An Unforgetable Experience

Surrounded by the bitter, salty sea water, I was exhausted, thirsty and confused about my direction. It was getting dark and the tide was going out, taking me away farther and farther away, but grandma’s island was nowhere in sight. I had been swimming for the whole afternoon and had run out of my energy. It seemed impossible that I could swim back home, many miles away.

A Map of The Island

I was 7 years old. I spent the entire summer vacation with my cousin on an island where my grandma lives, a tiny island in the east end of Zhoushan Archipelago. Both my cousin and I were excellent swimmers so we enjoyed ourselves swimming all day long. One day after lunch, my grandma took a ferry to a bigger island for some daily goods, and my cousin and I were alone at home. My cousin came up with a brilliant idea - a competition of who could swim farther.

The Beach of The Island

My cousin was one year older than I and it seemed that one year really made a huge difference. She was taller and knew many more things than I, so she always laughed at me and called me “little baby girl”. As a result, that time I was ambitious to prove myself. I swam and swam as if there was no such thing as tiredness in the world. Gradually the island became smaller and smaller, until it was merely a small blot between blue Pacific water and azure sky. I was excited and confident that I would definitely be the winner. To make sure of that, I encouraged myself to swim farther until there was no island in sight.

I swam for the entire afternoon tirelessly until it suddenly occurred to me that the tide was ebbing. Our island is on the east end and to make the matter worse, I must have swum miles eastward. The wave became stronger, pushing me farther and farther, so it was no use trying to swim back and I became desperate and hopeless. My mind went blank because of fear and panic. I screamed aloud for help, but the only reply was stupid gulls’ squawking. I was overwhelmed by fear of death even though I didn’t know much about death at that age.

I was about to given up when I heard a drone and there came a helicopter. As I lived in an area full of sparse islands and all the residents were fishermen, local police used helicopters often. Fortunately, my grandma called the police just in time and I had a narrow escape. The moment I returned to the island, I saw my mom who burst into tears. She had hurried there from Ningbo after hearing I was missing. 

 Houses on the Island

The local newspaper reported this event and my mother has kept the newspaper of that day. She and my grandma always talk about that unforgettable afternoon when my parents and I visit my grandma every summer, and now it makes me embarrassed. When I remember this experience, I always regret for my stupidity and immature behavior. This experience really taught me a lesson to think twice before I act.