Narrative

In the Deeps: for the First Time

I love our pool. It is the perfect place to unwind and to escape reality amongst the waves. Currently, it serves the purpose of being my exercise grounds where I do my lapping to keep myself fit and to relieve myself of stress. I can’t help but remember the time I first learned how to swim.

You see, our pool is the kind where the middle area is deeper than the ones at the sides. When I was a kid, the shallow parts were mine to command; my fortress held strongly in these parts, while the enemy was lurking in the deeps. I could easily float around and not cross boundaries; anyways the idea of being alone in an unfamiliar, hostile environment petrified me.

Little did I know that my peaceful days were drawing to an end. My father, who of all people I least expected, was about to betray me. He called me and I hurriedly trotted to him like any young boy should. Next thing I know, he caught me off guard and threw me to the clutches of the enemy! For a second I was flying in mid air until I plummeted down right at the middle of the pool. What transpired after this wasn’t all too clear to me but what I know is, pure instinct took over my entire body. This was actually pretty neat – my muscles were the ones doing the work for me. Without my mind’s direction, my body did everything it could to get myself out of danger.

Upon reaching safety, my mind was completely blank yet I felt relieved. I wasn’t even thinking of the hapless encounter with my father. It was all about ‘now I am safe, I made it out’. Moments after, I took a deep breath and then started searching for my missing swimming trunks.