"Keep an eye out for a space"
This could have been any other trip out, like to the shopping centre, or to one of our friend's house, but it wasn't. Yesterday Mum had taken me shopping, into the Disney shop, my favourite! She had let me choose a 'swimming costume' I thought it looked a new dancing leotard, so I chose the prettiest one I could see. An Ariel one, it was a grassy green, with purple rocks and yellow starfish. Not to mention Ariel herself in the middle, with her long red hair and glittery tail. I asked Mum why I needed new dancing kit, but she just laughed. When I stood by her at the till she had a long chat with the old looking lady behind the desk. I only heard parts of the talk because I wasn't tall enough to see over the table. I like listening to learn new words 'swimming', 'ironic' and 'armbands' seemed to be the main ones, I did hear the old looking lady say they had matching Ariel 'armbands', but when I asked Mum she said the pool ones were free, and she did not want to buy any until she knew I would be a duck to water. That was a funny thing to say, because I am not a duck. Now we were at the pool, and Mum had packed my new Ariel leotard into a shopping bag with a blue towel and a clean pair of stripy pants. She held my hand as we walked across the car park, we did the usual "stop, look left, look right' then with a big jump of the kerb we crossed the road. We stood in front of a big set of doors; Mum took a deep breath, and pushed them open. I liked the wavy blue and yellows on the wall. Someone had painted in sea shells and starfish and I knew my Ariel costume would look good here.
Mum pushed me towards another high desk, but the lady behind it was young, with a long blonde ponytail. As they were talking, I looked at the people around me, lots of other children my age, chasing each other round and round the blue sofa chairs in the corner. If I stood on my tiptoes, I could just about see the posters behind the ponytail lady. There were big pictures of children in leotards like my Ariel one, an older people wearing funny hats. My Mum finished talking to the lady and took my hand as we went through into a big room with a blue letters on the door. It smelt horrible. The floor was wet and sticky, and my trainers splashed in the icky mud and water. I wrinkled up my nose to stop the smell getting into my head, but it was too strong. There were rows of benches with lots of other little girls chattering and changing into their leotards. It was a rainbow of pretty patterns and smiling girls. I relaxed slightly, and even let go of Mum's hand. She gestured that I start changing myself, but I was embarrassed to get changed in front of all these strange girls. Was I going to be dancing with them? Mum seemed a bit annoyed that I wasn't changing but said we could find the toilets so I could put on my costume in private. The word costume confused me; did she mean I was acting? In my Ariel leotard? I went into the toilet room, but didn't lock the door because I knew Mum was standing just outside. As I took off my top, I knocked my elbow on the tissue paper box. It hurt, and Mum had obviously heard me squeak because she opened the door and asked me to hurry up. I did not want to annoy her, so I was quick as flash to be ready. When I came out the toilet room, nearly all the other girls had gone. Mum looks worried "please hurry darling, right, I think you need to go that way" she pointed to a big door by the benches that were now covered in clothes and bags, with neat lines of shoes underneath. We walked to the door, but Mum hesitated. "I can't go in with you," she murmured, I looked up her horrified "sorry darling, you will be fine," she gave me a big grin "just follow the other boys and girls" I looked around, I hadn't seen any other boys. Mum opened the door and I could see all the other girls in the long yellow corridor all chatting and laughing. I felt Mum's hand on my back as she pushed me forward, I turned around in protest, but my only reply from her was that she would be watching from upstairs. Then the door swung shut. Mum was gone. Panic took over, this world was so big, there were so many girls here and I had no idea who any of them were. Where was my Mum? Please? Mum? I pushed and pushed on the door I had come through, but it wouldn't move one bit. MUM? The other girls were looking at me, I was crying and scared.
At the end of the yellow corridor, another lady with a ponytail blew a whistle, and I got swept along with the girls as the headed towards the second ponytail woman. Next thing I knew I was by a big hole in the floor. It was filled with water. I was crying even harder now, where was I? Where was my Mum? The other girls had been joined by a load of boys too now. They all split up and made groups around the edge of the water. I heard a man shouting my name, finally, I was saved. He didn't save me though, he just steered me towards one of the groups and I thought I heard him say something about being quiet, but it was too noisy to really hear him. The whistle went again, but I couldn't see which ponytail lady had blown it. All the boys and girls in my group jumped into the hole of water. SPLASH! I screamed as it splashed me, it was really cold and I didn't know why the other children were getting in it. I looked around helplessly. Then I saw Mum, she was sat up in the roof, behind a big window watching. I shouted. But I knew she couldn't hear me. I was crying so hard now. The man who had got me here was back again, he pushed me right to the edge of the hole, and I could now see how far it went down. He was getting angry, I heard some of what he said "Mummy will be back in a bit" and "just get in the pool" and "your 6 now, don't be such a cry baby" I could feel his anger getting worse and worse, he was pushing on my back, towards the cold water.
Then I was under the water. Like in the bath, only I couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to do; I spread out my arms and legs and screamed. The water got all down my neck and in my mouth. I needed to breathe! I shouted out under the water "MUM, MUM, MUM!" Where was the man? Where was I? Where was Mum? I couldn't get to the surface. Amongst the bubbles and water around me, I saw my Mum, pressed up against the glass window above, I couldn't hear her but she looked like she was shouting too. I kicked my legs furiously, but it wasn't enough. I knew I was breathing in water, but I couldn't find the air. I started to feel tired and weak, I was still shouting for my Mum, but I didn't have the energy. I felt my back hit the bottom of the water hole, then there was just darkness.