Personal Narrative: A Short Story

I wasn’t sure what our day would entail. I could feel a slight tremor present in my body as I slid behind the steering wheel of the MKZ. Running my finger tips over the leather where the treads to the steering wheel was laced together I contemplated leaping from the car and running like hell. This was a seriously stupid and dangerous thing I was about ready to take part in. Could I do this? My mind wanders to the trunk of the vehicle… What’s back there? How much is back there? Enough to be charged with a misdemeanor…a felony! My heart jack hammered in my chest. Was the benefit worth the risk? Feeling panic setting in I swung my legs out of the vehicle just as Eloy took his seat behind me closing the door. His eyes caught mine in the rearview mirror.

On a cold December morning snow blanketed the ground while a frozen mist masked the trees. Only the very tops could be seen. I stepped outside and inhaled the clean, crisp Texas air. Still half asleep, I walked to the truck feeling the soft powder compact beneath my boots and the snowflakes melt as they hit my skin. It was the time of year that I had been longing for.

So Fernanda jumped and “pencil dived” to grab Roene, and it worked! But when Fernanda was grabbing Roene, she dropped the rope and hatchet. When Nathan and I were landing in the water, we had to loosen the chest strap before we landed. Once we landed we had to take it off carefully and let the parachute sink. Roene and Fernanda wanted to save the parachute, for supplies. So before they hit the water, Fernanda dropped Roene into the water, Roene swam away a little. While Fernanda was still in the air she loosened the chest strap and when she landed she took it off. Meanwhile, Roene quickly grabbed the parachute and successfully saved it. We swam towards each other while Nathan inflated the dinghy. We were about a three-minute swim away from each other, but there were some pretty big waves. When we noticed that there were sharks! While the rest of us were panicking, Fernanda discovered that they were whale sharks! She told us that whale sharks don’t eat humans! We were so relieved. While we were paddling to shore, Roene hit Nathan in the head with her oar! Nathan got a concussion, but he was okay since he just lay on the bottom of the dinghy. We were a six-hour paddle

Nobody was really happy about my awaking, except Amelia. Then, the events popped back into my head. My father is dead. Killed by water. I will never go in water again. I hate water. I hate WATER!!!! I started bawling, and went back to sleep.

My name was announced over the loud speaker “Gary Winthrop now up to bat.” I stepped into the box and took a practice swing. I starred the pitcher right in the eyes tempting him to throw me the ball. He wound up and threw me a slow curve ball that felt like it was hanging in the air forever. I took one step and took a smooth swing. The ball popped off my bat like a rocket and flew over the fence to score the winning run. All 50,000 fans in the stands went crazy. I heard my alarm clock go off, dang it was just a dream. I really didn't feel like going to school.

I felt the cool water against my face as I swam down into the blackness. I soon felt something touch my leg, I instantly knew who was,

Immediately, I angled my position and went for a dead sprint toward the water. I jumped off the cliff. I never felt anything like it; the trajectory had me flying through the air for longer than I expected. A surge of adrenaline pulsed through my body, bringing a new sense of life to me. The scorching heat went away as gravity pulled my body toward the water, bringing me a pleasant breeze through my fall. Then, I finally hit the water. I didn’t stick a solid landing, as I went head first into the water. I panicked and opened my eyes under the murky water, only to see nothing but dirt and sediments float around me. I kept sinking and saw a monstrous fish swim right in front of my face. At that very moment, my body went into overdrive, and I managed to project myself back up to the

A red, large kayak was still on the shore, waiting for us to push it into the water. Since we were the only group who hadn’t left the beach, a sense of pressure was rising in me to join them before they started without us. I glanced at my mom who was talking to the instructor. Nevertheless, even though kayaking was supposed to be a joyful experience, I somehow frightened of facing what the previous couple experienced. What if I would get stuck under the current of the waves? Would I manage to swim to the surface and be able to get back in the kayak? My mind began racing with all the possible outcomes and situations that would I would most likely encounter. The guide was still waiting for us to wade into the water. I knew it was too late to decide not to go now. I would regret not trying at all instead of trying and then failing. With this in mind, I gave an I-can-do-this gesture to my mom, and she grinned with such

Jason stared up at Tyler's eyes; deranged, dilated, discolored. Tyler wore a smile on his face, his usual smirk twice as wide and displaying too many teeth. He held a silver and black pistol in his hand.

My head bobbed in the water, allowing my arms and legs to tread. A smile grew on my face when I saw how calm the water was, up and down and back and forth, moving in a constant wave. Before I could react, my head went under, held down by two large hands wrapped around my neck. I attempted to fight whoever was pushing me farther into the water, but my efforts were futile. My hands latched on to those of my attacker; my hair swirled over my field of vision. I screamed and let the air escape, but water filled my lungs, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. More and more water weighed me down, hundreds and thousands of feet deeper than I could handle. My body gave out; I couldn’t keep fighting. The hands around my neck squeezed tighter and tighter. Breathing was impossible.

As I plummeted into the water I thought for a split second that I was safe, until a second much larger splash landed directly on top of me. Before I could even get up for air the unstoppable 100 pound beast began attacking. His long, sharp claws and pointy yellow teeth sank into my skin and life jacket. Unable to swim, the only thing keeping me afloat and alive was my little blue life jacket. The pressure of the relentless dog held me underwater as I nearly drowned.My whole world seemed to come to a halt as I simultaneously struggled to catch my breath while screaming for help. I was quickly inhaling water into my lungs, which culminated into putting me in a traumatized state. In the midst of the struggle, another splash landed directly to my left, my cousin Paul. He ripped the dog off by his metal choker collar and grabbed me by the inflated blue rim of my life jacket. Swimming in the opposite direction of the panting pitbull, Paul dragged me back to the sand where my family sat anxiously in shock. Soon all the attention was directed my way as they watched the tears pour from my

A typical day in a life of a missionary. I am awaken by the sound of

I would’ve loved to follow my dazzling green sea turtle, but it was time for lunch. I took my long trek out of the sandy water and up the steep set of stairs to grandma’s gate. She had my lunch waiting for me on the back porch with the tropical sun warming up my sandwich allowing the cheese to melt just enough for it to be gooey but not completely melted into cheesy soup. I had barely finished eating before I began running back down the path to the rippling water that dared me to jump in. I took it up on its dare and jumped. The second my

Wait, I cannot panic. Before all else, I should keep a calm head and demeanor to show the animals that I am in charge of the lifeboat. Staying calm is the only way, I can continue to think clearly and to keep my energy intact. Panicking will only use up energy and cause me to lose the ability to think straight. After all, I am an optimistic person. I knew that all those survival books I read and documentaries I watched would count for something. So I know what the top three most important things were for me to do: I have to find shelter, I have to get food, and I obviously have to get water. But before doing all these procedures, I have to signal for help before the sun goes down. Rapidly, I have to find some tools like a flare gun and a first aid kit within the boat to be able to let off flares or smoke when potential rescuers are near, to help them pinpoint my location. Now, all I have to do is wait for rescue to arrive. I have to continue doing everything needed to attract attention. This includes making messages; using body signals; using mirrors and reflectors; building fires; and setting off flares intermittently when I perceive rescue opportunity. No ships were in my sight. Even Richard Parker and the other animals kept out of

My father was a lifeguard, but not in my lifetime, so maybe loving the ocean was in our blood. As children we grew up in Brooklyn and we would go to Riis Park for our day at the beach. One very distinct memory is of my father as he stood waist deep in the ocean with my brother and sister; the waves periodically lifted and dropped them in the water at his side. Waist deep for my father meant it was well over my head so I remained a safe distance (or so I thought) behind them. Suddenly, a wave appeared and and before I could turn and rush to the shoreline the ocean attacked. I found myself in a world of foam, pockets of air allowed me to breathe as I was tossed about like