said
Ayita sat with the water only inches i n front of her. The rocks were slippery, so she moved slowly and carefully. After her feet no longer felt cold in the water, her legs were no longer cold, and eventually she was sitting at the very edge of where it dropped off into a dark abyss. She shuddered.
Dakarai laughed at her for being so cautious. He swam closer and was treading water right beside her. “I’m right here,” he said. “I won’t let anything happen, but if you want to learn to swim, you have to actually get into the water. You can hold on to the rock here.”
Ayita stared into the lake. The water encompassed her legs the way it had done twice to her whole body. She could still see the blurred image of her hand above her as she reached up toward the surface, struggling for a breath. “Maybe…maybe I can learn to swim some other day. I think this is enough right now,” she said, but she didn’t move to get out of the water.
“No, no. Get in . You don’t want to give up.”
“I’m not giving up! Just…putting it off.” Can’t breathe.
“Come on, Ayita. It’s not that scary.” Dakarai crossed his arms over the rock she was sitting on and used it to keep himself up. “All I’m asking you to do is to come in the water down here by me. You don’t even have to swim, see? Just hold onto the ledge here.”
Ayita looked to her hand. The cuts and scrapes from clutching at the sharp rocks were a sore reminder of how deadly this water could be. Her fear told her to leave the water’s edge completely and never return to it, but Dakarai’s comforting stare was there telling her it was all right. I don’t even know him, she thought. Can I really trust him? She could feel as vividly him pulling her unexpectedly into the water as she could feel his arm around her and swimming her to safety. Ayita put her weight on her hands as she lifted herself and moved forward. Her body slid into the water up to her shoulders; her reaction was to promptly pull herself back out, but Dakarai tugged on her arm a little to keep her in the water.
“Breathe. It‘s okay…stop freaking out, Ayita.”
“I used to daydream about being able to swim,” she said in a rushed voice. She held tightly to the rock.
“Yeah? So why are you afraid, now?”
She shot him a glare, but didn’t say anything. Ayita took in a long breath and reminded herself that he probably didn’t know who she was. She crossed her arms over the ledge the way Dakarai had, keeping herself up more with her elbows and forearms than with her hands. “Now what is there to swimming?” she said. “You didn’t look like you were doing much.”
“Well you don’t have to do much, if you don’t want to. That wasn’t really swimming, though. I was only treading water.”
“Okay, well it looked easy enough.”
“It’s really just kicking, and a little arm movement now and then.”
“I’ve tried the kicking thing. It didn’t seem to work.”
“All right, well let me see it.”
Ayita started to kick her legs as fast as she could, and though it relieved the strain on her arms a little, it mostly just tired her.
“Whoa, whoa, slow down. You don’t need to kick that fast. This is just to keep your head above the water, not to circle the lake five times.”
Ayita slowed her flutter kick, which was even less productive. “Not working, Dakarai.”
“Kick wider,” he said. “And not just back and forth, try kicking in circles. But you have to alternate them or you’ll end up clicking your heels and kicking yourself.”
Ayita sighed. “Okay.” She looked down at her legs while trying to coordinate them and rotate them correctly. Her ankles smacked together a few times.
“I said alternating. Try closing your eyes, and just concentrate on what you have to do.”
“Close my eyes! Are you kidding?”
“Trust me, Ayita.”
Trust you. She took a
Ayita sat with the water only inches i n front of her. The rocks were slippery, so she moved slowly and carefully. After her feet no longer felt cold in the water, her legs were no longer cold, and eventually she was sitting at the very edge of where it dropped off into a dark abyss. She shuddered.
Dakarai laughed at her for being so cautious. He swam closer and was treading water right beside her. “I’m right here,” he said. “I won’t let anything happen, but if you want to learn to swim, you have to actually get into the water. You can hold on to the rock here.”
Ayita stared into the lake. The water encompassed her legs the way it had done twice to her whole body. She could still see the blurred image of her hand above her as she reached up toward the surface, struggling for a breath. “Maybe…maybe I can learn to swim some other day. I think this is enough right now,” she said, but she didn’t move to get out of the water.
“No, no. Get in . You don’t want to give up.”
“I’m not giving up! Just…putting it off.” Can’t breathe.
“Come on, Ayita. It’s not that scary.” Dakarai crossed his arms over the rock she was sitting on and used it to keep himself up. “All I’m asking you to do is to come in the water down here by me. You don’t even have to swim, see? Just hold onto the ledge here.”
Ayita looked to her hand. The cuts and scrapes from clutching at the sharp rocks were a sore reminder of how deadly this water could be. Her fear told her to leave the water’s edge completely and never return to it, but Dakarai’s comforting stare was there telling her it was all right. I don’t even know him, she thought. Can I really trust him? She could feel as vividly him pulling her unexpectedly into the water as she could feel his arm around her and swimming her to safety. Ayita put her weight on her hands as she lifted herself and moved forward. Her body slid into the water up to her shoulders; her reaction was to promptly pull herself back out, but Dakarai tugged on her arm a little to keep her in the water.
“Breathe. It‘s okay…stop freaking out, Ayita.”
“I used to daydream about being able to swim,” she said in a rushed voice. She held tightly to the rock.
“Yeah? So why are you afraid, now?”
She shot him a glare, but didn’t say anything. Ayita took in a long breath and reminded herself that he probably didn’t know who she was. She crossed her arms over the ledge the way Dakarai had, keeping herself up more with her elbows and forearms than with her hands. “Now what is there to swimming?” she said. “You didn’t look like you were doing much.”
“Well you don’t have to do much, if you don’t want to. That wasn’t really swimming, though. I was only treading water.”
“Okay, well it looked easy enough.”
“It’s really just kicking, and a little arm movement now and then.”
“I’ve tried the kicking thing. It didn’t seem to work.”
“All right, well let me see it.”
Ayita started to kick her legs as fast as she could, and though it relieved the strain on her arms a little, it mostly just tired her.
“Whoa, whoa, slow down. You don’t need to kick that fast. This is just to keep your head above the water, not to circle the lake five times.”
Ayita slowed her flutter kick, which was even less productive. “Not working, Dakarai.”
“Kick wider,” he said. “And not just back and forth, try kicking in circles. But you have to alternate them or you’ll end up clicking your heels and kicking yourself.”
Ayita sighed. “Okay.” She looked down at her legs while trying to coordinate them and rotate them correctly. Her ankles smacked together a few times.
“I said alternating. Try closing your eyes, and just concentrate on what you have to do.”
“Close my eyes! Are you kidding?”
“Trust me, Ayita.”
Trust you. She took a
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