(recently edited with a size increase of nearly 600+ words)
A quick look confirmed the worst: the irrigation pipe was clogged again! Very little water was being pumped out and she could hear a groan in the pumping machinery. That meant there was a good chance of stripping gears or losing the motor entirely! It was probably a good thing she was passing by and had decided to check on it when she did.
Amanda sighed heavily as she slipped out of her blouse and shorts. She almost removed her bra and panties, but thought better of it. She figured it would be just her luck for one of the hired men to come by and spot her. But today she wasn’t interested in turning anyone on, much less being a tease wearing something provocative.
She tossed her blouse and shorts aside before kicking off her sneakers. Then she waded into the chilly waters of the pond. The only way to discover the problem was to go down and investigate… and she figured she could hold her breath long enough to ascertain the problem.
One deep breath and then she dove for the bottom, approximately 9 or 10 feet down. The intake would be somewhere on the bottom… probably clogged again! She’d need to clean the screen if they were to get a free flow of water out of the irrigation pipe on the other end.
It got darker and murkier as she pulled herself downward. She soon found the pipe, easily following it down hand over hand. She knew it would take her right to the screen covering the intake, even if it required her to feel her way more than being able to see.
She found the screen with her hand, burbling in resignation as she started brushing the silt and moss aside. Sure enough; it was clogged again. Amanda heard a distinct chug from the pump motor as more water started to flow, indicating a definite increase in suction through the pump.
She found a clump of debris – probably from that windstorm last week. She grabbed a handful and gave it a pull. A moment later it came free with a schlooping sound. Almost immediately she felt a stronger flow as more water was pulled through the screen to the intake valve.
Amanda heard the little warning in the back of her head. But she all but ignored it as she knelt to brush a hand over the screen one last time, making sure the intake was completely free of foreign objects. That’s when she felt a tug as her long brown hair was suddenly pulled into the screen, yanking her head down!
She grunted and burbled, instantly cursing her stupidity. It was always better to shut the damn pump down first. But sometimes she couldn’t get it started again for some reason, and she wanted to avoid the hassle.
On a hot, summer day like today the idea of a quick swim was so enticing that she hadn’t even given it a second thought. Now she burbled in alarm as she was pulled down onto her side. She could feel her head being pulled tight against the screen to the damned intake!
She cried out in horror as she began twisting and squirming, desperately trying to pull herself free. She managed to pull her head an inch or two away, only to be jerked back hard against the screen as the intake hungrily tried to gobble down her flowing strands.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she realized just how badly she’d screwed up. She hadn’t thought it could even get this bad; now she was in real trouble! If she didn’t pull away in time she was going to drown from some really stupid accident!
The pump began to whine as her head and hair clogged the screen to the intake. She strained with all her might and was able to pull her head away another inch or two. But unfortunately it was just enough for the pump to recover, sucking her hair back through and pulling her head hard against the mesh of the screen.
Amanda cursed herself again… “DAMMIT! HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID?!” She flailed with her arms as her lungs began to burn, air bubbling out past her lips. Hell, they might even find her down here until someone came to find out why the pump wasn’t working so well… and that might not be for a couple of days!!
How long could she hold her breath down here before her lungs gave out? How long had it already been? It probably didn’t matter; she’d be dead either way before anyone would find her. After all, she’d looked all around to make sure she was alone before wading in and diving down.
Her lungs spasmed as panic welled up inside her. She tried to force it back down; she could still get out of this if she didn’t succumb to the growing fear. The first order of business was getting the hell away from the damned screen!
She reached back with her hands, found the intake and slowly pushed against it. Her head began to move away from the screen; at the same time she felt the corresponding increase of suction as she pulled away from the opening. She felt her hair streaming into the mesh of the screen, and she swallowed the growing panic that threatened to overwhelm her. It was as though the damned pump wanted to drown her by sucking her hair and holding her in place!!
Her lungs heaved painfully in her chest, causing her 36 C’s to bounce in the murky water. She’d just turned 19, but she damned sure wasn’t going to make it to 20 unless she could pull her hair out! Now she wished one of her father’s hired hands had seen her go down into the pond!
In the past few months she’d gotten her fair share of appreciative whistles over her figure. But she wasn’t the least bit offended. They always seemed eager to help the coed in her summer agricultural internship duties there at the ranch, regardless of what she was doing at the time.
Now she wished one of them was around right… wished one of them had seen her dive in. They might not get to her in time to keep her from drowning, but they could sure as hell get her back up in time to revive her stupid ass! Now they were all going to attend her funeral and mourn her loss!
“Don’t think like that!” she told herself despite the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. “You’re going to get yourself out of here so fight, damn you!” Then she burbled again as water crawled up her nose and stung her sinuses something fierce, forcing her to try to ignore the powerful urge to give up and just inhale.
She struggled to pull her head away from the intake, only to find herself in a stalemate with the pump. She couldn’t seem to move any further away from it, but it wasn’t sucking her hair all the way back into the intake. It was a Mexican standoff, but time was not on her side as she could not continue holding her breath much longer.
She felt tears of sorrow well up in her eyes. She didn’t want to die like this, didn’t want to be found this way with her hair blocking the intake to the pump. That would be humiliating as hell being found in her bra and panties after burning out the pump… which was something she was trying to avoid by diving into the pond to clear the intake in the first place!
She lost a massive burst of air as her lungs burned with a fiery intensity. She felt a jolt of panic, sensing she was approaching the point of no return. If she didn’t do something fast, her strength was going to fade and her head was going to get sucked back against the screen to the intake. Then she would be too weak to pull away any more and would drown down here for sure!
With a mighty effort and a burst of adrenaline, she pushed herself away from the intake, praying her hair wasn’t already too entangled in the mesh of the screen. She suddenly came free, shaking her head to confirm her hair was not entangled. She found the muddy bottom with her feet and pushed off for the surface with all the energy she had left.
Bubbles streamed out of her mouth and nose as she clawed for the surface. She stared upward as she saw it getting lighter and lighter, burbling wildly as she forced herself to hold her breath one second more… and then one second more… and then one more after that. But it seemed so far away…
And then she was at the surface, gasping and sputtering as she pulled great gulps of air into her tortured lungs. She thought she felt a faint pull below her… as though the intake wasn’t through with her. Amanda let out a strangled cry and then swam like hell for the side of the pond.
She found the bottom underneath her and stood up, frantically wading out and then collapsing in a heap on the muddy bank. She gasped madly for breath as though unable to believe she’d survived that at all! Then she started crying unashamedly.
She spent a few minutes thanking God for her miraculous survival despite her unbelievable stupidity. Then she stood up, retrieved her clothes and began pulling them on over her still damp undergarments.
When she was dressed she slowly made her way back to her car she’d parked a short distance away. But the whole time she kept on muttering to herself, perhaps to drive the point home just how stupid she’d been…
“What were you thinking? Do you KNOW how STUPID that was?? Don’t you ever – and I mean EVER – jump back into that pond again without first turning off that damn pump! I don’t care HOW hot it gets or how nice of a swim you want! Next time you won’t be so lucky, you crazy-assed bitch…!”
© 2005 (written for JQ public Dec 19 ’05; ed. Jan 18 ‘16 by riwa)