SPLASH! I saw my cousin hit the surface of the pool, showering me in water. My parents shouted, “Time to get out!”

It was the fifth time they said that, and this time I acted like I was underwater. They started to shut the pool cover so I swam over to the shallow end. The cover stopped moving at the start of the shallow end, and me and my cousin decided to play around under the pool cover. The whole time, I was trying to stall. I didn’t want to leave, and I had learned staying in the water was half the battle. I wanted to stay at this fantastic house at the edge of the woods, where you could hear the insects clicking. I wanted to stay and feel the cool water. I wanted to play hide and seek in the basement. All of a sudden it sounded like someone yelled and my cousin got out of the pool immediately. I took a breath and then went under again. I thought that I could get five more minutes. Suddenly, the lights switched off. The cover started to continue covering the pool. I had thought it was just my parents making me get out. Just in case though, I start swimming faster. The cover is going to stop, right before it hits the wall. The absence of breath is starting to hurt my lungs. I swim faster. The cover is not stopping. I started swimming as hard as I could. My legs start to burn, and my arms hurt. The cover has reached the wall. It sounds like a cannonball in my head. 

I stop swimming. I float under the water for what feels like an eternity.

I am going to die here. I think.

 I have to take a breath, I know I do, I can feel my lungs burning. I put my feet on the bottom and stand up. The top pops up with my head, and I take the biggest breath of my life, then I scream as loud as I can. I scream like I never have before and until my lungs feel like they are going to burst I scream. The cover starts receding. I take a deep breath and go under the water, and swim towards the opening. As I break through the surface I am out of the water before I can draw a breath. I run to my mom sobbing and as soon as I get to her she starts to scold me. She has tears in her eyes as well, but her face is filled with fury. She starts patronizing me and talks strongly and tells me that this is why we have to listen, all while engulfing me in her arms and telling me I have to listen. I go to sit down on a chair, not really in the mood to go play inside. I wrap myself in a towel and try to make myself as small as possible. I feel my cheeks burning from embarrassment and I hide my face in the towel, trying to get lost in it. 

Then I decided that I still want to stay, and went inside to play hide and seek. While hiding I realized  I will never neglect this moment because this is when I realized that my parents actually only want to help me and didn’t just want to get me in bed early, or have me listen. They only wanted to help me and keep me safe. Another thing I realized in this moment is how close death can be. I felt so safe around all the adults and older kids, I thought nothing could happen to me. That moment, when I thought I was going to die, was probably one of the scariest moments of my life. I have no wish to repeat that, which is why now I am always aware of what can happen, and get out of my aunt’s pool when they say. I decided to refine and control my actions and try to listen more.