Water. People who lived by water -the ocean, a lake, or a wide river- knew water. People who lived by water loved it. They were not terrified by it.
Not so, me.
Landlocked. I did not live by water; did not know water. I did not love it. I was terrified by it.
I thought this; as I inched, grasping, toward my parents. My feet; then toes; then tiptoes felt the pool floor drop, my face cresting the water’s surface. I saw their bobbing forms.
I think.
I think I saw them, just before water drowned them from view.
©2023 Chel Owens
Written in response to Charli’s prompt at Carrot Ranch:
May 1, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about high water. Hell can be involved, or not. Is high water a new drink? A crisis in nature or the basement? Get in the flow. Go where the prompt leads!
Chel Owens 
I felt the terror in your story. Well done.
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❤️ Thank you, Norah. It’s my own experience.
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It felt very real.
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Hi Chel, I’ve had a few bad experiences with water so I understand your anxiety.
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❤️ Thank you.
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I love water, I just thought they were going to be a shark and swim underwater
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I’ll try to picture that, instead, when we’re at the pool. 🦈 ❤️
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You got to remember in Australia swimming is a way of life
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You do seem to have a lot of water in Australia…
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You had me running in the other direction!
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If only. 🏃♀️
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This story truly resonates with me. I had a similar experience when I was five 💜💜💜
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I think mine was around that age. ❤️
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It never leaves you does it .
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I’m like you, about water, and I lived by it when I was a kid. I almost drowned twice, while growing up. I’ll swim in it now and then, but very carefully.
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🤔 Well, at least I know that even being around it doesn’t always help.
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What might help is to take swimming lessons. Which is something I’ve never done.
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Supposedly, my parents signed me up for them. I still paddle like a dog.
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Even landlocked folks need to learn to swim. A handy skill. I used to play hide and seek with my youngun’ at the pool. But then I love water. I was told I could swim before I could walk. But then I lived in a state where you needed that skill. One still needs to know how to address tides and be very careful of how water works. Even in public pools!
So… I was just thinking that the parents were playing in the ‘pool’ water – not anything dangerous until I read other comments. EEK!
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Good points. I was trying to describe my attempts to reach my parents in deep water at the pool. My fears might be somewhat irrational.
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Fears come from somewhere… If you don’t have to deal with them most of the time then you are lucky. 🙂
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