The Dive

One breath, two breaths, three breaths, each breath deeper and more filling than the last, this is my preparation for my next action. With my final breath, oxygen feels as if it is trying to rupture my lungs. And then down, down down down I dive. Feet kicking furiously, knowing that each powerful stroke uses up precious reserves of energy that I won't be getting back until the next time I surface. My head feels as if it is being crushed and exploded at the same time. Pressure is building up with each intentional kick. I pinch my nose and use even more air to equalize and relieve the pressure. My descent continues ever onwards. The ground looms seemingly miles away, but my determination will not break. Pressure builds again, and is once more relieved. Air explodes out of my watertight snorkel as the outside pressure becomes too great for the seal to hold. And then, success. My hands take hold of the silky loose sand, and I bring my legs down to finally rest. A lone curious fish comes within inches of my translucent mask, and then, its curiosity fulfilled, it vanishes. This is not my world, I'm simply temporarily visiting. And with that thought comes the realization that I'm on borrowed time, and that the invisible countdown has just run out. My lungs burn; as if hundreds of small ants are gnawing away at my insides. My focus shifts upwards, to the surface of the crystal clear water easily thirty feet upwards. The sun shimmers an eternity away as I compress my legs against the perfectly white sand deep below. An explosion of sand accompanies the spring of my body, and I erupt towards the pure air that my entire being so terribly wants and needs. My legs burn as they use up the last of my energy, but I still have a vast distance to cover. My arms pull with all the strength I have, and my legs push beyond the limit of their endurance, exerting more than they have through the fins strapped to my feet. My mind screams for air as black spills into the peripherals of my vision. A hiss of a deflating sound roars through my ears as decompression rapidly occurs. The blackness has left only a pinpoint of light for me to see through, and I release the snorkel bit from my mouth in preparation for inhalation. Then, finally, the moment my entire body has been waiting and working for: air. As I gulp in the life-giving cocktail of gases, the effects are instantaneous. My legs are revitalized, my lungs are filled, my vision regains its sight, and the clouds in my mind disappear. Life has been restored.