Fear had been an idea, a concept. Now it was real: a feeling I would carry inside me for the rest of my life. The day began innocently enough, with a family trip to the beach. Ever since I was little, I had always loved the water—the movement of the current, the aquamarine color of the Cancun waves. The ocean was my home; I was practically a sea animal. Mom loaded up the car, and we left early, about seven o’clock, when the tide was still high. We pulled into an empty parking lot, and my excitement grew as I realized we had the beach to ourselves. I never noticed how strange that was. I inhaled and exhaled, taking in the salty mist, each breath reinforcing my love of the ocean. The seabirds noisily squawked as I walked across the sand. I stood like Rio de Janeiro, my arms outstretched. A statue in the ocean breeze, I thought to myself, ‘Is this what a seagull feels like?’
I head for the water. My feet make footprints on the wet sand as I run towards the ocean, towards my home. Leaping like a dolphin, I dive head-first, fully submerging myself. I can't help but smile as I open my eyes; the clear, paradise water of Cancun was to die for. Only emerging for a quick breath, I paddle underwater, my oars propelling me in graceful, instinctive movements. As I venture deeper, the wildlife captivates me. Beautiful fossils fill my vision with a symphony of color; nature never disappoints. Blue, orange, green, yellow, purple, and brown hues paint an astonishing picture of the ocean's beauty. As I coasted through the spectacular environment, I thought to myself, ‘is this what a turtle feels like?’ I headed towards the surface to take another breath.
As I came back down, an electric shock ran through me. A plastic bag was floating amongst the reef, trapped by the coral branches. An anomaly. An intruder. These were my first thoughts as my masterpiece was splattered with an ugly gray, as my home was barged into by an unwelcome guest. I felt a tight pain in my chest. It felt like I was suffocating. The bag engulfed me in a polluted prison; I couldn't see the surface anymore. Animals started appearing in the cage. Next to me, a turtle, choked by a six-pack ring, slowly turned immobile. An eel, trapped in a giant soda can, twisted itself into a knot. Jailed by the plastic, my vision became a cloudy gray. I thought to myself, ‘Is this what the ocean feels like?’ as my limbs weakened from hypoxia.
I head for the water. My feet make footprints on the wet sand as I run towards the ocean, towards my home. Leaping like a dolphin, I dive head-first, fully submerging myself. I can't help but smile as I open my eyes; the clear, paradise water of Cancun was to die for. Only emerging for a quick breath, I paddle underwater, my oars propelling me in graceful, instinctive movements. As I venture deeper, the wildlife captivates me. Beautiful fossils fill my vision with a symphony of color; nature never disappoints. Blue, orange, green, yellow, purple, and brown hues paint an astonishing picture of the ocean's beauty. As I coasted through the spectacular environment, I thought to myself, ‘is this what a turtle feels like?’ I headed towards the surface to take another breath.
As I came back down, an electric shock ran through me. A plastic bag was floating amongst the reef, trapped by the coral branches. An anomaly. An intruder. These were my first thoughts as my masterpiece was splattered with an ugly gray, as my home was barged into by an unwelcome guest. I felt a tight pain in my chest. It felt like I was suffocating. The bag engulfed me in a polluted prison; I couldn't see the surface anymore. Animals started appearing in the cage. Next to me, a turtle, choked by a six-pack ring, slowly turned immobile. An eel, trapped in a giant soda can, twisted itself into a knot. Jailed by the plastic, my vision became a cloudy gray. I thought to myself, ‘Is this what the ocean feels like?’ as my limbs weakened from hypoxia.
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