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Sean Brody finally arrived in the boat; sure enough, there was a log stuck to the buoy. Why no one could wait for the log to just come loose and drift away on its own, he had no idea. The frustrated deputy sighed as he reached for the pole with a hook on the end, while in the near distance on land Christmas carolers practiced and other folks made their own preparations for Christmas. With the hooked end of the pole, Sean steadied the buoy and pulled it toward himself, then he reached for some rope.
Just then, Sean felt a sudden and unexplained chill. Yes, it was cold outside. But this chill felt…different. The deputy couldn’t place his finger on it. Then somewhere in his head, he heard something, or someone, urge him to get out of there right now. Sean dismissed it as anxiety due to his family’s history with the ocean, particularly sharks. He continued handling the rope, when all of a sudden an unseen force pulled on his raincoat!
Before the dumbfounded guy could begin processing what was going on, a large great white shark emerged from beneath the waves and lunged toward the boat, its teeth grazing against Sean’s arm before disappearing back into the dark cold water! The deputy screamed and stumbled, falling against the opposite side of the boat. He sighed and gasped in shock and agony before glancing at his wounded limb, eyes wide in horror. Any closer, and the shark would’ve bitten his arm completely off! A now panicked Sean glanced toward the shore at the practicing carolers, and desperately screamed for help.
Suddenly, a mere few feet away in the waves, that same shark surfaced yet again! The terrified guy screamed as the aquatic predator bit off the side of the boat, while wounding Sean even more in the process. Next thing the desperate deputy knew, the large beast pulled him into the water! The shark began to drag him further under. The water was so freezing, the already injured Sean began to go into shock.
All of a sudden, that exact same chill Sean felt before this attack came rushing back. But it apparently had an even bigger effect on the shark, as the predatory fish suddenly released its grip on him. The deputy hurried back to the surface. After emerging from the waves, Sean grasped tightly on to the released log, and continued screaming for help. Within seconds, the aquatic beast began to pull him under yet again. The log helped keep the human victim afloat, but only for a few seconds before Sean vanished beneath the waves once more. The shark continued biting him again, tearing his raincoat, pants, and everything else in the process. Next thing the terrified guy knew, he was even colder than before. ‘Must be because I’m officially dying,’ Sean thought as he began to surrender to fate.
But before the huge creature could deliver the final and fatal blow, that same chill came back, only now it was much stronger! In addition, a mass of unearthly white light appeared beside Sean. As the deputy began to pass out, he saw the shark go stiff before turning and bolting away, then felt something quickly pull him toward the top of the waves. Upon breaking the surface, Sean gasped, and then completely fainted.
The next thing Deputy Brody knew, the sun was beginning to rise and he was laying on the beach, with the log serving as a pillow…of sorts. Just then, he heard a few familiar voices shout, “Sean, there you are! What happened to you? Sean!”, followed by a few pairs of footsteps rushing to his side. Still disoriented, Sean began to wrap his arms around himself, and his eyes widened upon realizing…
“Sean, what in the world?!”, one of the voices exclaimed, he now recognized this voice as Polly. The deputy who Polly had known since he was just a small boy, merely passed out yet again.
Hours later, Sean Brody awoke once more. After fully coming to, he glanced around, and realized he was now in the hospital. His bed was warm, and Sean also noticed he was attached to a few machines and IVs. He groaned before calling out, “Hello? Anyone here?”
A pair of footsteps rushed toward his room, and a nurse entered. “Deputy Brody, you’re finally awake!”, she cried happily. “Wait a few minutes, okay? I’ll be right back…with a few worried visitors!”
After the nurse exited, Sean lowered his gaze toward the bed. He was covered with a few light-colored blankets. He moved his covers, and saw he also had on a blue robe. Sean then uncovered his body, and cried out upon getting a better look at all his wounds! His arms, legs, chest, abdomen, how did Sean even survive?!
He then heard a few voices and sets of footsteps hurrying toward his room. Sean hastily put the robe back on and pulled the blankets back up. He got covered up just in time for the nurse and his visitors to enter. Sean instantly recognized the guests, his mother Ellen, fiancée Tiffany, and secretary Polly.
“Sean, oh thank God!”, Ellen Brody cried as she ran to her son’s side and pulled him in for a tight embrace.
“I’m glad to see you too, Mom,” Sean chuckled as he hugged her back.
Next, Tiffany embraced her beloved fiancé. “Please don’t ever scare me like that again!”, Tiffany nearly shouted as she wept and buried her face in Sean’s chest.
The deputy merely snickered as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. “I love you too, Tiffany.” But his words didn’t seem to mend her, as Tiffany merely continued to weep and kept her face buried in his chest.
Finally, Polly appeared right at the bedside. She took a few deep breaths, before saying, “Sean, you were right. Apparently, that log did eventually drift off on its own. Words cannot say how sorry we are…,” but before Polly could finish, she broke down sobbing too.
“Come on!”, Sean cried, “I’m here and I’m alive, aren’t I?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t scared sick!”, Tiffany just about yelled as she looked up and gave her fiancé a small glare.
“I get it, sorry!”, Sean replied, giving a small eyeroll. “But I’m here, alive, and in one piece, that’s what matters now, don’t you think?”
The three women exchanged glances, then nodded their heads in unison. “Yes, of course,” whispered Ellen as she bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead, followed by Tiffany giving him an affectionate kiss on the lips. Sean smirked, then wrapped his arms around his beloved and pulled her in closer! Tiffany merely giggled.
Sean looked over at Polly, and inquired, “Who else found me on the beach? I recognized your voice before I passed out again.”
“It was me, Lenny, and your ladylove here!”, the elderly secretary replied as she winked at Tiffany and Sean. The lovebirds smirked and shared another quick kiss.
Sean then asked his mother and secretary if he could have a minute alone with Tiffany, and the women gladly obliged. After Ellen and Polly stepped out into the hallway, Sean whispered to Tiffany, “Have you seen my wounds?! How am I even alive and in one piece?!”
“That’s what we’ve all been wondering!”, she replied. “Yes, I did see your wounds…”
Just then, to Sean’s surprise, his fiancée let out a loud giggle. “What’s so funny?”
“Let’s just say…it was impossible to not see your injuries.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
Tiffany chuckled, then said, “When me, Polly, and Lenny found you on the beach…you were practically nude!”
“Huh?!”, Sean cried, then turned bright red and buried his face in his hands.
“It’s true,” said Tiffany. “The torn shreds of your uniform and raincoat were the only things covering your handsome body, at least in the most sensitive area!”
“Ugh…”, Sean groaned. But then, he remembered how upon briefly gaining consciousness on the beach, he wrapped his arms around himself, only to receive a startling realization, and to hear Polly cry out in surprise… “I remember now! I briefly awoke, and could hear you all calling out to me. I wrapped my arms around myself, only to realize…and then I heard Polly cry out in surprise before I fainted again. Ugh, just my luck!” Sean turned even redder.
His ladylove snickered and wrapped her arms around him. “No need to be embarrassed about your handsome body!”
The deputy looked back up and gave her a smug grin. “Hm, you do have a point there…but if my raincoat and uniform were so badly torn, how did they even cover anything?”
Tiffany blushed, then explained, “The strips were laid across your…area. Like they had been deliberately laid that way, to serve as a blanket.”
Sean then noticed that his fiancée was now thinking very deeply. She then continued, “That log was also serving as a pillow. It was like someone had already discovered you and did their best to make you comfortable. But why would they just take off and not stay at your side?”
Sean suddenly gasped. “What is it?”, Tiffany inquired.
Her beloved replied, “Something else strange happened before and while I was being attacked. Before that shark made its first strike, I felt an unexplained chill, followed by something in my head urging me to get out of there. But I just dismissed it as anxiety, thanks to my past experiences. Then right before the shark first came at me, something pulled on my raincoat, and just in time too. Had this…presence, not pulled on my raincoat when it did the shark would’ve bitten my arm completely off! After the fierce fish first pulled me underwater, I felt that same unexplained chill, and at that same moment the beast released me from its grip. The shark pulled me underwater again, and just when I thought I was history, that same chill returned, only now it was much stronger. At the same time, a strange white light appeared next to me. The shark actually froze in place, then turned and bolted away! I felt something rush me to the surface, and after I resurfaced, I passed out. Next thing I knew, it was early morning and I was laying on the beach, then I heard you and the others calling for and rushing toward me before I lost consciousness again. Finally, I woke up here in the hospital.”
Tiffany gawked at him. “Oh wow…”, she trailed off, unsure of what else to say.
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”, asked Sean. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, because what I experienced really sounds unbelievable.”
“No, no!”, his fiancée cried as she grabbed and held his hands. “I admit, it does sound unbelievable. But bizarre things happen in the world all the time. Besides, me and my family have always believed in God and angels. Perhaps…your rescuer was in fact an angel!”
Just then, a small gentle breeze came through the room. Sean’s jaw dropped, then he asked, “The window is closed, isn’t it?”
Tiffany glanced toward the window, and now her jaw dropped as well. “Yes…it is,” she stuttered.
The lovers held each other tightly for a moment. Then Sean took a deep breath, and asked, “Are you the one who saved me?”
The indoor breeze blew again, and this time Sean also felt a movement in his hair…exactly like how his dad used to ruffle his hair when he was a kid! The deputy’s eyes widened, and then he inquired, “Is that you…Dad?”
The breeze didn’t come again, but an invisible presence continued to ruffle Sean’s hair playfully and affectionately! Tiffany gasped and jumped back upon noticing the movement in her man’s hair. His heart pumping fiercely, Sean stammered, “So Dad, it was you who tried to warn me about the shark, and it was also you who rescued me…right?” The response was a continued ruffling of his hair, and then the faint yet distinct sensation and sound of Martin Brody giving him a kiss on the forehead! Tiffany’s eyes widened and she backed up a little bit further. Sean immediately knew that she heard that sound as well. Next, he asked the unseen spirit, “Dad, did you also lay me on the shore…and cover me the best you could with the shredded parts of my uniform and raincoat?” The deputy turned even redder after asking that final part.
A faint yet noticeable, and familiar, chuckle was the response, followed by more ruffling of Sean’s hair. Joyful tears formed in his eyes, and in the eyes of his fiancée. Throwing her arms around Sean again, Tiffany cried out, “Thank you, Chief Brody!” A firm but gentle pat on her back, which she immediately knew wasn’t her beloved, was all the confirmation Tiffany needed that Martin Brody’s spirit was there and communicating with them.
Next thing the couple knew, Ellen and Polly came back in the room, their eyes wide in a mixture of shock and amazement. “Tiffany…,” Ellen stuttered.
Her son’s fiancée gasped, realizing she exclaimed her thanks to Martin’s spirit louder than she thought. Her future mother-in-law merely placed a hand on the gal’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” Ellen said softly. “I believe you. Actually, I know Martin saved our son!”
Sean and Tiffany glanced at each other in confusion, then back at Ellen and Polly. Ellen revealed that her husband appeared to her in a dream, assuring his widow their son would recover and he was looking over him. Then Polly shared that she received a dream visit from the deceased police chief as well. Martin’s spirit informed the police secretary of the shark attack, and told her exactly where to find Sean on the beach. Sure enough, the deputy was right where his dad’s spirit said he’d be!
By the time Polly finished sharing her encounter, everyone was weeping with tears of joy. They each took turns with thanking the unseen spirit, and expressing their love for Martin and how much they missed him. Tiffany and Polly each received a gentle unseen pat on the back, Sean received another invisible kiss on his forehead, and Ellen received an invisible kiss on her lips. Invisible or not, she’d recognize that kiss anywhere!
Deputy Sean Brody was released from the hospital a few days later. After a serious discussion with his mom and his fiancée, they all agreed to leave Amity Island and move back to the mainland. Sean and Tiffany would still have their wedding on the island, but until then they were going to start over elsewhere. Luckily, Sean had no problem with finding an employment offer. Before long, the trio relocated to upstate New York. Sean and Tiffany were finally married that summer. Their wedding was the most exciting event Amity Island had in quite a while! Sean’s brother Michael, sister-in-law Carla, and niece Thea made it up from the Bahamas for this wonderful occasion.
Before the newlyweds and Ellen Brody returned to their new home in upstate New York, they paid a visit to Martin’s grave. Tiffany had an extra bouquet made specifically for this. She laid the bouquet at his headstone, while Ellen and Sean laid their own floral offerings as well. Before leaving, the new bride whispered “Thank you again, Chief Brody!”, while the widow placed a gentle kiss on top of the headstone and Sean gave a salute. When the trio turned around and began leaving, a strong but gentle and familiar breeze blew around them. They immediately knew it was Martin’s spirit.