It's what they're made of

The sun was high and the ocean was as blue as anyone could imagine. The sand from the nearby beach was a clean, white sand that was populated by happy vacationers. The ship I was standing on was large and I had been employed for only a short period. Suddenly without warning a large number of ship occupants started to swim feverishly towards the shore. This was not allowed, especially without the proper permission so me and my crew got to work.

We hopped on our boards and strapped our pulley cables to our chests and boards in order to be pulled to the beach at a faster rate and as a group. As we rode over waves we could see the escapees reaching the sand and integrating with the crowd. As my team reached the sand we saw a small boy that we needed to send back to the ship. I leaped off of my board but the cable tied to my chest kept me from reaching him in time. Sure enough, two other men on the cable swept up the boy before he could get away. I knew i could not manage to work properly with my chest and board tided into place so I detached from the cord and went alone on foot.

As I rounded the corner of a shear beach hut I saw a large black man who I recognized from the group of those who had escaped from the boat. The people from the boat were on the ship with their families and they needed to stay with them. Although we were a cruise ship, our rules were a little bit stricter than most are used to. They weren't supposed to leave and it was my job to help bring them back. The heavy set man was close by so I went in for the capture.

The large man had fashioned himself a guards uniform, where he got it I don't know, but it didn't help him with blending into his background. I came up behind him unnoticed and latched onto his arms by the elbos. I was fit and prepared where he on the other hand was overweight and easily tip-able, along with being quite nervous. I forced him to the ground and into the sand and called for anyone nearby to help me complete the capture. Two comrades came by and handcuffed him quickly, which was normal. His shirt ripped off from the back since it was never a suitable size for him and we used a nearby towel to put over his shoulders. He didn't say a word but if he did it would have been overpowered by the praise and congratulatory statements by my crew members. The large mans head hung low in defeat.

My crew walked off after patting my back to search for other escaped passengers and I was left to escort my catch alone. His head still down I began to feel what he must have been feeling, being trapped in a place he didn't belong. He wanted to escape from his wife and just get away, if not for a little bit, for a lifetime. He had jumped towards a false paradise and was now in our custody. I wanted him to run, I wanted him to be happy. I wrapped my arms around his large soft body and gave him the biggest hug my short arms could stretch. I held him tight and squeezed hard and I began to weep. We were both there and we were both helpless to fix anything.