The lils loved their vacation in every way, but their absolute favourite activity was watching for sharks and other fish in the water. They especially loved to come to the beach bar in the evening, where the deck overlooked the water, and the aquatic activity kicked up as the sun went down. Woo and Goose would lean over the rail, hang off of the rail or lie down on the deck with their heads hanging over. All the tables around us got the stereo announcement of what was approaching, and nothing was announced with as much gusto as the sharks, especially their favourite, “denthead” (she really did have a dent on her head).

Each time they approached the deck’s railing, one of us would warn them to be careful, hold on, sit down… and they always did. Then one night Woo hadn’t quite made it onto the deck, and was standing on the short wall looking at the fish. He lost his footing and tumbled in. I was sitting on the other side of the patio, but heard the splash and yelp. I just knew who it was and what had happened, so I bolted the fifty or so feet across the deck and reached him before Willy could. Luckily, one of the staff was even faster and had fished him out. The water wasn’t deep, but he was wet, shocked, and a little embarrassed. He got lots of love, some dry clothes, and set off to watch for more sharks.

Word travelled fast in a small resort and, for the rest of the week, we were asked by some staff if our son was OK and warned by others to keep him from the edge. We were extra cautious, and made sure that they were both really, really careful at the water’s edge. In the end, both Willy and I were relieved. He was glad that Woo was in no way frightened by this experience, and gleefully resumed shark watch right away. I was relieved that Goose hadn’t pushed him in.