Nineteen
First WordsThe chest deep water refreshed my body. Hands and fingers dipped and splashed; feet and toes dug into the gravel. White water lilies with brilliant yellow centres floated in the shallow depths further down the shore but their fragrance carried to me on warm breezes. Air filled my lungs, and I ducked under the stillness. The cool liquid rushed over me, and my skin tingled. I opened my eyes and swam closer to shore above the rocks and sand. Fish the size of my hand scattered in every direction. Sunbeams pierced the surface, refracted, and highlighted whatever lay in its path. The remains of a freshwater mussel shell shimmered.
In the shallow water I rolled onto my back and grabbed a large rock. My legs drifted, weightless. The blue sky distorted and blurred, in the cen
