The drop-off

Tales from the Backyard…  My early teen summers were always spent at the swimming beach.  I would stay well into the evenings, its where most of us would be.  One day my friend Ron and I found this section of dock floating along shore so thought it might be fun to push it out to see where the drop-off started, a good thing to know for fishing (this was before fish finders).  So we began pushing it deeper and deeper and as we went, one of us would dive down, find the bottom, turn and kick off to the surface.  We had been doing this for awhile when Ron stayed under for quite some time and upon surfacing said he couldn't touch the bottom.  I said let me try and took several deep breaths than held and went down.  I swam down and down and down but finding nothing thought a couple more big strokes and I’ll turn back.  Finding nothing I turned and headed up.  No big kick to help propel me up this time, it was all swimming.  Soon my lungs were on fire and bursting so I let out some air.  Up and up I went, I could see the surface, always just above my reach.  Again I let out air and by now my legs were useless and it was pulling water with arms only.  They were now beginning to feel like lead weights and had no power left, the surface just right there, I could see it becoming darker and darker and then I just stopped, no more energy to continue, everything gone black.  Just then, Ron reached out and grabbed me, pulling me to the surface where I drew in a huge gasp of air.  I said, I think we found it.