A night earlier, we had planned that the following day we would go to one of the local small beaches to spend the day. It is a spot we usually venture to in the evenings to enjoy a sunset with some local fish and chips but today we decided to leave earlier so that Eka could get some beach fun. We had our picnic baskets packed to the brim with veggies and meats to grill for lunch. This was going to be an enjoyable day with an early end.
Going with the plan, we left at midday for a quick drive into the mid suburbs to reach Sandgate, our destination for the day. The hour long drive was enjoyable as we drove through a new route that ran parallel to the Brissy river. We reached Sandgate Pier and headed for a spot we had visited earlier. With light sands and shallow waters, this was a good spot for Eka to start his castle construction work (no visit to a beach is complete without a few sand structures).
With the sun high and bright I thought Eka would do well with a swim in the shallows. Not needing much convincing, Eka was eager to get into the waters. Sandgate doesn't have the pristine blue waters that some of the other beaches possess but a rather muddy brown look due to the mud and sand in it. Eka waded into the waters with such glee.
Eka splashed and waded for some time and tried to paddle through the brown waters. There were other kids swimming or wading similarly. A couple of lengths further towards the deep and back got him into the groove. While swimming back on the third lap Eka suddenly screamed. It was not a scream in pain but one in fear. Since the waters were shallow, we got up and ran towards me. On reaching me he looked scared.
I asked him what happened and he said he felt something brush against him in the water and where it did so Eka's skin was reacting by getting sore and red. He said it was paining and burning. We had seen some Animal Planet documentaries of things that can happen in Aussie waters which got us all the more alarmed. I started probing him for the kind of pain and the intensity. Eka was persistent and consistent in his description of what happened and the resulting reaction his body was undergoing. This was a first of a kind experience and I had to work things quickly. I called Neerja and spoke to her about the situation and then rushed Eka to a water fountain to wash the impacted areas. Got him changed and then drove to the nearest pharmacy to get some medicines.
While driving to the pharmacy, I wanted Eka to continue talking to me as he was seated behind me and I couldn't see him. I also wanted to distract him a little so I started a conversation on what he wanted for Christmas. Despite the pain and the fear, in a confident voice Eka said he didn't want to talk about Christmas but wanted to talk about his experience in the water and what had happened. Though I had heard it a few times already, I was surprised at the clarity of his thoughts and understanding of the situation. This was a mature moment when I thought my son was growing up in ways that I was not prepared for yet.
We had to stop over at Sandgate station to pick up a couple of my friends and then rush to the pharmacy. At the pharmacy we consulted one of the staff there and Eka described to her what had happened. The lady told us not to worry, that had it been something to get worried about, the symptoms and reactions would have been more acute and intensified. She prescribed a syrup and a lotion to control the burning sensation.
In the meanwhile, an old lady sitting at the pharmacy started talking to Eka. Though he was hesitant, I encouraged him to engage in the conversation. It helped him overcome the trauma he was undergoing. The old lady offered Eka a bag of chocolate peanuts while the lady from the pharmacy quietly confirmed to me that this old lady was a person of good repute and there was no risk. Eka thanked the old lady and received the bag of chocolates. We paid for the medicines and got back to the car where Eka drank the prescription syrup. One of the friends applied the lotion on the impacted areas and within no time all was back to normal. We got back to the beach and were famished and so were the others who were with us.
Eka didn't want to go anywhere near the waters after the experience earlier and we understood him. While Eka monkeyed around some trees, we cooked up a spread on the community BBQ grills.
Feasted and sated, we spent some more time at the beach till the sun started its dusky transformation when we started back for home. What a day it had been.
But through the drive back and later during the evening, all I could think of was Eka's experience and the way he dealt with it. I guess from now I need to interact with him a little maturely. A small incident but a big lesson.
