The Descent

By Katy Reagan

The high dive loomed before Anne. She wiggled her toes on the cool surface of the diving platform, as she imagined the 20-meter descent—a 20-meter fall if she wasn’t careful. From this height, hitting the water felt like hitting concrete, crushing everything in you into a fine powder. She loved the feeling. Rolling her head around, she popped her neck before taking her last deep breath. The starter pistol rang out, and she took the three steps forward, pushing herself into the air on the last sound. Her body was made for this–long legs, narrow hips and shoulders. As she ascended into the air, her back arched and head tilted. Her elbows bent back as far as they could go, much further than a normal person on account of being double-jointed, almost appearing as wings ready for flight. Arms reaching toward the heavens, she looked like an angel. From her hips to her toes, she formed a straight line, pointing directly toward the pool as if to warn the water where she planned to attack. Suspended in the air for a split second, she felt weightless. Invincible. Then the plummet began.

Her muscles knew the movements, so she let her body take control. Anne began the twisting and turning that had become second nature. Gracefully she moved through the air, like a ballerina on stage. Finally, feet from the water, she returned to her completely vertical position, placing her hands before her head. It was at that moment, Anne did something she had never done before. She opened her eyes.

She didn’t know why she had done it, it just happened. Suddenly instead of dancing across a stage, she was headed toward unimaginable depths. At the sight of the water, her body went into fight or flight mode. She slammed her eyes shut, trying to squash the panic inside her, but it was too late. She was only thrown off a few centimeters, but it was enough. She would not be gliding into the pool at the precise angle needed to protect her. Her body was at the mercy of the water now.

Anne went crashing into the water, creating a splash so large it was sure to move her to the bottom of the scoreboard. Upon impact, her nose and mouth flooded with water, but she couldn’t feel the pain yet. She thrashed in the water, struggling to come up for air. She could barely see the light of the sun because of how deep she was. Her limbs became heavy, and her body began to sink. Before she fell unconscious, she felt a force jerking her upwards. Before she knew it, the air hit her skin, and her back was against the ground. There was a pounding on her chest before the water came spewing out of her mouth. Leaning on her elbow, she refilled her lungs with air. That was when she began to feel the pain.

It felt like someone had taken a hot iron to her shoulder, a searing pain ripping through it. A scream tore through her throat as she fell onto her back.