Dip In The Pool

• Derrick Matthew, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2022

Help, help!” I cried out. Putting as much fear into the voice as I could. Well, I didn’t really have to fake it, I was jumping off a huge boat into the endless ocean, the task itself was enough to make a man faint. I jumped off the side of the Endeavor, a magnificent cruise ship that took over 65 years to make. The captain couldn’t stop boasting about that one. But that’s when I saw the golden sun’s rays shimmer off the water’s surface. It looked so majestic until I bellyflopped into the water. Oh, the pain, it was like landing on a concrete wall. I was quite surprised it wasn’t made of concrete as I felt the shimmering blue pull me under its surface.
I rose to the surface, spluttering and coughing. The saltiness stung my eyes as I filled my lungs with sweet oxygen.
I was drenched to the bone and so were my clothes, but that was okay because soon I’ll be rich enough to buy 100 pairs of these if I wanted to.
Soon the Endeavour will glide on the ocean’s surface and lower a boat to save me. Allowing the distance of the boat travelled today, to be as much as I had bet on. No one will ever know I jumped off on purpose or my little ruse to win the crazy amount of money. If I hadn’t thought of this brilliant plan though, I don’t know what I would have done. I would have committed suicide rather than face my wife’s wrath after spending our life savings. It was smart to wear these sports clothes. I was such a genius; it actually frightens me how intellectually smart I am. But after a while, my smile faded and I realized that maybe that old lady had not seen me fall off, or should I say jump off. No that’s impossible, I had screamed quite loudly and even had a conversation with her, surely she would’ve alerted the captain by now. The boat will be coming back anytime now, I just have to be patient. But that little voice in my head wasn’t convinced.
What if she was drunk, or thought it was an act? Oh no, she had not seen me jump, did she? I should have known better than to gamble my life on this. My heart started beating faster, I could feel it in my throat. Bu dump, Bu dump, increasing its pace. Deep breaths, just take deep breaths.
Wait was that, as a sound broke the eerie silence like glass shattering on the ground. I could feel the dread starting to slip away. It wasn’t the Endeavour though, nor a cruise ship. It was a more unwelcoming ship which gave an ominous feel and almost questioned whether I wanted to be saved by this vessel.
Boats were lowered and hands grabbed and pulled me in as the world around me revolved into a void of darkness.