PSLE: Fear

Picture 1 - A swimming float

Picture 2 - A dog

Picture 3 - An angry man

Have you experienced fear before? A fear that is so overwhelming that it could almost devour you. I have and I will never forget that incident which will be engraved in my soul forever.

I was at the beach which was swarmed by weekenders. There was a flurry of activities everywhere as buoyant yells and cheers echoed along the seashore. Everyone was having a whale of a time. As usual, I was like a zesty soldier with excitement bubbling inside me. My parents busied themselves with novels every time they came and I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted.

So, I decided to try something new. I lay on my gigantic float and let the frosty waves carry me further away from the shore. The waves were so gentle. The rhythmic movement of the ocean was like a lullaby and I soon fell asleep.

Suddenly, claps of thunder startled me awake. I stared in incredulity at what was around me. I was in the middle of the sea. Fear struck me! My arms flailed wildly but no one saw me. I screamed my lungs out but the pounding waves deafened them. The shore was so far away that they looked like Lego figurines. Darkness was threating to take over as a forked of lightning cracked the skies and the pelting rain began to pour. What if I die? In a bid to return back to shore, I tried hard to paddle back to shore, using my lanky hands as oars. Pointless. It was just pointless. The seawater swirled and whirled in torrents. It was soon apparent that nothing I did could even bring me an inch closer to shore. Instead, I was pulled further and further away towards the ocean.

Nothing could calm my frenzied mind! What should I do to save myself? Big teardrops fell down my cheeks. I was panic-stricken, struck by fear that was bigger than myself. I had a foreboding fear that I might just perish at sea. Water was invading my nostrils in gushes. It was so hard to breathe properly. I decided not to fight anymore and let the waves carry me to wherever they wanted.

Three days had passed. The storm ended and the sweltering sun seared down mercilessly. The agony and anguish were killing me alive. I was fully roasted by the burning sun. Water! I wanted water so badly. My lips cracked and my throat burned with dryness. My body felt limp. Feeling dehydrated and famished, hope had deserted me. God had probably forgotten me. I was on the verge of giving up.

“Just let go and be swallowed up by the sea!” I thought in despair. I found myself confronted by the fear of death. To die young. To die in this ocean. To give up my life for good.

I gulped the stone in my throat. My aching hands wanted to let go. Just then, a loud ship honk shook me of my trance. A ship was passing by. Would the ship notice me, a tiny dot in the ocean? Yet, a last sparkle of hope kindled within me. Distant barking resounded from the ship deck. There was a dog on the ship? Was it a dog that had sniffed my whereabouts and was trying to alert the men onboard?

It was indeed true. A boat soon lowered and sailed towards me. On it were a kind-looking captain and a few sailors. A wave of relief engulfed me. My hands clutched his in a death grip as he pulled me up to safety.

What happened after that was a blur. I could not remember much. All I knew what that I was sent in a helicopter back to the nearest hospital, in the ICU for days and finally reunited with my parents. It had been a traumatic frightening incident for me.

My worst fear was finally over.