On the Calm Sea Beach Resort in Samal stood a charming hut named Nippa. Unlike the other beaches in Samal, Nippa made Calm Sea Beach more enticing. Nippa was colorful and you could easily spot her off the coast from as far as Sasa.
Nippa though, had little tolerance for people. This is particularly because most of them would neither take notice nor respect Nippa, which was very offensive.
“I am one of the reasons why this beach is beautiful” Nippa grumbled. “Couldn’t they give a little more respect?”
But after years of serving the beach with little change, Nippa eventually accepted the fact that people were what they were. It was only because of the help of the staff that Nippa lasted and was on tip top shape every morning.
”Without them I would probably be nothing. They always keep me company and entertain me with their stories. I wish they were the only ones around the beach,” Nippa thought.
Like all the other beaches of the world, Calm Sea beach also experienced high tides and low tides. During the nightly low tide, Nippa would feel cold because of the night breeze. On the other hand, Nippa would be extremely busy and frustrated during the day, because it was usually the time people would go home. Nippa had to contend with a lot of people during a small span of time.
Among all the different tides, nothing brought more joy to Nippa than the idea of five-foot waves crashing on Nippa’s baseline. Typhoons were the only forces that could wreak such havoc on the beach. Nippa loved how people never came to the island during those times and felt an excitement rarely experienced on the beach, being so secluded inland. The only other time Nippa experienced it was when previous typhoon harassed the shores of Samal. Nippa yearned for it ever since.
One day, Nippa remembered how the typhoon gave life to the beach and how both Nippa and nature found the chance to connect.
”I wish tidal waves would visit the beach again,” Nippa thought.
On that very same day Nippa noticed people did not come to the beach. It made Nippa happy for a while. Then, Nippa noticed that even the staff members weren’t there. Two days passed until Nippa suddenly felt the waters starting to act up. The only other time this happened was when a typhoon struck the beach. Before Nippa realized it, the sea had devoured the beach whole.
* * *
By the time the staff got back to the beach. There was nothing left, only remnants of a once very prestigious beach. Even the stone dock was smashed, and it made it almost impossible for the staff to check the wreckage on shore.
As the team slowly advanced towards the shore they found telltale signs of a once magnificent Nippa hut.
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Ram Santiago is studying BSEd-English at Ateneo de Davao University.