'To Infinity and Beyond!'
When I was a teenager I was once pulled far out to sea by a riptide. I remember the people on the beach looking like ants. This morning we came across a story which is far better than mine.
A father watched his autistic son get pulled out to sea by a dangerous riptide. He knew it would be like suicide, but he knew he had to jump in after him. The father and son were dragged 3 miles apart, 8 miles out to sea and survived almost 14 hours in shark infested waters.
Walter Marino knew his son’s verbal skills were limited, so, to keep tabs on him in the dark, he shouted something he knew his son would respond to: “To infinity…” From a distance he could hear his twelve-year-old, Christopher shouting back, “and beyond!”
As the night wore on the responses got quieter until they ceased. Walter decided his son must be gone.
After sunrise, Walter was found by fishermen. His son, who seemed to think the whole ordeal was a great adventure, was found shortly after.