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title: The Rogue Wave
---
By Han Ying
It was a sunny day in late summer. Hurricane season was still very
active. The latest one to come our way had decided to stay out to sea,
much to our relief. However, it came close enough to the shore to stir
up some spectacular waves. Our family decided to go to the rocky shores
at Fort Williams, Maine to watch the great mountains of water crash upon
the rocks.
We found the perfect place to watch the giant waves come rolling in. It
was a small outcrop of rocks at the top of a rock cliff that fell
sharply down to the water's edge about 20 feet below. It was almost as
if nature had crafted a comfy little lookout post for us to watch her
annual contest featuring the waves against the rocks. For a good 30
minutes or so, we enjoyed the impressive power of the mighty waves. The
collisions of water against stone created thunderous noises that sounded
like a hundred cannons firing all along the shoreline. The children
squealed with delight every time a great wall of water smashed against
the cliff, sending sprays high above our heads and often sprinkling us
with salty mist.
It was all fun and laughter until Mother Nature decided to get a little
ornery. Without warning, a rogue wave, larger than any other we had
seen, slowly rolled toward us. As it lumbered up the shore I could tell
its crest was higher than usual. I still remember that feeling of dread
when I realized we had no time to scramble up to higher ground. In
seconds it was upon us. This time the explosion of water threw much more
than a little salty mist on top of us. My wife, Lori, and I were a few
feet higher on the rocks than the children. We managed to avoid getting
very wet, but the children were drenched and dripping. The shock upon
our faces slowly gave way to relief when we realized that everyone was
safe. The rogue wave had not managed to dislodge any of us from our
rocky perch and drag the hapless victim out to sea. As we sloshed our
way back to the car for the journey home, our relief evolved into
laughter once again. Despite a little scare, it was a memorable
experience that became a part of our family history.
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