Two scenes, different stories...
He took a shot of nerds, chasing it with a sour cream & onion pringle followed by a swig of Dr. Pepper. He wiped his mouth on the cuff of his T-shirt, burped, then rested his head on the standing nerds box. This wasn't supposed to be his life. The soft colors emanating from the computer monitor did little to brighten his spirits, the small fan inside the PC did not cool the fire in his heart and his box of nerds was empty, save for a few stragglers that never want to come out. It is to these stragglers he most related. He'd shake the box, they'd remain inside, fearing the giant mouth ready to swallow. Life seemed to shake him up now and again, leaving him balled up in the corner, ready to be tossed in disgust.
Pedro’s head drooped to the sand but he kept moving, kept pulling the rope. Attached to the rope was a makeshift boat carrying precious cargo. Pedro had doggie paddled for hours, clenching the rope tightly in his mouth. Soon he would be able to rest, but not until the boat, and cargo, were far enough inland to be spared the seductive-grasps of high tide. He panted as the sand slid beneath him. His ears were long-since water-logged and eyes salted. The bitter ocean still tickled the back of his throat. Pulling with his mouth may not have been the most delicious option, but it was the quickest.
Pedro whimpered, but what could he do? Mampuku-ji , the Obaku temple, was waiting. No, Yinyuan Longqi-now called Ingen Ryuki-was waiting: He was waiting for the cargo. A small wave pushed the boat and Pedro rushed forward. This was the last of his energy, but if the wave was going to bring the cargo closer to safety, Pedro needed to keep the rope taut and try to keep some momentum.
After several minutes, Pedro gave in. His legs buckled and he dropped to the sand. A look towards the ocean gave him hope. The moon shone brightly in the sky as Pedro examined the distance he’d pulled the boat inland. Enough? There was no way he could drag the cargo any further; it had to be enough. Pedro’s salt-encrusted eyelids started to waver. There was nowhere and no energy to clean the salt away or to dry the water. It was going to be an itchy morning.