KongArt Week Stories

Fishy Fishy! - Part Four

Arthit couldn't comprehend how he was now in this situation. He was sitting peacefully at the top one minute and the next he was gasping for air, painfully within the water. He flailed his arms out of instinct, trying to bring his head out to the surface but nothing he did was working. Water was starting to go down his airway and it hurt. It was like his swimming lesson all over again. Why had he allowed Kongpob to bring him here knowing he was afraid of large bodies of water?

In truth he knew that the answer was simple. It was because he trusted Kongpob and knew he would keep him safe.

But right now, it was all just looking like a stupid decision. Was this the way he was going to go? He had just made a friend in school, things were starting to look better. He hadn't gotten himself another goldfish that his mother had promised for crying out loud!

He struggled uselessly against the water that strangely seemed to be fighting him, hoping that someone, anyone would come to save him but he was a goner in a few short seconds. His limbs now floating uselessly by his side as he started to take in more water than air.

Kong..

Then everything went pitch black.

Kongpob furiously tried to swim away from the others who had no idea what had just transpired. They had excitedly surrounded him once he had landed in the water, thinking that he had finally chosen to join them in the fun only for him to bellow at them.

He couldn't be bothered to put on a polite front at the moment. All he could think of was that Arthit needed him. The latter had developed aquaphobia after a particularly unfortunate swimming lesson and had spent days crying about it as a child. Kongpob could not imagine how he was feeling right now. He had wanted Arthit to get to know the water that he loved in a different way. He had wanted to reintroduce it to the other so that he would no longer be afraid. But now, thanks to those idiots, Arthit was in trouble and Kongpob was further away from his intentions than ever.

In his haste to save the other, he had forgotten one very important matter - from the point his body hit the water, he was in a race against time. It wouldn't be long before the scales would start to show.

He dove down deeper, avoiding the people around him till he finally saw Arthit a small distance away, floating lifelessly in the water.

No no no. This was not happening.

Kongpob kicked at top speed, reaching Arthit as quickly as he could and dragged him up to the water surface, supporting him so that his head remained out of water. Tootah who had been watching on the sidelines, waved urgently for him to come over to the river, holding out a towel ready to keep the unconscious boy warm. Together, they hauled Arthit out of the water but Arthit was barely breathing by now.

"CPR!" Tootah cried urgently, checking Arthit's pulse which had gotten thready.

Upon hearing those words, Kongpob did the first thing he could think of. Tilting Arthit's chin upwards and back slightly, Kongpob pinched his nose and brought his lips down to Arthit's, blowing as hard as he could.

As a child, he had a field day with his siblings when he had seen it happening on shore once. They were all wondering why the humans needed to be resuscitated before their parents spent a long painful afternoon explaining the difference between humans and fish spirits. Apparently, Kongpob had learnt that day that not all who looked like them had the ability to breathe underwater.

And right now, Kongpob was so glad he had seen it happening before. Fish spirits had the ability to circulate pure oxygen within their bodies at all times unlike humans so he was hoping that it would be enough to supply Arthit with a fresh new bout of oxygen to his lungs.