Adrift

Twist3e Sun Dec 09 21:11:50 2023 UTC | /r/fluffycommunity
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Sandy was a well behaved Unicorn Fluffy, her name sake was reminiscent of her light brown Fluff, which matched the golden sands of the beach she could see from her Fluffy chair, as the family car rolled alongside it.

"Wook wittwe Mummah! Sandy can see dah sandies!" Sandy excitedly announced, tapping the glass as she pointed out the window.

Her little girl owner, Rebecca, positively beamed at the sight of the sands and the ocean, absorbing Sandy's enthusiasm for a beachside vacation, she began to jump in her seat and giggle uncontrollably.

"Sandee am suuuu 'cited!" Sandy giggled. "Am gonna bwild bigges sand cassle evah!" She declared.

"And have ice cream cones!" Rebecca chimed in.

"An pway fwisbee!"

"And fly kites!"

"An gu paddwin!"

"And go swimming!"

Sandy flattened her ears, paddling was one thing, but swimming was another.

"Nuuu wittwe Mummah... big wawa am tuu much!" Sandy mewled. "Wawa am bad fow fwuffies!" She reminded Rebecca.

"But I like to swim..." Rebecca pouted as the car turned into a parking lot.

"M-mabbeh wittwe Mummah swim widout Sandy?" Sandy suggested.

"Yeah... okay..." Rebecca sighed, her enthusiasm diminished.

"Here we are girls!" Rebecca's father; Drew, announced as they parked. "Who's ready for some beach side fun?" He asked.

"Sandee!" Sandy announced.

"Rebecca..." Rebecca mumbled.

"Becky? What's wrong sweetie?" Drew asked as he opened the door and unbuckled the two of them.

"I forgot that Sandy can't swim..." Rebecca admitted. "I wanted to show her everything I learned at swim class!"

"Oh Becky sweetie, you know that water is bad for Fluffies..." Drew reminded her as Rebecca hopped out of the car while he carefully lifted Sandy out and put her on the ground.

"Yeah... I forgot..." Rebecca mumbled, kicking at the sandy asphalt dejectedly.

"Guess it's a good thing I bought this for her then!" Drew spoke dramatically as he lifted the trunk door and revealed what was inside.

"Check it out! The Fluff-raft two hundred!" He elaborated as he pulled a box out from amongst the plastic buckets and shovels. "With a built-in snorkel!"

Sandy squinted at the box's graphics as Drew listed off the products features, from what she could glean it appeared to be some kind of buoyancy aid, the Fluffy on the box stood proudly and prepared, begoggled with a bathing suit around it that had clipped onto it an inflatable ring that surrounded the Fluffy almost entirely, and a tube that looked as though it could be fed into the mouth, the other end rising into the air in the middle of the ring's edge.

Sandy wasn't sure, even with a life ring her preprogrammed fear of water was all but screaming at her to not to try it, but it was silenced as she noticed the picture of a child on the box, laughing and happy, glancing at Rebecca she noticed the beginnings of such an expression on her own face and in that moment she pushed her fear down as far as she could, all for the cause of making her wittwe Mummah happy.

"Otay! Sandee wiww twy!" Sandy agreed, happily trotting forth to be outfitted as Rebecca cheered for both Drew and Sandy.

***

To the Fluff-raft's credit it wasn't poorly constructed. The bathing suit component was comprised of a thin membrane material that was surprisingly comfortable against her fluff and skin, and allegedly well water proofed. The inflatable ring itself was detachable and was shaped like a tapered 'U', allowing her free movement of her head when attached and if her head did accidentally get submerged in any way she had her emergency snorkel directly beside her mouth, which would provide her with air no matter what.

Feeling somewhat more confident, Sandy trotted alongside her wittwe Mummah across the soft warm sands. When they finally reached the shore line she felt little trepidation, only determination, and with one more look at Rebecca she steeled herself and and straight for the water.

The first few lapping waves hit her exposed hooves and sent their own waves of panic up her legs and into Sandy's brain. But she choked her whines and forced them out disguised as nervous giggles as the sun warmed, salty water rose up her legs and to her chest. Every fiber of Sandy's being was screaming at her, doing it's utmost to remind her that; !WATER IS BAD FOR FLUFFIES! But Sandy pushed on, driven on purely by the only emotion she had for her wittwe Mummah, love.

"Hey! wait for me!" Rebecca shouted as she waded out after Sandy, quickly catching up and putting her hands onto the back of the ring, gently pushing as the two of them went for deeper water.

The water rose and soon the sensation of wet sand under her hooves vanished, as Sandy found herself kicking empty water she could help but release a tiny whimper.

"Don't worry Sandy, I'll take care of you." Rebecca whispered into Sandy's ear with a little peck on her cheek. "Just keep kicking and you'll move." She explained.

Sandy furrowed her brow as she focused, kicking her legs as though trying to run through the water, and to her surprise, she found herself being propelled, inelegantly but the motion was unmistakable. Sandy giggled happily as she realised how buoyant the Fluff rafter was, she began to swim in circles around Rebecca, who clapped in celebration, complimenting the little Fluffy on her quick mastery and bravery.

"Don't go out too far now Becky!" Drew called out from the shoreline.

"But, it's too shallow here! I can't show Sandy what I've learned!" Rebecca complained.

"Rebecca I'm serious..." Drew replied in a firm tone.

"Yes Daddy..." Rebecca sighed.

***

Both Rebecca and Sandy spent some more time in the shallows, but it wasn't long before the two of them tired of it and returned to the sands. Despite the Fluff raft, Sandy felt relieved to leave the sea, fighting off her natural fear of water was exhausting on both the mind and body.

They spent the rest of the day with the activities that were suggested in the car, which were far more pleasing to a Fluffy. Sandy and Rebecca built sandcastles, threw and chased a frisbee, flew kites and ate enough ice cream for a brain freeze.

But as the day wore on and the sun crept towards the ocean horizon Sandy noticed Rebecca's eye wander towards the shoreline more and more, and more so to her Father whose own eyes seemed to be drooping shut.

Finally the moment Rebecca had been awaiting came as Drew nodded in his sunchair and lolled his head, clearly asleep.

"Psst, come on Sandy, let's go back to the water!" Rebecca whispered as Sandy lifted a sandcastle bucket.

"Wha!?" Sandy gasped as she pulled the bucket to quickly in surprise, knocking the castle inside down. "Buh, we aweady go swimmies!" Sandy protested.

"We only went a little way... I couldn't show you what I can really do!" Rebecca explained as she clipped the Fluff raft ring back onto Sandy's bathing suit. "We'll go deeper this time."

"But Wittwe Mummah's Daddeh say dat-"

"We'll be back before he notices!" Rebecca shushed Sandy.

Sandy looked to Drew as he snored, then to Rebecca as she looked down at her with insistent eyes.

She remembered the happy child on the box.

"... otay wittwe Mummah." Sandy agreed uneasily.

***

The two of them once more approached the shoreline in the setting sunlight, the sand no longer felt warm under Sandy's hooves, just cold and damp.

"Wittwe Mummah... am ou suwe dis am gud idea?" Sandy asked Rebecca, wanting to talk her out of this.

"It's fine." Rebecca replied, sounding annoyed.

Sandy wanted to keep trying to talk her out of it but bit her tongue, not wanting to annoy Rebecca any further.

Once again they reached the edge of the water, and Sandy could not help but recoil as the now cold water lapped at her hooves. The sea had somehow become even less inviting to a Fluffy now, while before it had been relatively calm with the odd gentle wave, now it was rolling with them, dark foamy waves peeled across the blue before they crashed down and unfolded over the flat sands, before they receded, threatening to pull back anything they touched.

"Wittwe Mummah... Sandee nu tink dis wawa am safe..." Sandy admitted, her knees shaking.

"Come on Sandy! It's safe! I'll look after you!" Rebecca pleaded.

"N-NU! WAWA AM BAD FOW FWUFFIES!!" Sandy shouted back, stomping her hoof in the shallow water.

"Fine. Watch from here." Rebecca told her, before turning and wading into the water.

"WITTWE MUMMAH NU!" Sandy shouted as she attempted to chase after Rebecca, before being chased back by another wave.

Sandy resigned herself to watching, plopping her rump onto the damp sands, she watched as Rebecca shoved through the waves, she felt bad, she really wanted to make Rebecca happy, but she just couldn't overcome her fear to this extent, the sea looked dangerous, those waves could've easily knocked her upside down, then her emergency snorkel would be useless and she'd drown, she just wasn't as good a swimmer as her wittwe mummah, she could have never have gone out as far as she had.

"Wittwe Mummah?" Sandy called out when she noticed that Rebecca's progress had changed, she wasn't swimming out anymore, she was swimming back in, yet somehow...

She was still getting further away.

"WITTWE MUMMAH!?" Sandy shouted as she realised that this was not how it was supposed to be going. "WITTWE MUMMAH AM OU OTAY!?!" She squealed out across the water, running in up to her knees.

"SANDYYY! HEEEELP! HELP ME SANDY!!" Sandy heard Rebecca scream over the waves, waving as she fought to keep her head above water.

"WITTWE MUMMAAAHH!!! WEBECCAAAH!!!" Sandy screeched as she began to run in circles, trying to think of what to do.

"DADDEH!! BIG DADDEH!!!!!! SABE WITTWE MUMMAH!!!!" She all but screamed up the beach as she began to run for help, but quickly she stopped, realising that she would never be able to fetch him and bring him back in time.

"SANDY HELP MEEE!!!!!" Sandy heard Rebecca scream once again, her voice further away this time.

She knew what she had to do.

Sandy's teeth chattered as she ran into the cold, dark water, the suit somewhat helped to keep her warm and her fluff from being waterlogged, but still the sea's cold embrace quickly robbed her of most her warmth, when the first wave hit her she gasped as the frigid, salty water soaked her face, the salt stinging her skin and eyes.

"WITTWE MUMMAH!! SANDEE AM COMING!!" Sandy gargled as she kicked as hard as she could, trying to sprint through the water, her ears alert for Rebecca's cries. Her brow furrowed with effort she pushed on, battling the ocean's push as it seemed to be trying to keep her back, as another wave bore down upon her, she remembered the snorkel and clamped her teeth around the mouthpiece, avoiding another mouthful of seawater and interrupted breath.

Suddenly she felt a pull, as though a river was running through the ocean itself, sandy found herself being propelled quickly outwards, and as she crested another rolling wave she saw Rebecca, floundering in the water beneath her.

"WITTWE MUMMAH!!" Sandy squealed as she crashed into an exhausted, spluttering Rebecca, who grabbed the Fluff raft and clung on for dear life.

"Wittwe Mummah am ou otay!?" Sandy asked, holding Rebecca's cheeks with her hooves.

"C-couldn't - get - c-closer - sea- pu-pulled me - o-out! Dr-drowning!!" Rebecca spoke in between gasping breaths.

"It otay wittwe Mummah! Sandee am hewe! Jus howd onto Sandee!" Sandy told her as she turned back to the beach and attempted to swim back.

The beach was just getting further away.

"NuUUUU!! Nu go further way! Sandee nee' Sandies tu save Wittwe Mummah!!" Sandy pleaded. "Huu-huu! Pwease big wawa! Wet Wittwe Mummah gu!!" Sandy begged.

The Sea's only response was to keep pulling.

Despite Sandy and Rebecca's best efforts, the beach continued to get further away, yet even as Rebecca faltered with exhaustion and became gasping dead weight, Sandy kicked as hard as she could, her meagre strength doing little against the current, but unyielding all the same.

Suddenly Sandy saw a shape in the waves, a head and two muscular arms pounding through the water towards them.

"BIG DADDEH!!" Sandy squealed as Drew reached and grabbed the two of them, pulling them both into his arms.

"Daddy! I'm sorry! You were right!" Rebecca snivelled. "Please don't be angry!"

"Rebecca calm down." Drew told her firmly and Rebecca nodded tearfully.

"Rebecca we're caught in a riptide." Drew explained slowly and concisely, holding onto Rebecca's chin to stare her in the eyes and ensure her focus. "The only way out is to swim along the shoreline until we break out of it, then we can swim back to the beach, do you understand?" He asked her.

Rebecca nodded.

"Okay, get on my back and kick as hard as you can, don't stop. Not for anything, you got that sweetie?" He asked.

Rebecca wrapped her arms around his neck and held on.

"Sandy, I've got to pull you. You bring up the rear and just keep kicking okay?"

"Yus Big Daddeh!" Sandy agreed as Drew pulled the draw string out from his swim trunks and tied it to her Fluff raft, the other end to Rebecca's arm.

"Alright girls! Let's go!" Drew shouted as they began.

The three of them swam as hard as they could, Rebecca kicking her legs as Drew performed a perfect front crawl, Sandy kicked as hard as she could as she was instructed, but found herself being knocked about by the two sets of legs kicking beneath her. Sandy's limbs burned with the effort and strain, but let up she did not. She dug as deep as she could, to do whatever she could to push through the water and help her family escape the sea's grasp, and when she noticed that the shoreline was no longer getting smaller she called out to them both.

"DAH SANDIES NU AM GETTING SMAWWER! GU NAO!!"

Hearing her order, Drew turned and began heading for the sand, Sandy breathed a sigh of relief as she relaxed.

But that sigh turned to a gasp of horror as she realised that she had stopped as drew and Rebecca swam away from her.

Sandy saw the draw string in the water, the other end tied to her raft, panting she fought to call after them, but found her voice was now no more than a dry rasp after her last shout.

"Wittwe Mummah! Big Daddeh! Hewp!!" Sandy tried to shout in a desperate whisper as she once more felt the hidden current grip her. She held out her hoof to the fastly shrinking Father and Daughter as she was swept away. Her little legs doing little to nothing to delay the inevitable with their feeble, exhausted movements as the land continued to shrink on the horizon.

Unable to kick anymore Sandy's aching legs hung limply in the cold water beneath her as she began to cry, the salt of her tears mingling with the salt of the sea that had claimed her. But what she heard next silenced her tears.

Hssssss

She could hear it, she could feel it, the Fluff raft had sprung an air leak in the fight against the current. She could feel the unseen leak through the Fluff on her cheek, the ring around her was deflating, the water was rising, slowly her rear end dropped and hung like her useless legs, heavy in the darkness below her. She wanted to scream and weep, but could no longer find the strength as she sank and the water rose, slowly but surely up to her chin.

Sandy looked to the sands, her eyes strained to see her family standing on the beach, looking up and down the shoreline, raising their hands to their mouths as they undoubtedly searched for her, a whisper of smile crossed her lips as she saw they were safe, but faded to despair as she whispered her final plea.

"Nu weave Sandee behind..." Sandy mewled as she succumbed to the sea.