The Reyes family had a happy start to their summer vacation. They traveled from Manila to a secluded beach in Zambales to relax. Mang Nestor and Aling Celia brought their three children: the eldest, Caloy (13 years old), and the two younger ones, Bimbo (7 years old) and Maya (5 years old).

Caloy was not tall. He was thin, quiet, and was always teased at school for being “patpatin”. But in the water, he was like a fish. Even though he was still young, his father taught him to swim.

Around four in the afternoon, the family decided to go to the sea before sunset. The sea was calm on the surface, but they were unaware of the danger that lay in wait below.

While Mang Nestor and the little ones were playing frisbee in the waist-deep water, the wind suddenly changed. A huge wave hit them.

WOOSH!

In an instant, the sand disappeared from their feet. They were sucked into a strong Rip Current—a type of current that pulls swimmers away from the shore into the depths of the ocean.

“Help! The children!” shouted Aling Celia, who was also being swept away.

Mang Nestor tried to save Maya, but due to the weight of his body and panic, his leg buckled. The head of the family bobbed and popped up.

“Caloy! Help them!” was Nestor’s last cry before he lost consciousness due to hitting the rock below.

Caloy was on the shore at the time, fixing things. He saw his family being swept away. There was no one else around. No lifeguard.

Caloy didn’t think twice. He grabbed a small boogie board (a styrofoam float) and rushed into the sea.

The wave was like a wall hitting him. But the young man was determined.

He caught up with Aling Celia who was hugging Maya.

“Mom! Hold on to the board!” Caloy shouted.

Next he looked for Bimbo who was crying as she sank. He pulled his sister by the hair and put her on the back of the board.

The hardest hit was his father. Mang Nestor weighed about 90 kilos and was unconscious. They were already in deep water, the water was dark blue.

Using his small body, Caloy grabbed his father’s collar.

“I won’t let you go, Pa,” Caloy whispered.

The situation was impossible. A 13-year-old boy was going to pull four people (including an unconscious old man) back to shore, against the current that was pulling them towards the Pacific Ocean.

Caloy started kicking. Each kick was painful. Each stroke of his hand felt like it was cutting into his muscles.

Kicking.
Pull.
Kick.
Pull.

An hour passed. They were still in the middle. It was starting to get dark.

“Son… let me go…” whispered Aling Celia, who was also getting weaker. “Just save your brothers…”

“No one will let go!” Caloy shouted, even though he himself was already drinking salt water. “We’ll go home complete!”

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story.

At that point, it was as if something had joined Caloy. His eyes were filled with determination. He was no longer a child. He had become a machine. He didn’t feel tired.

Two hours.

Three hours.

He continued to swim while dragging a weight five times his weight. His legs were going numb, but he didn’t stop.

Finally, they saw a light. A fishing boat passed by.

“Help! Here!” Caloy’s hoarse cry.

The fishermen saw them and immediately pulled them out. When his family was placed in the boat, Caloy’s body gave out. He lost consciousness.

They were all rushed to the hospital. Mang Nestor, Aling Celia, and the children were safe. But Caloy was in the ICU.

The next day, the Doctor spoke to the Reyes family. The doctor’s face showed surprise and confusion.

“Caloy is awake,” the doctor reported. “But I want to ask you something… Did you know that your son has severe asthma?”

“Yes, Doc,” Aling Celia replied. “That’s why he’s so skinny, it hurts.”

“And did you also know that he had a hairline fracture or a crack in his right arm before he went into the water?”

The couple were surprised. “Sir? We didn’t know that. Maybe he got it while playing earlier.”

The doctor shook his head as he looked at the X-ray.

“This is something I can’t explain,” the doctor said. “Your son has asthma that weakens his lungs, and he has a broken bone in his arm. But he managed to swim for four hours against the rip current while dragging a weight of almost 300 pounds. Medically speaking, he should have just been tired and asthmatic, he sank in the first 15 minutes. His arm should have given way under the weight of his father.”

The doctor looked at Caloy in the bedroom mirror.

“What happened last night is something science can’t explain. We call it ‘Hysterical Strength’ or superhuman strength that only appears when your loved one is on the verge of death. His body went through the

“The human race. As for the engine, he made it run even though there was no more fuel and the parts were broken.”

They entered the room. Caloy was smiling even though he was on dextrose and his arm was bandaged.

Mang Nestor hugged him tightly. The father who used to teach him how to swim was crying.

“Thank you, son,” Nestor sobbed. “You are our hero. Your strength… you are so strong.”

“As long as we are complete, Pa,” Caloy replied weakly.

Caloy’s story spread throughout the town. The Philippine Coast Guard honored him and gave him a medal for bravery. But for Caloy, the medal was not what mattered. What mattered was the fact that in times of danger, he proved that strength is not measured by the size of the body, but by the size of the heart that is willing to challenge even the cruelest ocean for the family.