm a man was walking along the beach to see what damage the storm had done and he was the one that found me lying on the rocks.  He called 999 and I got winced out of there by air ambulance.  I of course was not aware of any of this but I did get informed about it when I woke five days later.  All I remember was waking up one day in hospital only to find that my left arm, right leg and head were all in plaster.  Everyone was so delighted when I had woken up because everyone thought that I was going to die.  I very almost did die mum said because my injuries were so bad and I had a lot of fluid that had found its way into my brain.  So I've really got to thank my lucky stars that I pulled through and that I am still around talking and walking today.  But now I think about it, it really was the ball that saved my life.  If it wasn't for that ball bringing me to the surface every time I got pushed under water I wouldn't be here today.

Jamie stopped talking then and looked at Nick.  Nick was speechless for a few moments then he smiled and said.
"Well that was an amazing story to listen to Jamie I must say.  I'm completely and utterly shocked by it.  It sounded like an awful experience, something that no living person has witnessed before. How long were you in hospital for?"
"About 6 weeks.  After that I was fit to leave hospital, but after my ordeal I became quite famous and I still am. That's why I'm here today to tell everyone how I lived through it."
"Did the wave wash you ashore to Devon? Or did you find yourself somewhere else?" Asked Nick.
"The wave did wash me ashore to Devon luckily.  It could have washed me further out to sea but it didn't, it washed me to shore."
"Ok and finally last question, where is this ball that saved your life?”  Jamie grinned at this question and replied
"The man that found me also found my ball too. He came in hospital two days after I had woken up and asked if it was mine. I said it was and I now have it in my room where I can see it.  I'm never going to through it out, it saved me."
"Ok Jamie thank you ever so much for joining me today and telling everyone your story."
"Its ok Nick, I'm pleased to be here.  Oh and that reminds me, can I just say a few more things before I go?"
"Of course you can." Nick replied.
"I'm glad no - one died when the Devon tidal wave hit the shore.  I'm sorry for the people who lost their homes in that terrible storm and I hope that everything will go back to normal soon.  Dad please don't blame yourself for what happened to me because none of it was your fault.  I still love you and I will still come down to Devon and see you."
"Ok thank you again Jamie.  Now onto our next story of the day…”


Jamie, Mary and their mum left the Radio 1 studio, outside were the usual press for the paper.  Jamie and his family stood and smiled at the cameras nicely.  After that they all got in the car and started driving home, Jamie settled himself down and closed his eyes.  He was going to have a good, long sleep and dream about how lucky he was to be back home with his family; after all he did have time to kill because it was quite a drive to Ipswich.
THE END.