Lost

The cold, gray morning made me feel lonelier than ever, like nothing mattered. Like I didn’t matter. Fog obscured my vision for miles in either direction. The ocean swooshed around, churning up gray froth as the stiff wind howled. I should’ve brought my jacket, I thought, rubbing my bare arms. The landscape was eerily quiet; not another soul in sight. I was running down the empty beach, alone, at around 6 AM in the morning.
Just then, a giant wave crashed onto the shore. Yet another one followed, and then another, and finally, I could see the outline of a gargantuan, behemoth of a wave in the distance. I kept running forward, further away from the beach house. Something inside of me said I should turn back, but I refused to listen. The water seemed to be shouting my name. Come here, John. I sighed. At least someone, or something, wants me. Thoughts swirled in my mind: Why did I have to have that big fight with my parents last night? Why don’t they love me? 
The wave crashed onto shore, sending out a deluge of seawater. Suddenly, I tumbled under the sea, fighting to stay above the water level. Frantically, I treaded water against the powerful tide. Gallons of seawater entered my mouth. I was overwhelmed, and I knew it.
Soon, I was carried into deeper waters. The beach house became a speck on the horizon. I needed to swim like my life depended on it. The sun rose behind me, blanketing the beach with crimson and gold, but I was too busy treading to care.
Fifteen minutes later, I stopped and lay down on my back in the water. The sun began to beat down with the ferocity of a tiger. My arms and legs were sore, and I felt like giving up. The only things keeping me going were the sight of the beach getting closer and closer and the thought of my parents.
Finally, I saw a lifeguard swim over to me with a red life ring. I was on the verge of fainting. “Are you okay?” he asked me gently. I shook my head numbly as the whole world went black…
I lay on a bed, with a tube leading out of my arm. The beep beep beep of a machine woke me up. The first thing I noticed were my frantic parents. My mom had red eyes from crying, and my dad was biting his fingernails.
A woman in a nurse’s uniform walked in. “He’s all good to go.”
“Oh, thank God,” my mother exclaimed. Then she hugged me tight. “My baby, oh my poor baby. I’m so sorry about our argument. We love you, you know!” As I looked at my mom and dad - their faces full of relief and love - the loneliness I felt earlier lifted like the fog on a bright sunny morning. Maybe I did matter after all.