I've been gone again. Apologies. This time it's mostly due to health reasons. I had a cold and then someone close to me tested positive for COVID-19, so I've had to quarantine until I can go back to work. I'm negative so far, just so no one is worried.
Anyway, I've finally settled down a bit and had the inspiration to fill out a quick prompt today. I think I'm going to aim for a prompt today and a prompt on Thursday, so watch out for that! I hope you enjoy this one! It's a bit dark, but it's an experience I've never written about before.
The prompt was: Write about the time you came closest to death.
I remember the bright light shining down into the pool. My lungs constricting as I tried to find a way to break the surface. It was almost like losing air when your nose is congested, or the wind is too strong. There was a burning in my eyes from the chlorine and in my chest from the lack of oxygen. I kept pushing up on my brother’s chest to try and move him. He didn’t mean to make me panic, of course, but I panicked anyway. He was younger but still stronger than me, even then. What were probably seconds turned into a frozen moment in time that terrified me—terrifies me.
I saw spots before I finally moved him out of the way. It wasn’t until I was out of the pool that I realized I could have swum away from his floating body. I remember yelling at him, cursing him out (in the way only a Midwest preteen could), blaming him for my lapse in common sense. It’s not the scariest moment of my life, but it is the closest I’ve been to death. It almost seems pathetic, now that I’m an adult. It feels like being an adult scared of the dark. You shouldn’t be because you’re “logical” and “rational,” but when that fear overtakes you, you lose all those years of experience and become the frightened child once again.
I liked this prompt because it made me really think about this memory and all the senses involved in it, especially my sight and my touch, as well as my interpretation of time. It's become one of those memories that almost feels like I dreamt it instead of experiencing it. I think it could be an interesting addition to a personal essay I'm in the VERY early stages of writing, or even a memoir in the future. I know I'm only 24, but I like to think of some of these future projects and keep them in the back of my mind. Well, I hope everyone has a good day, afternoon, night, or whatever time it is where you are! See you Thursday!