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Here is my post! 😀

 

So, as I said, my life was pretty good except when I wished I had my old one back. Well, I won’t bore you with the expansive details but will jump right into the juicy stuff. What is this tasty part, you may ask?

It’s when I learned that water and I are mortal enemies.

Truth be told, I never learned how to swim, and so I eyed any body of water larger than that in my cup with suspicion. It was my own fault, but I was bent on avoiding it altogether, even in this new land. Of course, it was Hutch who finally brought me face to face with my dire enemy. And that day I learned it was not only my nemesis because it could drown me, but because it was the reason for my terrible misfortune.

We were going swimming at the community water hole, called Buffalo Hole. It was a nice way of saying it was the “Dung Hole;” for wild buffalo had once roamed these plains and done their business in the hole. But it was spring fed, and all of that “stuff” was long gone. I ought to correct myself by saying they were going swimming at the community water hole, for I wasn’t. Mrs. North wasn’t planning to either, but was going to stay out with little Nadia. However, Nadia liked the water and Mr. North was too busy ducking Hutch under the water to notice if she drowned.

Cicero sat on the bank with me, sprawled in the grass; but he lifted his spotted head at the slightest move from a field mouse or grasshopper. I, however, was too hot to do anything but sit. Hutch must have noticed how forlorn I looked, and climbed out of the icy water.

“Hey, Siv! Come on! I’ll teach ya the delicate art of swimming!” He hoisted his soaked trousers up, and beckoned for me to follow him. I did so with a hint of dread in my stomach, not sure what I was getting myself into. But I was too hot to care much, and so the sun numbed me to my fear.

Hutch led me out onto a stone out-cropping that hung over the glimmering pool. I couldn’t help but think that it looked rather refreshing. Hutch flung his mop of hair, spattering drops of water on my face. I jerked. He laughed.

“Alright, so all you gotta do is jump in.”

“Just jump?”

“Yup.”

I was skeptical. “How is that going to teach me how to swim?”

“Well, you don’t want to drown, do you?”

“Well, no–”

“And the longer you stand here thinking, the harder it will be!”

With that, Hutch gave me a shove, and I felt myself falling. Before I could wrap my head around what had just happened, I hit the water with a splash. My skirt swirled around me, and my hair got in my face. My first thought was that the water felt pretty good, and my next was that I couldn’t breathe. I floundered like a rag doll, trying to reach the surface–

I’ll stop here. It’s too terrible to remember. Anyhow, I ended up sinking, and then I was falling again. I can’t explain it, so don’t ask. I just fell and plopped onto the dirty ground, where gunshots echoed around me and men were shouting.

I had fallen into the middle of a battle. Men in uniforms ran around while these giant metal monsters shot fiery blasts into the air. Men screamed, and I screamed. I scrambled across the ground, tearing my dress and climbing over dead soldiers. It was gross and scary. Suddenly, I hit my head on a stone wall. I stood up, and realized it wasn’t a wall but a well. Without thinking, I jumped in.

And I fell out.

I landed on the soft grass next to Cicero, who looked at me with his large green eyes. Then he turned back to flicking his tail and hissing at a beetle. I was stunned. Hutch ran up to me, and dripped water all over my face — not that I cared, I was soaked through already.

“Man oh man oh man!” He exclaimed. “Jiminy crickets! Orumbph!” He was trying to say things that were appropriate for ladies. “I thought you was dead! I was afeared to tell ma and pa, but then I walk back and you’re here! Now how did you do that?”

I was too winded to answer, and thankfully I didn’t have to do any explaining since Mr. North ran over and scooped me up. We headed immediately back home. I slept well that night, I can tell you — but my dreams were chilling: icy water, dying men, and me in the middle of it screaming.

In short, all I can say is I think I have some strange ability to time-travel through water. I don’t know, but it seems possible. Maybe. Probably not. You know what, maybe I had a heat stroke and just dreamed it.

That was this summer, but now it’s winter and the first snow of the year has fallen. I went out to get some water from the well, but it was frozen and I had to go ask Mrs. North what to do. But as I turned around, I saw three children and a dog standing in the yard. I had never seen them before in my life, and why they would be there I had no idea.

Cicero, who had come out to see what the cold white stuff was, raised his hackles and growled. I just blinked and stared at the figures standing in the swirling snow.

 

(If Silvia being able to time-travel doesn’t work, that’s ok 😉  Sorry this was so long, I just get carried away sometimes…)