The Sea

XV

The water feels colder. The girl notices after some time. She has been swimming for half the day and the sun is at the highest point, blasting its heat rays. It should feel warmer, but it's not. It's chilly. The wind feels freezing on the skin. The clouds are starting to turn shades of gray. There's something brewing and it's on its way.

She turns her attention to her front. Her teacher is writing something on the blackboard. She grabs her pen and her notebook and waits for further instructions. "Exams are next week." A thunder is heard. The wind picks up speed. The waves start thrashing violently. It's getting harder to breathe. She's suffocating.

Those words are the last to be said as the bell rings and class is dismissed. The girl is so shaken that her hands won't stop sweating. She bites her lips as she fidgets with her things. "Calm down," she says to herself. "There are sharks lurking in the distance. Don't panic, just flap your feet. Attention is not good at the moment. You're going to get bitten."

She let out a breath and starts walking on the pavement. She tries to clear her head as she walks to the direction of her friends. Another storm is about to come. She'll be facing another battle round. The sun is going down. Time is ticking and it's running out.

The girl stops walking for a moment. She looks to find a quiet and isolated place. She sits on a rock sticking out from one of the bushes. There she leans her head against her hands. The waves are too strong and she's being swept away. It's taking a toll on her and her limbs feel like they're fading away. It's like she's caught in something, but she's not. Maybe she is, but it's not physical. Gears are turning in her head. Something is happening in there and it's causing this chaos around. Tears are forming in her eyes. It's this panic that she can't hide.

As she floats in the water, she didn't notice how far she is from shore. Only when the pressure got too much for her to handle that she is conscious of how deep she is in the water. This is the farthest she has gone, too far from her usual limit line. The waves must have dragged her out and now she is in a place she is not familiar about. This place is a bit too dark. She does not like this black. It reminds her of the deep sea ground, the prison where she drowned.

"Oh no," she inaudibly whispers. "No, no, no."

It's too much, too much. She's gettingoverwhelmed and her emotions are starting to flood. What to do? Where to go?What? What? What?