Writing to Write

Here it is, CWTR Ladies and all!

When the schooner came into sight, the nerves in my fingertips tingled. What I was about to attempt was a daring feat. I knew the dangers, but this was my only chance to get back to who I used to be. . . and merge that girl with who I  wanted to become.

I dove in.

The water was cold and I felt excitement shoot through my entire body as I furiously swam away from one world, towards another.

It hadn’t been easy to plan.

When the idea first started forming, I had little knowledge of boats and their place in the water other than the ability they had to float.

I started researching until I settled on something with sails after reading an info sheet on yachts. There were guided rides and one headed back inward after midnight. I needed it to be dark.

Pushing myself as hard as I ever had, I furiously swam and prayed to stay on course. It would take a miracle to get to the little hut on the hill before being discovered.

I was scared … to the point of being terrified but I fought panic. I used the fear to fuel the magnificent adrenaline racing through me.

My biggest scare had been what was living, swimming, and lurking in the depths of endless waves. Mainly, sharks and the life long fear of them. It was the hardest hurdle I had come up against and I had known all along it would taunt me most when the time came.

I fought down the feeling that one of the fearsome creatures was stealthily swimming behind, under, or anywhere near me. I grappled to stay composed, purposing and trying to keep my strokes smooth.

Using the breast stroke, my arms and legs finally stopped burning and seemed to follow my sight and sense of direction.  Thoughts of right before I made my break entered my solitary swim away. . .

The person I portrayed on the 75-foot sailing vessel blended into the crowd. I made her that way to not be noticed. It was amazing how easy it was to be invisible, especially after so long of it not being found where ever I went. .

I swam through thoughts of the past and took huge breaths of air every time my head rose above the water. There would be time for reflecting once I was on the plane to Montana.

I kept swimming and wondered how long I had been in the water. My destination had to be coming soon because I was getting tired. The practice swims had grown closer and closer to the distance I strove for and  the last one… I made it the whole way without stopping.

Something brushed against my thigh and swooshed down my leg. I drove myself on and out of a scream and didn’t look back. Whatever it was would either keep moving away or it would come my way but I could not stop to find out.

I felt the surge of a wave behind me and let it wash me closer. It was only a matter of minutes now. Wave after wave came and seemed to take a turn helping me out of the sea and I felt sand. When the water was down to my knees, I gave a good look around and ran. I ran as fast as I could in water and did okay on the wet sand. When I hit the dry sand before the hill, my entire body struggled to keep moving ahead. Reaching the bottom of the hill was like finding home after being lost in a storm. I scrambled up it and symmetrically grabbed the sturdy roots and twisted branches until I was in the sloped yard holding up a small and fixed up “shanty”.

I was still so wet my long hair was sticking to my face and had to be hurriedly pushed away from my eyes. My shaking hand found the key between a window’s glass and white wood.

A light switch by the door almost got flipped on but my hand stopped and I tore my clothes off in a mad rush. . .

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