home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
-
- The water is cold in the early summer in Long Island, NY. I shiver as I wade
- up to my belly. In one quick movement I dive in, touch the sandy ocean bottom
- and come up. I turn over on my back and begin swimming. As my arms circle
- backwards ripples of water wash over my bare breasts. A sea breeze chills me,
- sending gooseflesh over my legs and hardening my nipples. I look up and see
- the stars of the evening sky are slightly obscured by wispy grey clouds. The
- moon, however, is full and sheds highlights on the water.
-
- I swim more vigorously and then stop, about 150 yards out, to catch my breath
- before heading back. I stop my backstroke and lie still, floating, feeling
- warm from the swim. The depth of the water below me is probably a little over
- 40 feet. I let my legs drop deeper and I start to tread water. My left
- calf has begun to knot up so I kick harder with it to shake it out. I pause
- my lopsided tread and as I do I feel a disturbance in the water farther out
- from me as if a small boat was passing by silently under water. A tingle runs
- up my spine and I turn to look towards the beach, paddling my arms softly,
- keeping my legs still. I feel the strange movement of the water again.
-
- I also feel my throat tighten and a wave of fear. Suddenly I feel very alone
- so far from the shore. I can see the lights I left on in my seaside home and
- I am very anxious to get back. I roll on my belly and begin a fast crawl
- stroke. I pound the water with my right leg, occasionally kicking with my
- left. I feel a force start to descend upon me and the feeling of panic that
- overwhelms me disrupts my stroke causing me to inhale a lungful of water. As
- I cough and turn on my back I see the force. It is a great white shark.
-
- With his fin above the water he is swimming about ten feet away alongside me.
- He is huge and breathtaking, about 15 feet long, probably weighing several
- tons. I gasp in awe and feel such exhilaration at this sight that my panic is
- covered up. The shark makes a sudden turn towards me and his upper jaw and
- snout rise out of the water revealing gleaming white teeth. I can see the
- pink of his gums and the shadows deep inside him. I moan at the excitement
- of the moment. The shark's lifeless eyes stare at me. He is huge, strong
- and unstoppable, a perfect killing machine that hasn't changed in the tens
- of thousands of years it has existed. He is an unfeeling predator and he is
- so close to me. I moan again louder purely from the thrill I am feeling. My
- stomach is light with butterflies. The side of my torso facing him tingles
- with anticipation and vulnerability. I cry out as his teeth close over
- me. The instant before he bites the sensation in my side reaches a peak of
- almost pleasurable sensation. I start gasping so hard that I can't breath.
-
- Then there is pressure and I feel a stab of pain. His teeth sink into me
- making an arc from the top of my right armpit, between my breasts, over my
- belly and down to the top of my thigh. I scream in a frightened euphoria.
- This is the climax to an event so frightening and rare I feel immense
- appreciation to be experiencing it. This is more thrilling than the steepest
- roller coaster imaginable or the most shocking, intriguing horror film.
-
- I scream again as his teeth sink deeper. Tears run down my cheeks though I
- can't feel a thing. A flash of sanity, however, cuts through my excitement
- and reminds me of my mortality. Without thinking my right hand clenches in
- a fist which I plunge into the shark's eye. My hand goes through the white
- membrane of attack and hits the soft sensitive lens. The shark's grip is
- released. I punch again and again until the shark turns his body away pushing
- me several feet from him. I lie still and see the shark's fin disappear into
- the dark waters. I am dizzy and numb. I try to concentrate on staying afloat.
-
- I am paralyzed. After several tense minutes, with only the sound of the waves
- around me, I begin to move. My right leg hangs limp. I no longer feel the
- cramp as I force my left to kick softly. I turn on my left side and
- paddle with my left arm. I struggle to keep my mouth and nose out of the
- water. My mind begins to drift away as my body goes into shock. My face hits
- the water and instantly my survival instinct picks it up. I can taste salty,
- bloody water. I start to lose consciousness several times before I finally
- reach the shore. The waves push me onto the sand and I drag myself a few
- feet before my arm buckles. I look down at my bleeding torso and see my flesh
- torn in ragged slits, white ribs showing through in places. The sand feels
- like razors on my mangled back. I become very aware of my breathing. I sigh
- softly and let my mind go. My blood spreads around me on the sand.
-
- -Alison.
-
-