Featured in the 2016 Spring Issue of Rambunctious
By Amanda Henderson, ’16
He knew that I loved to swim.
So he pushed me into the water and I felt my body jolt forward, the split second of sick anticipation; cool chlorinated liquid slapped at my skin, and I was consumed by darkness. But only briefly. I dragged myself up, protesting the moment I emerged. He laughed and I laughed and I already felt the sun beginning to dry the droplets on my cheeks.
He pushes me into the water and I hardly have enough time to scream before I am taken into the unforgiving arms of the dark and swirling lake. I push myself up, feeling the slick seaweed curling around my ankles, but this time he holds me down. I claw at his wrists, hopelessly splashing about in the water. He’s a smart boy, though, and I know he paid close attention.
Because he knew that I loved to swim.