Taught Me

for a light switch, heard the click, and the swimming pool of Ursula Hall revealed itself to me, in all its 25-metre glory.

Looking back, I wish I’d taken a moment just to take it all in, every detail. But the chlorine scent was intoxicating. I scrambled over to the water’s edge and gazed down into the 4-metre depths. This was luxury like I’d never known an Ursies ressie could have, and I didn’t waste a second of it. I dove right in. My ordeal had left my body exhausted and my mind numb, but the water sent a buzz from my forearms to my feet.

I didn’t even make it to the end of the pool. So jubilant was I at the discovery of this sanctuary, so euphoric at finding reinvigoration in the perfect 26-degree water, so confused that Ursies had a pool, that I paid no attention to my surroundings. I was swimming and floating in turns, meandering down the lane, grinning uncontrollably.

Then, spindly fingers gripped my legs and dragged me sideways. I writhed and kicked in fear to no avail. Cold, strong hands accumulated, digging into my calves, and my assailants pulled me up and out of the pool. Coughing and spluttering, I looked up at the goons who’d interrupted me and saw the econ majors of my laundry room vision. I had only the time to notice their eyes - even more soulless than I imagined - before a bag was pulled over my head, my hands tied, and I was lost to the world, hoisted onto their shoulders, my fate in the hands of my hellish hosts. A high drawl: “No outsider uses the pool.”

As they lugged me upstairs and down hallways, I did everything I could not to panic. I tried to geolocate myself, but I didn’t even know how I’d found the pool in the first place. The trek felt eternal. I dared to ask: “Are we going in circles?”. Raucous laughter from the goons. “You’ll never find our pool again!” crowed one. “And no-one will help you even if you try” said another.

They dumped me on a bench in the central courtyard, untied my hands and ran off snickering. I pulled the bag off my head. I knew what I had to do. I went straight back in and started asking people about the pool. Surely they wouldn’t all gatekeep it. But all I got was blank stares. I texted my mate and told him the whole story. All he said was “lmao”. No-one will admit it. The ressies act like they don’t know it’s there. I don’t even know where it is. But I saw, I smelt, and I swam in a pool under Ursula Hall.

Succeed where I failed. Take the fight to them. Find the Ursies pool.