Slam! Slam! The sound of the diving boards banging lure me from my lazy perch. I gently put my worn hard-cover book down and sigh. Man this heat is a killer! My hair is ten times puffier than normal and my face is beet red. Sweat slips down my face like silent tears. I pull myself up from the sticky couch and wander inside.
“Hey Paige,” I call up one flights of stairs, “want to go to the pool?”
“Coming!” Paige calls down in a distant voice, probably caught up in some good book.
“Well fine, I’m leaving!” I call back as I leisurely climb the hard wooden stairs.
As soon as I step into my room, a blast of warm air hits me. Sun streams through my open windows, making patterns on my colorful rug. I throw my drawers open, searching for my swimsuit in a jumble of crumpled clothes. Aha! There it is, nestled among my balled up shorts and skirts. Quickly, I pull my suit over my head and rush downstairs.
“Leaving!” I call to my sister as I hastily grab a towel and goggles. Shoving pink plastic crocs onto my feet, I scramble out the door before Paige has I chance to respond. BANG! I slam the door shut behind me and step into the blinding heat. If I thought indoors was hot, outdoors is boiling! Walking through the overgrown, lush grass, I close the heavy metal gate with a CREAK and start towards the pool. Half dead grass tickles my ankle, I giggle and speed up. The sound of tennis balls pinging off the ground, splashes of the pool, and the screaming of many small children float in the burning air towards me; summers symphony. Finally, I step off the brown grass and onto the burning black pavement. I’m here!
Clink, clink. I quickly show the boy my swim tag and wander down a wide covered path towards the sounds of the pool. I emerge from the shadows, met by the burning sun, onto the deck of the pools. Plopping my stuff down in a far off corner of hade, I make my way towards the diving pool. Hopping on the burning concrete, I wait in line for the high dive. Hurry up, I think, it’s hot down here! I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to send telepathic messages to the people in front of me to hurry up. The line crawls forward, like a tortoise with a limp, until finally, I’m next! Carefully, I climb the slippery black and silver ladder to the very top. I scramble onto the teal diving board and look down. Oh, bad mistake! Suddenly, my heart jumps to my throat and the world swirls around me. Taking a deep breath, I calm my nerves by taking in the scenery.
I feel like I’m on top of the world! I feel like I can see for miles and miles. A gentle breeze tickles my smiling face as the sun beats down, hot on my tired shoulders. Hey, I think, there’s my house. The dark trees loom in front of my house, silent guardians, complementing the vibrant colors of my home.
“Hurry up!” someone calls from far below. Jeez, I think, I’m going, I’m going! Taking small steps forward, I muster all the courage I can and then spring across the board, towards the cool, blue water.
One second, I’m running on a solid board, and the next moment I’m running on thin air, like Wily Coyote. Then, I’m falling. The wind blows around me, through me, and for a moment I smile, happy. Next I’m swallowed by the water, the cold, frozen water.
Adrenaline floods through me, shock from the coldness of the water. For moments, I just stay under and let the water push me, pull me, flow through me and for those few moments I’m in Paradise. Bliss. Dreamland.
Heaven.
On.
Earth.
