Donning her fins and snorkel, she headed out into the deep water. She’d been warned against going there for as long as she could remember. She’d heard the stories, but she had to see it for herself, despite the danger.
She floated atop the clear, blue water and gazed in wonder at the sunken ship far below. She longed to swim down and touch it. The rusted hulk called to her, begged her to join it on the ocean floor if only for a brief moment. She gathered her breath and dove down.
Halfway to it her lungs ran dry. Her body impulsively gasped for air, but sucked in only water. Kicking furiously, she pushed toward the surface.
When she broke through the waves, heaving coughs full of salty water wracked her body. Physically drained she made her way back toward shore, still feeling the pull of the ship below. She didn’t dare look back. She couldn’t escape death a second time.
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Written for Monday’s Finish the Story. The bold sentence is part of the prompt. I can’t promise I’ll be doing this one every week, but I’ll probably start doing it at least occasionally when I find the time.
December 9th, 2014 at 10:53 PM
Well done Adam, great take on the image enjoyed your story.
December 10th, 2014 at 3:07 AM
I wonder how many divers the ship has lured to their deaths? At least she managed to escape (which I wasn’t expecting!), but I bet she’ll go back.
December 10th, 2014 at 11:47 AM
Wonderful story! You can feel the fear of trying to reach the surface…Thank you for participating in this challenge! I hope that you will stay tuned for the upcoming one on Monday! ^..^
December 10th, 2014 at 12:06 PM
She sounds determined. Perhaps another time. Extremely effective for so few words.
December 10th, 2014 at 7:51 PM
Adam, Good story. I was almost as relieved that she made it to the top as she was. Well written. 🙂 — Susan
December 11th, 2014 at 12:43 AM
This was a good read!