A True Test For Dare-Devil Dave

You expect a rational human would comply with orders to evacuate their beachfront home on an exposed, barrier island lying directly in the path of a hurricane monster. Yet our dubious hero in this account saw himself as no ordinary human and did not fear such catastrophic outcomes. No one it seemed could envision then that this self proclaimed purveyor of doom could be taught a cruel lesson of mortality as the approaching stormr drew closer to the densely populated portions of South Florida coastline.

“Dare-Devil Dave, as his condo neighbors called him, never liked the attention of others. He had lived his secluded life as a lonely hermit, now, rarely showing his face, to surrounding residents in this beachfront high-rise. Unemployed for two years since the state government layoffs abruptly ended his career as a lifeguard, Dave seemed downright adamant that the government or anyone else for that matter could ever be trusted by him again. He would merely scoff at the throngs of evacuees nervously heading off the island today and assume his role as the “Lone Ranger” of his beloved, sandy turf tomorrow.

On Sunday morning, the initial squalls of the hurricane approached ominously from the south. Being unfazed that these storms would soon intensify to category 5 status, Dare -Devil Dave ventured out to the end of his favorite fishing jetty to watch the encroaching storm. Chugging his morning beer, he soon grew drowsy. As the alcohol began to take effect, his glossy eyes could not focus well nor could he maintain his normal balance on the jagged rocks below.

With heavy crosswinds from an approaching gale now awakening Dave from his idle stupor, he now frantically set his sights on returning to the jetty shore. Misjudging his distance and direction back to the beach now, he would be blown by a sudden gust tragically into the foamy darkness below. As he flailed helplessly in the wind blown surf, this misguided beachcomber would soon find his watery grave tragically alone.

Our victim’s fatal flaw in this story was clear. He failed to see that human beings are inferior adversaries in facing raw forces of nature. The approaching arrival of dangerous Hurricane Irma this week tests the egos of those who are similarly blinded to become wandering fools in extreme hurricane conditions. Take a beach walk, feel the pelting rain, and listen to the fierce wind whistle but be mindful that the risk of experiencing this storm’s wrath up close for you might mean your own life disaster might soon come to pass.