I am not good with water. Not a good swimmer. Not having the ground under my feet when the storm is raging around sends me into a panic that is blinding and deafening. More than the water that is suddenly all around me.
I choke. Cough. I am tossed in the water like a rag doll.
But I don’t let go of the life ring. My arms are wrapped around it. Some heavy weight is pulling it in a different direction.
Katura.
I can’t see much.
Water.
Splashes.
Wind.
More splashes.
Giant waves.
Salty water in my mouth, nose, and ears. Choking and drowning me.
It’s never-ending.
It lasts for so long that I feel like I am in some creepy purgatory.
It’s dark. I don’t even know if it’s the storm or the night that fell suddenly. All I know is that I need to hold on to that hard ring in my hands. Katura is next to it. If we end up in hell—it’s the two of us. I don’t want to be alone. Definitely not in hell.
I slam into something hard with my back and almost suffocate from the impact.
It’s like the wildest rollercoaster gone off the rails.
I thrash like mad.
Coughing.
Choking.
More salty water.
I close my eyes and think that this is it—I will die on the way to paradise.
My feet slam against something hard, searing me with sharp pain.
I want to make it.
Somewhere. Anywhere!
There is always that instinct to live that kicks in during the worst moments.
Then there is something hard under my feet.
“Hold on!” It’s Katura again, her voice God-like in the darkness. “Don’t let go of the ring!”
We are tossed around by the waves, the tide of it suddenly stronger than before but rhythmical. Pulling and pushing. Wave. After wave.
There is solid ground under my feet again.
I am blind from water and rain.