The Deep

-Yumi-

I keep having this weird dream from when I was a child. Momma, Poppa, and I were near a lake for the summer. I think we were on vacation at the time. I was seven. I think we were visiting Grandma.

It was the day before we were going home. I slipped out to the lake in the early hours of the morning. I just had to do one more swim. I know that I should have waited until my parents got up. But I just had to take one more swim. Maybe about ten minutes or so. I walked out of the cabin while Momma and Poppa were still asleep. I took one more look behind me before I slipped out the door. I had to be careful when I closed it behind me.

The sun hadn’t even come out yet. I could barely see anything around me. Still, I could get to the lake with no problems. Poppa taught me how to follow the sound of water if I got lost. It didn’t take long to walk up to the dock. Even in the dark, it looked so big. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea?

I took a step onto the dock. I remember it was really warm that morning. Our vacation had been unusually hot that year. (I don’t exactly remember where we were.) I walked to the edge of the dock. The water was calm that morning. You’re going to want to keep that in mind. I looked down at the dark water. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea? I should have just turned around and gone back inside. It would’ve saved me from what came next.

I closed my eyes and jumped in. The water was so cold that my body felt stiff. I swam to the top.

I was alone in the dark morning. I started to relax as I sawm around. I hadn’t planned on staying out here for too long. Maybe I could enjoy swimming this early in the morning.

Suddenly, I felt something grab onto my foot. I looked down.

What?

I looked around as I started to panic. What was that? Something tried to grab my foot again. This time, it wouldn’t let me go. I tried to pull away. But something wouldn’t let go. It yanked me down into the water.

This is where things get weird.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I couldn’t see anything. I tried to swim up but something held me in place. I thought I was going to die.

Suddenly, I felt a light washing over me. I tried to reach out to it. The light covered my body. A voice filled my ears. I only heard one question.

Do you want to go home?

I screamed yes in my head. I tried to swim away. I don’t know how long I was down there. I thought I was going to die. My parents wouldn’t even know it. I think I was crying. The voice said one more thing to me.

You are going to be alright. Don’t be afraid.

I started floating back to the top. My head broke the surface. I sucked in mouthfuls of air. I swam back to shore. I don’t remember what happened after that.

Crazy, wasn’t it? It felt real too. Maybe too real. I might have to ask Momma about it later.