Breathing Water

CHAPTER 15

I wake up on Sunday morning with a craving to jump in the ocean. I ignore the idea and pull out my homework. I start working and what should have taken a few hours takes much longer. I am continuously distracted by thoughts of the ocean and swimming.
Finally fed up with the distractions I get dressed, grab my bag, and my keys, and head out the door. Uncertain of where I'm going I back out of the driveway and start driving where the pull of the ocean takes me.
I end up in the meadow in front of Cliff House. I climb out of my car, leaving my bag behind. I walk towards the edge of the cliff. Not sure why I'm doing it, I scan the rocks at the base of the cliff. I focus in on an area of rocks that is smaller than the rest.
I walk back to the spot where Shelly and I stood for the breathing exercises. Aiming my body at the direction of the smaller rock grouping. I take a running stance. I don't have any idea what I am doing or why.
I run towards the edge of the cliff. As I reach the edge I push off the ground with my dominate foot. I gracefully put my arms above me with my hands next to each other and my fingers pointed. My legs come together and stretch out behind me. My toes become pointed too as I make an arch in mid air and become aimed straight at the water.
I slip through the surface with a small splash. This time under the water I leave my eyes open and the salt doesn't sting. I make a stunning flip in the water and come up for air. Just as I break through the surface the water starts bubbling around me and my mid-section starts to burn again. I easily restrain myself from fighting the burning in my mid-section. The heat gets worse and the bubbles get bigger. I continue to stay calm.
The bubbles die down and the heat disappears. I move my arms back and forth gently at my sides, keeping my head and shoulders above water. I don't even know how or why to do that. I look down to see what the heat and bubbles did. I see something shimmer back at me from under the surface. The water refracts the image too much to see what it is, so I use my hands to fall under the surface of the water.
I look down again now that I'm under water and see a pearlescent colored fish tail. I follow its body that is aimed towards the surface of the water. The fish scale fade and turn into skin. My skin to be exact. I have a fish tail. I gasp - under water. I really do have a tail instead of legs. I can breath under water. I can see through the salty ocean water. It was not just a dream. I am a mermaid.