"Secrets of The Deep - Pt 1" by Keira J, Age 10, Year 6

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Secrets Of the Deep - Part 1

I come up to the surface. I look out towards the beach. Many tourists are there, lounging, on sunbeds and towels, buying ice-creams, preoccupying their children. It reminds me of the old life I used to have before that day I had at sea............

It started out like any other day. Nothing special happened, I just woke up and got out of bed. Simple. Although I did have butterflies in my stomach. The Open Water Swimming Competitions (O.W.S.C.) were to be held later that day. My friend Cassy and I would be competing for the golden trophy. Everyone at school had been talking about it, and we had had many people wishing us luck. It was almost annoying.

When I met up with her at school, we were both pretty quiet. I could tell that she was nervous as well. When we finally did talk, neither of us mentioned the O.W.S.C.s. Well, at least not until Kimberley came up to us, and started rambling on about how her brother was stung by a jellyfish and had to be taken into Hospital when he entered the O.W.S.Cs. Gee, some people really know how to cheer you up.
“Excited?” asked Cassy.
“Nervous,” I replied with a grin.
“Oh, nerves do not help at all,” continued Kimberley, “that’s why my brother got stung, because he was so nervous he didn’t concentrate.”
Cassy and I exchanged glances. Kimberley obviously misunderstood this.
“Don’t worry, it’s been ages since anyone died.” Kimberley sympathetically whispered, “Five years ago Jim Harold pricked himself on a poisonous coral, but...”
“English books out, copy the first passage from your books,” said our teacher, Mrs Diggal.
Kimberley went back to her place. Cassy and I sat and murmured about the competition.

When the bell went for break time, Mrs Diggal called Cassy and I over.
“I just wanted to say good luck. I heard everything Kimberley told you, and remember, that was five years ago. They have changed the location to a safer place now. If you do have any worries or concerns, tell the person in charge."

When it was finally time to go, Cassy and I got onto the bus. We said goodbye to everyone, and heard Kimberley say something about sharks, although Cassy and I were slightly annoyed by this time.

After arriving at the beach, we did a warm-up swim. We swam 50 metres out, then came back. Finally, it was time for the races.
“Front Crawl Races, ages 8-12. Contestants: Eleanor Kikki, Rebecca Sooht, and Cassandra Gold.”
I wished Cassy good luck, and went to watch the race.
“Three, two, one, GO!” shouted the instructor.
Cassy was very fast. She was at least three metres in front of the others, and won easily.
“Freestyle Races, Butterfly category, ages 8-12. Contestants: Elizabeth Hordes, Caitlin Tirrace and Samantha Benette.”
“Good luck Sam,” whispered Cassy.
“Three, two, one, GO!”
I shot off like a rocket, my arms whirling so fast they were a blur. I kept going, and going, and soon I was very tired. Should I stop? Surely I must have completed it by now. But what if I hadn’t? I would have let everybody down, and that’s something I hate doing. So I kept swimming.

Soon, I found I had absolutely NO energy left. Whether I liked it or not, I had to stop.
I emerged from the water. Uh-oh. There was no one, nothing in sight. What had happened? Had I gone too far? Surely I must have. But they would have stopped me. Wouldn’t they??

I began to feel really scared. On top of all of this, I had no food, no drink, and definitely NO energy left. What would happen to me? These thoughts all rushed around inside my head.

Suddenly, a fin appeared. Was this a shark? Yet it didn’t feel like a shark. It had a sort of magic about it. I knew that it would not hurt me. So, I swam towards it.

It began to go berserk. Biting and chewing on my legs. And yet-it didn’t hurt. I just felt changes. BIG changes. My legs felt… odd. In fact, they didn’t actually feel like legs any more. They felt like… no, surely not, that was impossible. But I had to check.

I looked down. And sure enough, just as I had imagined, there was a tail.

What happened next? See part two.

By Keira J
Age 10
Year 6

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