Tomorrow’s Prelude

Tomorrow’s Prelude

“What do you mean, you’re quitting the team?!!”

“I’m just a burden.”

“Is this about your injury? That was months ago! There shouldn’t be a problem!”

“It’s more than that.”

I turned around and walked slowly back toward the black iron fence that surrounded the school swimming pool.

“Derek!! The national qualifying meet is one month from now! We can’t afford for our best swimmer to quit now!”

The team captain and the rest of the boys’ swimming team gathered around the gate, pleading in vain to my back.

Comments like, “You’re our best swimmer!”, and, “Are you going to abandon us like this?”, came from other teammates.

I could only answer them with, “Sorry.”

I continued walking from my former teammates, shrugging off their pleads and yells. I had just abandoned the dream I’ve had for so long. However, I simply decided to return home.

—

It might sound weird, but, because it’s been so long, I’ve forgotten the reason I started swimming in the first place. Over time, I grew to love swimming so much that I don’t remember the original reason. I suppose it’s too late to remember now.

Either way, that’s not the reason I quit swimming. As you should know by now, I’ve just recently been afflicted by an injury that prevented me from swimming. I sprained both my knees and fractured my hip in a disaster during the team’s summer training camp.

Anyway, this would probably sound stupid, but now, I really don’t feel like I can swim anymore. Not just swim, but I don’t even feel like I can step in the water of our swimming pool anymore. As my team captain had said, I should be fully healed now, but that isn’t the problem. It’s that… I think I’m afraid of the water. Yeah, a supposed world-class swimmer… afraid of the water. Stupid, huh?

—

“Ohh!!!” A girl’s voice pierced the my mind full of half-reminiscing, half-regretting thoughts. “Are you Derek Telaney?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” I replied, as my mind snapped back to the present.

I turned my attention forward to see a girl with long, silky black hair, smiling.

“And, who might you be?” I asked.

The girl seemed about my age, but wasn’t wearing a high school uniform, and she definitely didn’t seem like a middle or elementary school student.

“You don’t remember”

“Should I?”

“Meanie. Of course you should! Anyway, I’m a huge fan of yours. Are you going to swim next month? I heard you got hurt.”

“No… I won’t be.

“Why?”

I sighed, and said, “Because I just quit the team.”

“What?!! You can’t do that!”

“Too late.” I replied, continuing back towards my house, shaking my head.

“What? You’re an amazing swimmer! I’ve seen you on TV so many times! What that injury that bad?”

“It’s a lot deeper than that.”

“You can tell me about it. Let’s go for a walk!!” The girl proposed with a smile that seemed surprisingly nostalgic.

I assumed that my brain was playing tricks on me, and ignored the feeling.

“Come on, let’s go! Let’s go to the park! If you really did quit the team, then it’s not like you have anything else to do.”

“Fine.” I let the girl lead me to the nearby park, and we sat down on one of the oaken benches.

“Want a popsicle?” I asked, pointing to one of the elaborately decorated popsicle stalls nearby.

“Sure!” She replied, smiling.

I walked over to the stall and bought the two popsicles, but when I turned around, the girl, was no longer sitting on the bench. Instead, she had walked over to the shaded shore of the large lake in the middle of the park.

“Here, your popsicle.” I tossed her the wrapped confectionery. However, the popsicle seemingly passed straight through her hands. She could not catch it, and it fell into the lake.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She said, staring at the ripples in the pure blue water.

“It’s fine. It didn’t cost much, anyway. I’ll go buy another one.” I said, turning around to return to the stall.

She grabbed my shoulder, and said, “It’s okay. Just eat yours.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. I’m fine.”

“Okay…” I began walking alongside the girl, looking upon the clear blue surface of the lake. I felt that something had happened upon this lake in the past – something important – but once again, I ignored the feeling.

As we continued our small stroll aroung the lake, the girl said, :I have so many memories of this park.”

“I don’t.” I replied, completely unable to remember anything that happened in this park.

“So… you’ve completely forgotten? There isn’t much time left.” She replied with a look of concern.

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing.”

The girl continued walking along the shore, looking intently at the ripples in the water as a leaf landed on the surface of the lake.

Our walk took us to the narrow bridge that stretched across the middle of the lake. On the opposite side of the lake was a group of children playing tag. As we crossed the bridge, one child bolted across the bridge, chased by another. They collided with the girl, who then fell to the side, off the small wooden bridge.

“Ahh! I can’t swim!” The girl exclaimed as she flailed around in the waters.

I instinctively jumped into the water to save her. In that moment, I recalled those faded memories from years gone.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me. Carrying her while treading water, I struggled out of the lake, and laid her on the grassy shore. Both of us were totally soaked.

She smiled weakly, and said, “See? You can swim.”

I remembered everything.

–

“I can’t swim!!” Alicia screamed, flailing in the lake’s water.

I could swim either, at that time. Even though I knew that, I dove in and tried to save her. Why would I do something like that? Love, I guess. Either way, I couldn’t save her I couldn’t carry her back to the shore. She drowned, and I almost drowned. In the end, I needed saving from someone else. That’s why I began swimming, seven years ago, when she and I were twelve.

–

”Alicia, right?”

“You really remembered… That’s great. I was worried I’d have to leave you without getting you to remember me.

“Leave me?”

“You know as well as I do that I shouldn’t even be here in the first place.”

I sighed. “Yeah…”

She let out a weak sigh, and smiled. “Sorry. But… I’m still truly happy that you remembered me before my time with you ended.”

With that, the girl that lay still in front of me faded into thin air, leaving me alone and soaking wet. But, even while leaving me, the boy she loved in middle school, she smiled. This time, she left me with a calming smile, and not a waterlogged frown.

–

“Now introducing the swimmer for this year’s National Qualifying meet for Eastern Floressa High School. In lane two, Derek Telaney, considered to be the best high school swimmer in history! He’s recovered from a supposedly career-ending injury, but as we’ve seen in the practice laps, he’s just as fast as before, if not faster. Will he take first place yet again?