Based off of a true story...

The sun glimmered on the surface of the water as I dove into the cool liquid, disturbing the reflection of the beautiful sun that had risen high in the sky. Through my goggles I saw fish darting into deeper waters, silt rising where my feet made contact and bubbles surfacing. Ah, it was a great start to the morning, I’d say. I remember the day where I first swam in my lake, after I’d moved to Kalamazoo, MI. It was also the best way I could’ve started my new life in Kalamazoo.

The sun shone, and Jade was slapping on sunscreen, somewhat reluctantly, as she didn’t like the feel of the lotion. She knew it was necessary, though, so she continued the appliance. ‘There!’ she thought, ‘finally! Oh wait, now I’ve to wait. *sigh*’ She plopped down in the swinging bench she’d come to like, and cracked open her book like she had done it more than a few dozen times, which she had. She had to wait about fifteen minutes to let her suntan lotion dry, and she wasn’t gonna mope around while waiting, that’s for sure!

Finally, the fifteen minutes were over, and she glanced up to check the time on her watch, and she nearly fell off the bench; she’d been reading for close to thirty minutes! She flung her watch into her beach bag, replaced it with her goggles, put them on and dashed to the waterfront. She ignored her mom’s exclamation, and dove headfirst into the cold, clear liquid.

As the bubbles cleared from her vision, she almost gasped, but then remembered she was underwater: rays of sunlight streamed down and into the water; the seaweed swaying in the current, giving it an otherworldly look. She peered to her left, and saw fishes swimming rapidly away from the commotion into the deep. She didn’t bother to chase them, despite her urges, knowing they’d be far too fast for her to catch.

She looked behind her, and saw silt clouds where her feet had planted onto the ground for propelling force, and minnows gradually finding their way through the clouds to the shallows. It was a whole different world down here. Humans no longer held dominance when they were in this underwater realm. ‘This,’ she thought, ‘is the fish’s realm. Not mine’ She swam to the surface, only inches away, and gulped air into her lungs before she dove back under. She felt her feet no longer come into contact with the mud beneath: this was where it got fun.

She swam like a seal does in the arctic waters, free and happy. She chased a few of the larger variations of the Spotted Bluegill, made disgusted faces as her feet landed in muck and blew bubbles from her nose to relieve pressure.

As she surfaced herself, Jade saw ripples spread across the water’s surface. That was her brother coming in after her. His piercing amber eyes gave way to a mischievous look. His swimming trunk with cartoon people on them stood out like a neon shirt in a sea of black, appropriately enough. His hair, a swirl of chocolate brown, swayed in the current. He surfaced, and his grin gave you a ‘ oh-no-he-is-up-to-something-and-I-know-it’s-bad,’ sort of feeling. Jade called out to him, “Ron! Don’t you dare-” She squeaked in alarm and went under as a mudball flew from his hand, missing her by a mile. His twinkling eyes, bright and calculating, followed her movement below water, before Mother scolded from ashore, “don’t you dare do that again, young man!”

Ron pouted, “aw come on, I only did it once. I wouldn’t do it again!”

Jade, seeing her brother get caught red- actually- brown handed, giggled and dove under once more. She noticed a shadow dart off into the deep. A rather large shadow as a matter-of-fact. She surfaced, cleansed her swim glasses and took another look at the same location. ‘Gone! Dangit, I missed it. Ah well...’ Jade reluctantly turned mid-stroke and headed towards the pontoon-type buoy located in the deeper water. She huffed for air as she dragged herself up the ladder. As she laid on the false-wood planks, she noticed the sun had begun to dip below the horizon. ‘Has it really been that long?’ she wondered, nearly aloud. She did not care that it may have been about 6:30, but she did care about seeing the sunset. She’d never seen one at her new home before.

She laid back on the pontoon, almost in a daze as the sky let on new shades of red, pink, yellow and blue. The clouds caught the sun’s rays and mashed them into their own fluffy pelts, their colors now bright and lifting. A gentle south-easterly wind blew across the lake and through her hair, a dirty blonde, making it flow behind her like liquid gold. The sun caught the strands and turned them to gold thread. Her now-tan skin prickled with goosebumps as the lake spray fell against it. Her warm emerald-green eyes glittered and reflected the sun. ‘So this,’ she thought, ‘Is a Kalamazoo sunset.’

Mother called from the shore, and Jade knew it was time to return home for a refreshing shower. Jade grumbled in annoyance and turned to look once more behind her, the sunlight glimmering across the water.