December 26, 2004

I vacationed in the Northern part of the Philippines. I watched the news, a newscaster assured the viewers that the tsunami was not going to affect the region where I stayed. As I listened, I daydreamed about swimming or using a fallen door to ride the waves. Two years later, I watched a home video from one of the survivors documented by National Geographic. The person filmed a man running towards the hotel. The first wave caught him by the feet, as if a whip lashed around his ankles, pulled then shoved his body forward. His arms wailed, fighting the force. It carried him, slammed his head first against the door.