Chapter 7

He reached out and grabbed hold of the floating wood. It was warm and dry compared to the refreshing water. He cringed at its hard splintered surface. He blinked and in a moment he saw the endless days of the raft, slowly dying of hunger and thirst. He saw himself wake up and fall asleep to the same endless expanse of hopelessness. And he saw himself die, many days and weeks from then, shriveled, despondent, his heart and soul long since perished.

His hands dug into the raft, sending fragments of the wood into his fingers. The pain jarred him from his lifeless visions that lay before him. He jerked his hand away from the raft wincing in pain. But the pain of his fingers were no match for the pain in his heart.

He treaded water silently, his labored breathing the only sound. He could still feel the cold water awakening his nerves as it flowed past his arms and legs. Even in his exhaustion, it enlivened him. Even in the face of the hopelessness of the raft, the water brought him joy. He looked down to the water below him. How far would it go? How deep could it be?

With one last look at the raft, he turned his face towards the water. With a large inhale he took in as much air as he could, and with a peace filled smile on his face, he dove downward. He plunged into the depths of the water, feeling it surround and penetrate him. His lungs ached as he pushed down and down, farther into the water than he had gone before.

His skin tingled and his mind was bombarded with feelings, memories and emotions. He remembered himself. He could see the green grass he used to fall asleep in, the comfort of an embrace, the softness of a single kiss. It was all there, every part of him now returned. He was whole again. With every kick downward he was awash with new sensations and memories.

His lungs burning from their unnoticed emptiness, the man slowed his descent and closed his eyes. He let everything, the water, the memories, the emotions the peace, completely envelope him. At that moment, it didn't matter how it happened, it didn't matter where the water came from or where it would take him. It only mattered that he had found it, and found himself.

With the last bit of his breath, he let out a long powerful laugh into the deep blue. He laughed and shouted until his lungs began filling with water. As he slowly sank downward into the dark, his smile remained. His hope unwavering and his joy complete, his body sank deeper into the exhilerating unknown, free from its prison.

Chapter 6

With aching heart and aching lungs the man propelled himself to the surface. He broke the stillness of the water with a loud splash and inhale of breath. He squinted at the brightness of the sun and scowled slightly that it would dare bare it's oppressive heat down on him again. But he would not be deterred for long. He dipped his head back under the water and popped up like a geyser, spitting water in all directions. He dove down and back up, over and over, all the while smiling and laughing. He played in the water like a child, innocent and care-free, forgetting his helplessness.

At long last, the man breathed a contented sigh. His legs ached from the constant kicking, and he rubbed his shoulder, unaccustomed to the workout. For a second, his legs gave way, and his head dipped below the water. Sputtering and coughing he regained his rhythm and turned to venture back to the raft. Behind him lay only the vast expanse of the water. He furtively glanced all around, looking for some sign of his rescue, his only means of survival.

Panic began to seep into his muscles as he turned in the water, squinting into the horizen. Finally, he saw off in the distance, the black shape of his tiny, floating home. How had it gotten so far away? In his revelry, the man had lost track of time and distance and by the time he bothered to look he had taken himself far away from his raft and where he began. He forced his exhausted muscles to swim as he pointed his body toward the raft and kicked with what strength he had left.

Kick after kick he slowly and painfully worked his way back towards the floating wood, his eyes fixed on it for fear of losing it again. With every second it became harder and harder to keep his head above the surface of the water. His breathing became more ragged as he tried to will his body to get him to safety.

He began thinking about the wonder of the water. Remembering its sweetness and the invigoration of when he first felt it upon his face. He stopped worrying about his muscles, and peace washed over him once again as he felt the water invade his soul again, renewing him. Without realizing, he had swam within a few short feet from the raft. His muscles yearned for rest from his constant swimming. He looked carefully at the raft searching for a suitable handhold to pull himself back on to rest.

He spotted a slight gap in the wood that would allow him hoist his body back on the raft and swam towards it. As he did, he looked at the raft again. He saw the worn spot where his head lay, night after night. He saw the dry, cracked surface, so rough and uncomfortable. And his eyes filled with tears as he saw the small circle of blood, where his rage pounded against this floating prison. A foot from the floating wood, the man stopped.

Chapter 5

The dark blue seemed to swirl beneath him as he peered into the depths. He bent down, his face now only inches from the water as he tried to find assurance from the deep blue expanse. Would he be swallowed up by the water, or terrorized by some creature, hiding out of sight? But the water offered no promise of safety, no immunity from danger.

He let his arm dangle in to the water, and he closed his eyes and concentrated on the cool, exhilarating feelings rising from his fingers, and up his arm to his shoulder. He moved his arm back and forth, feeling the water move around his skin. He opened one eye and peered down at his arm. It was still there. No monster from the deep had been roused. He closed his eyes again and felt the hot, sweltering sun on his face, drying the water he had so recently refreshed himself with. The sun felt heavy, like a weight on his soul. Yet even now he could feel the cool water radiating around his arm as it lay off the side of the raft.

The man let out a long breath, and at the end painstakingly rolled himself over and off of the raft, splashing into the cold water. His body quickly submersed in the water, the man let out a short yelp as the cold shocked his dried out and overheated skin. But very quickly, the water seemed to wash away his weariness as pain like so much dirt and filth. He kicked his now rejuvenated legs and propelled himself to the surface. As his head broke the surface of the water, he let out a long shout of joy.

The agony was gone, the pain was gone, the oppressiveness of his prison was gone, all washed away by the miracle of this cold, clear water. He glanced back at the raft to make sure that it was close enough that he could pull himself back on when he got too tired to swim, and seeing that it was only a few feet behind him, drew a long breath and dove under the water again.

Down and down he swam, into the deep blue. With every foot deeper that he swam, the water was colder, and clearer. And with every kick of his legs and stroke of his arms, his body felt renewed again. He paused and look around. He was so deep under the surface it was hard to see. Perhaps there were creatures down here. The sunlight was hard to see above him as the water reflected the light and displaced it in so many directions. Even though he was below the surface of the water, he felt free. Here there was no sun, no raft, no endless expanse of hopelessness.

He wished he could journey farther down into the darkness, but his lungs began to ache and he knew that he needed a breath of air soon. He kicked his legs and shot himself back towards the surface.

Chapter 4

A gentle wave rolled up to the side of his tiny raft, and clapped against the side of the wood, sending up a tiny spray of water into the air. A few of the scattered droplets landing on the man's face, startling him out of his misery. One of the drops that had landed on his cheek began a slow descent down his face, finally ending on his parched lips.

Instinctively, the man opened his mouth and caught the rivulet of water with his tongue. As he did so, his eyes opened wide and his breath caught. Expecting the bitter taste of salt in his mouth, the man was shocked to find that the water he tasted was sweet. He imagined this was only a trick of his senses and used his tongue to find another water droplet on his face. Amazingly, this one was as sweet and cold as the first.

The man's heart began beating faster and his brain caught fire as he attempted to comprehend this phenomenon. He rolled over towards the edge of the raft and dipped his uninjured hand into the water, a small feat he had never dared to do before. He cupped his hand and drew a small portion of water up towards his face. The water was cool and invigorating in his hand and on his arm and he looked quizzically at the tiny pool he held in his hand. Finding nothing extraordinary and overcome with curiosity, he drew his hand to his mouth and drank from the well he had created.

As the water entered his mouth and washed into his body, he was overcome. The water instantly cooled his body, and awakened his nerves. The remarkably sweet taste in his mouth energized his taste buds and lingered there long after he had swallowed the water down. As he felt his small drink seep down his throat and into his belly, he felt strength...renewal.

With wide eyes he dipped his hand in again and instead of bringing it to his mouth, this time he splashed it square on to his face. It was as if each drop that hit his face was electricity, causing all the sleeping parts of him that he had thought long dead to stir and awaken. He threw another handful of water over himself, and then another and another, until he was drenched. He couldn't believe how cold the water was, and even more baffling to him, was how sweet and nourishing it was.

He paused from his frantic showering, his breath coming hard and fast, his hair wet and tousled, and looked down into the water. It was still dark and deep. It was still foreboding and mysterious. But for the first time, when he looked into its depths, he did not feel fear...only longing.