Fear clenched around my heart as I helplessly watched the boy. He wasn’t listening… he was running straight for the lake.
He didn’t stop at the edge.
He stepped right out into the freezing water.
He stepped right out into the freezing water.
I can’t swim. My mother tried to teach me when I was eight, and I panicked so badly she had to drag me out.
I’ve avoided lakes, pools, and oceans all my life. I don’t even take a bath if I can shower instead.
That fear slammed into me as I reached the lake’s edge.
The boy’s arms flailed. He turned around, and I looked into his frightened eyes. He opened his mouth, but it filled with water. Then he was gone — swallowed by the water.
He was gone — swallowed by the water.
That boy was in danger, so I ran right in after him.
The water grabbed at my ankles. I stumbled and slammed into the water.
The cold hit me like a fist. I pushed up, panicked, and lunged forward. The boy’s hand was right there…
I reached for it just as he went under again.
