My Mind Is An Odd Place: A Collection of Mostly Sad, Odd Stories.

One, Two, Breathe.

(A/N): Trigger warning for drowning. Please skip this if you feel like you'd be triggered by reading about drowning to an extent of details. <3

One, two, breathe. One, two, breathe. I repeated the pattern over and over like a ticking clock in my head while I dug my arms through the freezing water. Never would I have thought that I would be using my strokes out at sea after a terrible crash. It was all too fast.

There was the light giggles and laughter of children as they chased each other around on the deck, with the murmur of small talk coming from the adults, sipping the cool wine out of their slim wine glasses. I was at the side railing of the boat, the wind whipping my hair around at various angles, the salty air rushing in through my nose. I exhaled in relaxation, watching the calm waves dance against the hull of the boat. Every so often, droplets would make their way up far enough to splash upon my face. I'd just continue with the soft grin on my face and look for fish or other sea creatures. 

The clouds looming overhead weren't even dark, they were light and fluffy, as if they were made of cotton. They glided against the blue sky like leaves drifting in a river, harmless and beautiful as can be. No one even noticed when they turned into dark howling wolves, hungry and ready to attack. The waves became more and more violent, more water splashing up onto me and the deck. I started to shiver, soaked in the icy, salty water. We all brushed it off as a rough patch of water, but when it didn't get any better, we realized we were heading for a storm. 

The children were rushed into the small cabin, the youngest going first. Many of them cried and wailed, confused on what was going on and wanting to go home. I ran for my mom and clung to her arm, starting to breathe heavily. All of the clouds that were so harmless just minutes ago were now pouring down rain onto us and howling into our ears. There were many shrieks and cries as the boat rocked violently while the waves threw it in every direction. 

Some people fell as the boat threw them around, and weren't able to get up. Soon enough, the waves were so large that they started to crash onto the deck and tug everything they could along with them. Including people. I can never describe how sad it was to hear the screams as each person was pulled into the abyss of dark, deep waters filled with who knows what.

I was shaking and didn't even notice when I fell to my knees and started to slide. My mom called out my name over and over, but I was sobbing so hard, and the wind was howling so harshly, I could barely hear her. What brought me to my senses is when a shockingly cold wave was thrown over my body and pulled me across the slick wood. I chocked on some of the water that had got into my mouth as I screamed. I dug my nails into the floor, but there was nothing to grab onto. 

And then came the feeling of falling mixed with dread. I may have been on a swim team, but I knew way out in the ocean, I had no chance of surviving. I tried to scream again, but all that came out was muffled bubbles as water flooded down my throat and into my lungs. I brought myself to the surface frantically, and coughed up as much as I could before being thrown under the icy abyss once more. One, two, breathe. I thought to myself. It was how I did my freestyle stroke most of the time in swimming. Two strokes, and then I'd come up to breathe. It was a fairly easy, steady pace that kept me going. 

One, two, breathe. One, two, breathe.  It kept me going for a while, or at least it seemed like it, but my whole body started to burn, I was extremely thirsty and I was beginning to become numb from the cold. I stopped for a second, since the waves were somewhat calmer in the area I was in. Looking around, I saw nothing in any direction. I felt myself start to cry. 

"Help!" I cried out hoarsely. "Anyone?!" I kicked and tried to bob above water in one spot as I tried to search for any human life. "Help!" I cried out, even longer this time. There was no one. My legs started to kick slower and my arms barely moved. I could barely cry or wail, I had no energy left in me at all. With one big wave, there was silence. 

I looked up and saw the few blurred rays of light poking through the surface. I kept sinking, and sinking, and sinking until I hit the floor. I couldn't hold my breathe anymore, so everything got let out in one, long exhalation. Watching as the bubbles rose to the surface was beautiful. The sand was so soft. I was so cold. It was so dark. But it was so peaceful. One, two, breathe.