Underwater

• Ava Peden, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2018

I’m surrounded with feelings excitement, fear, happiness and many more. Today for the first time ever I am going to the beach. I know it's a bit strange how I haven’t been to the beach and I’m eleven years old, but I know I’m going to enjoy it. Although sitting in the car with Mum right now wasn’t very fun. It takes an hour to drive to the beach.
When the beach was in sight, I was getting really excited.
“Mum can I go out and get in the water as soon as I get there?” I said
“No Grace you have to help me unload and you also have to put on sunscreen,” Mum said. Of course mum says no, all I wanted to do was touch the water.
Once I had helped unpack and I had put on sunscreen I was allowed to go in the water. It was cold, but very smooth it felt nice and soft on my feet.
“Don't go out to far Grace because there might be rips,” Mum said
“I wont,” I called back of course I’ve had swimming lessons, otherwise I wouldn't have been aloud here so I was going to swim out as far as I liked.
I did some cartwheels at the edge of the beach were the ocean was thinnest. Then I went for a swim in deeper water out quite a bit further
“Grace, time for lunch,” Mum said looking around for me, but she couldn't see me because I was too far out to sea. So I started trying to swim in, but I was going nowhere, I was too far out to sea and the only way I could go was backwards and out even further.
Suddenly out of nowhere, a gigantic wave came down and hit me, pushing me forwards and taking me underwater. Now I was underwater, there was nothing I could do except wait. I was looking around panicking when I saw something in the water, what could it be a shark, a stingray, a jellyfish or an octopus I had no clue. It was holding its hand out to me, I couldn't breathe so I took it and it pulled me out of the water.
“Come on let's go back to shore,” the lifeguard said.
“Thank You,” I said. I knew I was lucky to have made it ashore still alive.
“Oh Grace dear, I’m so happy you’re alive, you really scared us when we couldn’t see you!” said Mum.
“I’m happy to be alive too!” I said.
So we had lunch down at the beach, it was only sandwiches and kebabs, but it was fine. Then we went home and my punishment for going out too far was to clean my room, finish my homework and clean the dog yard before I could do anything else, which was a bummer because I wanted to watch DanTDM’s new video. The best part of the experience was the soft, cold, water.