Underwater!

• James Mcloughlin, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2018

"…And that was the story of the missing neighborhood dog!" My grandpa announced.
"Pah!" I snorted, "Do you really think I care about your adventures when you were younger?"
"Calm down, young man." Replied my grandpa, slightly taken aback. I crankily stomped over to the ancient fridge and opened it for my nightly juice. "In my time we only drank milk before sleeping." Grandpa said, while taking the jug off me. I sighed and dragged myself upstairs into my bedroom. This sleepover at grandpa’s was turning into a disaster. As I laid down on my creaky bed, I felt drowsier than usual. I figured that it was probably because I didn’t have the sugar from my usual juice. In ten seconds flat, I was dead asleep.

I woke up feeling damp and felt like I was floating. Had I wet my pants? I opened my eyes to check. Nope, instead, I was underwater! "WHAT!" I yelled. Then I realized I could breathe. I looked down and saw a red light flashing on an oxygen tank I was wearing. It was a battery symbol, and it was red and flashing furiously… Then a raspy voice flooded through my ears. "Reach the underwater base to find the spare oxygen tank." I scanned the water to see a camouflaged building, behind the coral and the schools of fish. I swam down to the base the best I could in my heavy oxygen suit and the very second I touched the building, I woke up.

That same morning, I sprinted downstairs, "Did you have a good sleep?" My grandpa asked me.
"It was alright." I replied "And grandpa, can you tell me another one of your adventure stories?" Grandpa shrugged,
"Of course." He said suspiciously "And didn’t you find my stories boring?" I sat down on an armchair and started to make myself comfortable. "Not anymore, in fact, I’ve got a story to tell you." I said with a mysterious grin...