Young Writers Society

Madison has never been keen on the idea of swimming. In fact, she hates swimming with a torrid passion. But growing up in a small town, water and nature has always enshrouded her like a thick blanket. It was inescapable because it was everywhere. Madison liked big cities with yellow taxis and enormous buildings that touched the clouds. But until she would be finished school and had enough money to leave, she would be stuck in the woods: a small city in the middle of nowhere with only three grocery stores and a discount movie theatre. The problem with living in a small place is that everyone knows everyone. Madison was known for being quiet, conservative, and never the first one to start a conversation.

Madison’s friend Sophie would always invite her to her family’s camp in the summertime. It was located on the shore of one of the world’s largest lakes. The water was light blue when the sun shone on it, but it would turn an ominous shade of dark grey when the sun played hide and seek. Madison preferred sitting on the rocky beach tanning her pale white body, rather than swimming in the fish infested lake. When summertime came, citizens of her city became crazed and obsessed with the fact that there was no longer twenty inches of snow on the ground. Swimming, fishing, boating, diving, snorkeling; they always clung to water activities. It was not that Madison only feared swimming, but she feared, detested, and avoided it, and everything involved with it.

Minus the fact that Sophie’s camp was surrounded by water, Madison always found it to be surprisingly cozy. It had a red brick fireplace in the small living room that overlooked the lake. Madison didn’t mind looking at water from a distance or from behind glass. The camp was cozy and lovely, until you had to use the bathroom that is. There is nothing cozy about an outhouse. Madison would risk getting a bladder infection rather than go into a small, old, dirty little box made of wood, with the only light source being a little moon-shaped hole in the door.

Sophie’s younger sister, Jane, always begged Madison to go out into the lake with her by paddleboat. This time Madison decided to say yes. What is the worst that could happen? A paddleboat is virtually unsinkable, but then again, so was the Titanic. Madison stepped into the rocky and shaking paddleboat, wearing a lifejacket, water wings, and an extra lifejacket on her lap just to be cautious. They paddled their way over small waves, which somehow managed to make Madison mildly nauseous. They made their way to a dock which was about a five minute paddleboat ride from the shore.

“I’ll tie the boat to the dock so we can sit on it,” suggested Jane, an avid swimmer.

Madison’s eyes almost went into the back of her head. “How about I stay on the boat? The dock looks unsafe to sit on. It’s floating and it’s shaky,” she stuttered between each word.

“Just do it. Its fun and I’ll help you.” Jane said, selling the idea to Madison. “Just grab onto the dock with your hands and pull yourself on it.”

As soon as Madison had one hand gripped onto the edge of the dock, Jane gunned the paddleboat so quickly it could have been mistaken for a motorboat. Madison was too panicked to even scream. Instead she flailed her skinny arms and her adrenalin rushed. She gripped onto the edge of the dock with all the might in her body. After a few short seconds of struggling, she pulled her entire body onto the dock. When she looked between the planks of wood holding the dock together, she could see water pass by below her. Her legs were shining wet and glistening in the immense summer sunlight. She could have sworn she touched a fish, and she was disgusted at the thought. Fish live in water and humans live on land for a reason. The two totally opposite species’ should never meet or touch. That is the way nature should work.

Now what was Madison supposed to do? She did have two life jackets and water wings, so she could try to swim back, but she might accidentally touch a fish again. That was not a risk she was willing to take. She couldn’t swim, since she had never passed level one swimming the three times she took it. She did math in her head: It took the paddleboat five minutes to reach this dock, and a paddleboat can go maybe double the speed of an average swimmer. Since I’m well below the average swimmer, it’ll take me maybe five times longer. So basically I will die trying to swim back to the shore. At least if I die on the dock they’ll find my body easier.

Madison was not really an optimist. Her family would always call her a Negative Nancy, which is much nicer than when her sister called her Miserable Madison. It’s not that she believed her glass was half empty; it’s just that it was half full with something she hated, like cranberry juice.

Jane and the boat were half way to the shore by this point, and Madison was officially terrified. Her face went white, her palms went sweaty, and her legs folded below her. She crawled to the center of the dock making her movements slow and subtle, trying not to shake it more than it already was. No matter what direction she looked, water surrounded her and it made her dizzy. She hated open spaces, especially when the wide, expansive, open space was full of deep, fish infested water.

Madison’s fear of water began when she was five. Her mom had signed her up for swimming lessons at one of the three local pools. Madison’s swimming teacher, Claire, had grabbed Madison’s small and quivering hand and had taken her slowly into the pool. Madison’s eyes bulged, her expression was concerned, and her arms clung onto the edge of the deep pool for dear life. Forever after this day she would remember the sadistic look on Claire’s face. Her hair was bright red like fire, even when it was wet.

“Let’s play a game to get you more comfortable in the water,” Claire had suggested, sensing Madison’s nervousness. Madison nodded her head in agreement. After all, she had no reason to fear Claire; she was a professional. Then Claire began singing, “dunk dunk went the little green frog one day…” Madison started having fun and she realized that swimming wasn’t as evil as she had deemed it to be. “And they all went dunk dunk DUNK!” Madison’s mouth and nose instantly filled with water, and her eyes burned from the chlorine that so quickly went inside. She was completely submerged, and Claire was holding her head under the water. Madison could not breathe and precious seconds passed so slowly. She must have been blue by that point.

Once Madison’s glacial, blue body was pulled up from the depths of the pool, she heard nothing but yelling. Claire was fired, and Madison had a new phobia. Even though that was many years ago, Madison could still picture herself choking on chlorinated water and almost facing death. And now, she was facing death again, but just on a lonely dock.

Back at the camp, Sophie questioned Jane, “Where’s Madison?”

“I did something funny, and you’ll laugh. You see, I tricked Madison and now she’s sitting on that dock in the middle of the lake,” Jane snickered, hoping Sophie would as well. Sophie walked away and got into the nearest boat, which was a canoe. She began paddling.

Madison was still on the dock, but she realized that no one would save her. There is no such thing as superheroes; you have to fend for yourself. She whispered to herself, do it quick like a bandage. She took a slow, deep breath, and put her quivering foot in the cold lake water. Then her entire body was in the water, and she felt so small. She began thinking of all the creatures that probably dwell below her kicking feet. She was either suffering from motion sickness or nervousness, or maybe both. She kicked her legs back furiously three times, and it moved her about one foot closer to the shore. I can’t do this. I won’t make it before night she thought. At the rate she was going, she wouldn’t make it back to shore for three nights. Even though she was going very slowly, her bravery surprised her. Sure she had done brave things before, but nothing like this.

“Madison!” Sophie shouted from the quickly approaching canoe. “How long have you been out here?”

“Too long,” Madison shouted, since Sophie was still far away.

“Judging by your huge red burn, I’d say half an hour,” Sophie was finally close enough to Madison that she no longer had to shout.

“Burn?” Madison checked her legs and arms. “Oh jeeze. Yeah, burn.”

“Get in the canoe and I’ll get my mom to put some cream on it so it’ll sting less tomorrow.”

Madison thought for a second, and then said, “Actually, I think I’ll swim back.” Sophie looked at her sarcastically, “I’m serious.”

“Okay, suit yourself. But when your skin starts peeling, don’t say I didn’t tell you so,” Sophie warned her as she paddled away.

Madison smiled and felt even braver than she did before. She kicked her legs, feeling free and liberated. Her arms pushed through the water, and she was swimming. She swam and she swam, then she felt something scaly wisp by her legs. “Sophie!” Madison screamed, throwing in several yelping sounds, “I touched a fish! Come back!”