The Patrick Conroy Special Section

The other evening Liz decided that we should take the thermal imaging camera to the ocean and set it up on the shore to look for bats there. After setting up all the equipment, we got distracted and began building sand castles. As we were fooling around, storm clouds began to roll in and the wind picked up. The tide was beginning to flow in, but being distracted we were oblivious until a 20 foot high wave crashed on us.
We fled to the safety of higher ground and in the panic forgot the thermal imaging camera. Midway up the shore I remembered our forgotten equipment and raced back to save it before the next wave swept hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment away. Liz, Kristen, and Dan were screaming at me to let it go, but I would not abandon the precious gear. Ignoring their pleas, I flung myself upon the camera and braced myself as the next torrent of water fell from the sky ripping my body from the ground. Miraculously, I was able to maintain my death grip on the camera and scrambled back to shore before the next wave hit.
Liz and Dr. Kunz (the head of the project) were so proud and indebted to me that they wanted to offer me a reward. I did my best to protest, but I had after all saved equipment that the lab had put hundreds of hours of labor into and was finally forced to accept their offer. To show me his great appreciation Dr. Kunz wrote me a check for $20 and promised never to forget my act of courage and bravery…The End.