Hailee had explored much of the land and water beyond her back yard. But there was one place she had yet to investigate. It was an underwater ridge twenty yards farther out from shore.
She’d swam out there several times before. Hailee had even been tempted to head off the ridge and see how far down it went. But each time she’d hesitated… until today.
She sat on the shoreline and strapped on a pair of dive fins. Hailee pulled down a black dive mask over her face. Then she waded out into the water.
The depth was easy enough to handle. She was a good swimmer, and was confident in her abilities. It was what lay beyond the ridge that both concerned and intrigued her.
She waded out and then finned underwater until she reached the ridge and surfaced. The plateau was nine feet below her. What lay beyond the ridge was deeper still.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. She’d been putting off this moment for a long time. Now she wanted to see what had up ‘til now been just out of reach.
Hailee filled her lungs. Then she angled herself downward. She reached the ridge and went right over the edge.
She kicked with long, smooth strokes of her dive fins. They easily propelled her downward. The bottom was certainly deep enough. But the water was clear, and she could easily see what lay below.
She reached the ocean floor within a good fifteen or twenty seconds. Her confidence swelled within her. It was quite the drop-off. But now she saw how easy it was to reach the bottom, especially swimming down using her dive fins.
She saw there were crevasses scattered about. The one she was in was littered with smooth stones that led to a sandy incline. Hailee decided to follow that particular path, not wanting to tarry on the ocean floor too long.
The rocky bottom gave way to a sandy slope. She followed it upward, grateful it was taking her toward the surface. Already she could feel the pressure of the depths upon her body.
The path ended in front of a sloping wall. Hailee followed it straight up, releasing bubbles out of her mouth. Soon she reached the top of the ridge until she was once more in shallow water.
Hailee surfaced and panted for breath. Her heart beat with excitement. This was the first time she’d mastered her fear of the ridge and what lay beyond.
She was proud it hadn’t cost her that much time underwater. She was certainly a good breath-holder and had been concerned how long she would have to hold it going down and back. But the entire swim had barely taken over a minute, hardly taxing her abilities at all.
Hailee moved back over to the top of the ridge, treading water up at the surface. She filled her lungs and headed back down. This time she finned slower, wanting to take her time exploring.
Once more she went right over the edge. It was a long way down. She bottomed out once again at what felt like a good fifty or sixty feet.
She slowly looked all around before deciding to take that same path angling up the incline. She knew she would run into that dead end and be forced upward. But now there was very little fear involved.
She finned slowly, taking her time while examining the bottom. The rocky soil soon gave way to the sandy incline. Hailee followed the path until she ran into the wall, causing her to slowly fin her way back up to the top while releasing air out of her mouth.
She surfaced and panted for breath. The view had been exhilarating. What’s more, her breath-holding abilities had not been the least bit challenged.
She finned over to her starting point above the ridge again. Hailee filled her lungs and submerged once more. This time she skulled herself down until she was virtually standing upright on the ridge.
She peered over the edge, looking down into the crevasse. She released a few bubbles before tipping herself forward. Then she slowly finned her way downward again.
It was still a long way down, just like her past two dives. Hailee felt that familiar surge of excitement in her gut. Yet she experienced a growing confidence she had nothing whatsoever to worry about.
She reached the bottom of the crevasse. Instead of heading for the incline, she paused to examine the rocks along the ocean floor. They’d been smoothed over from centuries of lying on the bottom.
She took her time slowly finning along the bottom. She wanted to explore the crevasse, although there really wasn’t much to it. That’s when she stumbled upon a larger stone lying in a pile of smaller ones.
Curious, she picked it up and hefted it in her arms. Then she looked up at the ridge above her. It was a long way back to the surface. But she wasn’t feeling the strain in her lungs just yet.
Hailee smiled as she began to carry the stone along the bottom toward the sandy slope. It wasn’t all that heavy. But it helped keep her on the ocean floor.
Her fins hindered her progress as she moved along. They were not designed for taking long walks on the ocean floor. At least the protected her bare feet from the rocks she stepped upon.
She had just reached the sandy part of the trail when she felt it in her lungs. It was time to go. Hailee dropped the stone and released a burst of bubbles as she headed for the surface.
This time there was a small surge of concern as she propelled herself upward. Instinctively she used powerful strokes of her fins to rapidly make the ascent. But her anxiety faded as she drew closer to the surface.
She went all the way up until she popped her head up, gasping quietly for breath. The moment of excitement passed. That time she’d stayed down longer and had almost run out of air. She’d experienced a brief thrill that quickly faded.
Hailee decided she was going to go back down. So she filled her lungs before submerging. Once more she worked herself down onto the ridge.
She looked downward, trying to find the large rock she’d discovered. But it was just out of sight. She would have to start down the wall in order to locate it.
Hailee went over the side head first. This time she pulled with her arms, trying not to use her fins as much. It took longer, but she was able to make it easily enough.
She reached the bottom of the rocky crevasse. Hailee turned and slowly finned toward the incline. The stone was still there, right where she’d left it.
She swam over to it and picked it up. It was heavy enough, yet she could easily carry it. That’s when Hailee looked up at the ridge, suddenly deep in thought.
With the stone in her hands, she launched herself upward off the sandy part of the incline. She had to fin harder to propel herself upward, releasing more air along the way. The rock as well as her negative buoyancy slowed her ascent, giving her a brief surge of anxiety.
The top of the ridge drew closer. Hailee aimed right for it, her heart beating fast as her lungs began to burn. Then she was there, the surface barely nine or ten feet above her.
She dropped the stone onto the edge of the ridge, making sure it didn’t go tumbling back over. Her lungs were burning as little spurts of air spewed past her lips. Then she finished the swim upward, gasping for breath once her head cleared the surface.
Hailee tread water while catching her breath. That one had been a longer swim and had taxed her abilities. But she felt proud she’d handled herself well.
She considered the stone sitting on the edge of the ridge. That’s when an interesting thought crossed her mind. She felt a surge of anxiety over what she was contemplating. But she still wanted to attempt it.
Hailee waited until she’d gotten her breath back. She carefully slipped out of her dive fins. They drifted to the surface where they quietly bobbed in place.
Hailee filled her lungs before she could change her mind. Then she skulled herself downward. Her bare feet came in contact with the ridge in close proximity to the stone.
She bent down to pick it up. Then she hefted it in her arms. But she felt a sudden surge of concern, and she let it go as she returned to the surface.
Hailee popped up panting quietly for breath. Then she grabbed her fins and slipped them back on. That’s when she shook her head… hunh – unh. She was going to make sure she could get back to the surface easily enough.
Once more Hailee filled her lungs before submerging to the top of the ridge. She crouched down and picked up the stone. Then she hefted it in her arms as she stepped forward to the edge.
A brief surge of anxiety flushed through her once more. ‘Here goes nothing,’ she told herself. Then she leaned forward, stretching the stone out in front of her in her outstretched arms.
Hailee choose not to kick or do anything else. She simply allowed the weight of the stone to pull her downward. She easily cleared the wall of the ridge as she headed straight for the bottom.
Hailee felt an erotic thrill as she made the descent. Once more she felt the pressure increase the deeper she went. But she was all caught up in the excitement of her time on the ridge and the little game she was attempting.
The stone took her right down until it came in contact with a pile of its kindred where she let it go. It had taken hardly any time at all to make the descent. Hailee doubted she could have finned her way to the bottom all that much faster.
She grinned inwardly, bubbles trickling out of her mouth. She picked it back up in her hands. Then she tried to make the walk across the rocky bottom toward the sandy incline.
Once more, the fins made it difficult to proceed. They were long and floppy. She had to walk much slower.
At first Hailee thought about dropping the rock right then and there. Instead, she launched herself back up toward the surface with the stone in her hands. She released bubbles out of her mouth as she propelled herself upward, using long, powerful strokes of her dive fins.
At first it felt like a chore, and an anxious one at that. But she could tell she was making headway. She soon reached the top of the ridge where she deposited the stone and then headed for the surface.
Hailee popped up gasping quietly for breath. Now she’d become excited about her newfound discovery. What’s more, she really wanted to try what she’d been previously considering.
Hailee removed her dive fins again. She left them bobbing at the surface as she filled her lungs. Then she descended toward the ridge.
She picked up the stone in her hands and quickly moved to the edge of the ridge. Once more she felt that erotic thrill of anxiety. This time she simply stretched her arms outward with the stone in her hands, launching herself forward.
The added weight dutifully took her right off the ridge. Hailee hung on tight as she began her descent. Once more, she had to fight against that instinctive surge of anxiety that wanted to overwhelm her.
She felt the pressure increase as she headed to the bottom. Hailee felt an erotic thrill as she went all the way down along the wall of the ridge. The bottom soon rushed up to meet her.
Instead of allowing the stone to touch the ocean floor, Haile twisted until she landed upon her feet. Her hair flowed upward before coming down all around her eyes. That had been more thrilling than she could have possibly imagined.
Hailee turned and began to carry the stone over the rocky ground. But she could already feel it in her lungs. She knew she should be able to hold her breath longer. But she figured it was because of the thrill of the descent with the rock in her hands.
She dropped the stone and kicked off the bottom for the long swim back to the surface. Hailee released bubbles out of her mouth as she followed the wall of the ridge. The pressure eased the closer she got to the surface.
She came all the way up and gasped quietly for breath. What should she do now? Should she go down, get the rock and try again?
Hailee wasn’t sure she could get it back to the top of the ridge without her dive fins. So she retrieved them and slipped them onto her feet. Then she filled her lungs before angling downward.
She went right over the edge of the ridge, zeroing in on the rock. She wanted to dive off the ridge again with the stone in her hands. This time she wanted to see how far she could carry it along the ocean floor before being forced to return to the surface.
Once more, it felt like a long way down. By now Hailee was getting used to it. She was actually thrilled at having to make such a deep dive under her own power.
She reached the bottom and found the stone. She picked it up and headed back to the surface with long, powerful strokes of her fins. It was a long way, and she released bubbles out of her mouth.
The pressure eased as she approached the surface. She reached the ridge and deposited the rock. Then she headed for the surface to catch her breath.
Hailee popped up panting quietly. Her plan was to allow the rock to take her all the way down. Then she wanted to know how far she could carry it before lack of air forced her to return to the surface.
She slipped out of her dive fins yet again. She was tempted to jettison them altogether. But they sure were helpful in getting that stone back to the top of the ridge. It was just about the right weight for her to handle.
She caught her breath and then filled her lungs. Hailee submerged to the top of the ridge and the waiting stone. The anxiety she always felt quickly returned, although it was not as intense as before.
She held the stone in her hands as she looked down over the edge. It gave her a fearful thrill. But she’d already done it once before. She was sure she could do it again.
Down she went, stretching out the stone ahead of her toward the ocean floor. Hailee felt that familiar surge of erotic anxiety. It gave her quite a thrill hanging onto some weight as she was pulled to the ocean floor.
She went all the way to the bottom, easily making it on the breath in her lungs. Once again, she twisted in place until she came down on her feet. Hailey wanted to make sure her feet were underneath her so she could begin her walk.
Hailee turned and began the long climb up the rocky slope. Her feet slipped among the smooth surface of the many stones. Thankfully there was nothing jagged upon which to cut herself.
She started up the slope, slow and steady. This time it felt like she had more air left in her lungs. She could hold her breath longer so long as she didn’t panic while making each descent.
Hailee powered forward with her legs, searching for solid places in which to put each foot. She slipped on the rocks as she made the climb. She wanted to reach the sandy soil up ahead. But she could feel her lungs starting to protest again.
Hailee was disappointed with herself. She knew she could stay down longer. And she was sure she could reach that sandy part of the trail. But she dropped the rock and began the long swim back to the surface.
She released bubbles as she made the ascent. Each time up made her think it was such a long way that she might not make it. Yet each time she always surfaced with room to spare.
She passed the top of the ridge on the way to the surface. She located her bobbing dive fins and headed in that direction. She would need them to go back down and retrieve the rock.
Hailee popped up gasping quietly for breath. She corralled the fins and attached them to her bare feet. She waited another minute to catch her breath. Then she submerged to begin the long swim back down.
She went over the ridge and headed downward. She zeroed in on the location of the stone she’d been using. She wanted to keep using the same one; it was virtually the perfect weight.
She reached the bottom and did a quick search for the stone she wanted. She spotted it and hefted it in her hands. Yup; this was the one she wanted.
Hailee turned and headed back to the surface. She released bubbles out of her mouth as she made the lengthy climb up the side of the ridge. It was still intimidating to know how deep she was. But she was proving over and over to herself just how easy it was to make the swim.
She reached the top of the ridge, swam over to the spot she wanted, and dropped off the rock. Then she headed on to the surface. Her lungs were just beginning to protest when she burst up gasping quietly for breath.
She paused to get her breath back while shedding her dive fins. She looked all around, noticing she was still alone. That was ok as she enjoyed making these exploratory swims by herself.
She filled her lungs and headed for the ridge below. Hailee picked up the stone and hefted it in her hands. There was no point in dilly-dallying, not if she wanted to make a nice long walk on the ocean floor with the stone in her hands.
Hailee launched herself over the edge of the ridge. Once more, she held the stone outstretched in her hands. It took her down the wall of the ridge to the depths below.
Damn; it was deep! She never could seem to get used to it. Hailee concentrated on holding her breath, wanting to conserve every molecule of air for her walk along the bottom.
She reached the ocean floor and turned herself around until she landed on her feet. She only paused a moment before turning and beginning her walk. She followed the uphill path, her feet fumbling through the numerous smooth stones along the way.
She knew she could go farther. After all, she had plenty of air in her lungs. A steady pace would accomplish a great deal, so long as she didn’t panic or become too anxious.
It wasn’t that far to the sandy part of the incline. Hailee kept at it, determined to make the entire length on one breath. She felt a growing thrill as she approached her destination.
She reached the sand and began to climb upward, her toes digging into the soft bottom. Hailee felt a thrill at having made it this far. This was good exercise, and she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
Hailee followed the path to the left. A few more yards and she would reach the wall that dead-ended the crevasse she was in. She was proud she was going to make the walk with the stone in her hand on one breath.
Hailee suddenly became aware of a disturbance in the soil. Was it her vision? Had she pushed herself to the point of it affecting her senses?
Something came down on her shoulder. Hailee looked up in time to see part of the wall coming down on her. She let out a cry of alarm as she dropped the stone.
She tried to launch herself up off the ocean floor while shying away from the descending material. But it was too late. She got caught up in it until she found herself being forced back down to the bottom of the crevasse.
Instinctively she held her breath, fearing the worst. Her vision blurred in an instant. She thought for sure she would be buried and might never be found again.
She was aware of a faint rumbling in the distance. Then all became quiet. She waited for more of the side of the crevasse to come down on her. But it didn’t.
She suddenly became aware of aching lungs. She needed to return to the surface. But she was buried up to her torso in material from the side of the wall.
She grunted and bubbled as she struggled to free herself. There was a lot of dirt and rock on top of her. It reminded her of that time on the beach with her friends when she’d been buried up to her hips in sand.
That time it had been difficult to extricate herself. This felt even worse. She struggled to pull her legs out as her lungs began to burn.
Hailee grunted and bubbled as she pulled to free herself. She thought she could feel her left leg starting to pull free. The right one seemed worse, and she struggled to work it loose.
The strain in her lungs worsened. Her stomach began to ripple. The water all around her was still blurry from the sediment being disturbed. She could taste particles of dirt in her mouth.
Hailee grunted as the fear intensified. Her lungs began to heave more insistently. She frantically clawed at the sediment covering her lower extremities.
She felt her left leg come free. But her right one felt like it was wedged against something. She began to tug frantically, her lungs screaming at her.
A convulsion nearly made her lose her breath. Instinctively she covered her mouth as she looked upward. Her vision was still brown and murky.
She shook her head, grunting and bubbling as she waved upward with her arms. She struggled to free herself, trying to use her left leg for leverage. The right one was slowly coming free, but there was too much dirt and sediment involved.
Hailee suddenly spewed her breath away. A moment later she gurgled as she involuntarily swallowed. That’s when she went into convulsions as she began to suck water down her windpipe.
She tried to scream, but it came out in a gurgle. She blinked as she thrashed about within the sediment she was still hung up in. She hitched and gurgled until her spasms began to ease.
She couldn’t believe how much it hurt. Hailee couldn’t understand how she was still conscious. Then she felt something very wrong begin to occur to her vital organs.
She cried out in her mind as her vision faded. Then consciousness mercifully slipped away. She settled in the sediment, her hands instinctively outstretched toward the ridge above her.
Her dive fins would be carried in to shore. But the currents would move them farther down the shoreline. It would make things all the more difficult for someone trying to discover where she had gone and what might have happened to her.
2021 (written for JQPublic Mar 13 ’21 by riwa. Inspired by vidcaps made from a video clip I found.)
