Kailey Cutbirth
Stories (2)
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Mystical Blue
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh* is I all I hear as I dive in and out of the water, the harsh realities of life being drowned out by sound that the pressure of water creates in my ears. My brain is allowed to clear out and be empty, just for the few seconds it takes me to cross the pool. I don't have to worry about the financial troubles that my thousands upon thousands of dollars of student debt has caused me. Or about the pain of losing a beloved child to soon. The water doesn't care about any of those things, and prefers that I enter her with an open mind so that she can wash away my troubles. She wraps around my body like a tight blanket, providing me the deep pressure sensation that my body craves in stressful situations. I embrace the burn of my muscles and lungs as I imitate a butterfly crossing the water. I focus on the my arms, careful not to pull my shoulder again, as I know one wrong move could make it where I never swim my favorite stroke again. Having been years since I swam competitively, I no longer have the endurance I once did. When I find myself tiring out, I allow myself to stop using my arms and pretend that I am a mermaid, moving swiftly through the water. Inevitably, my lungs start to burn more than I can handle without the vital oxygen that sits above my underwater paradise. I surface and change to side stroke, saying a small prayer every time my hands create a Anjali mudra in front of my chest. I momentarily feel a connection to my creator like no other, as they are the ones who put this liquid element on earth to calm and sustain me. I try to keep my strokes even, balancing my glides and pulls. This balance is vital for endurance and will allow me to swim the 1760 yards that I have set out to traverse. Around me, others are splashing about. Near the steps, there is a mother teaching her child to swim for the first time. As I pause on the wall I smile in their direction, glad that the little girl is being taught a potentially life saving skill. In the deep end, military men hang upside down on the walls, practicing holding their breaths for minutes instead of seconds at a time. I include them in my silent prayer, thankful for the service they provide my country and that they are always here, working to be better soldiers. In the lane next to me, an old married couple water walks with their aerobic belts on. Like me, they probably have joint problems and the water provides a safe place to exercise without worry of hurting themselves. I chuckle as I hear them bicker from time to time, wondering if that is how my husband and I will sound when we grow older. I finish out one last cool down lap, telling myself this is only the last one until I come back tomorrow. Once I am through, I push my hands down against the bricks that line the pool edge, effectively pushing myself out of the pool. I sit for a moment a take deep gulps out of my water bottle, forever amused that the same medium that just made me break out in a sweat is the same one that will cool me back down. As I stand and wrap myself in my warm, fluffy towel, I am prepared to re-enter the reality that the water allowed me to leave behind.
By Kailey Cutbirth 5 years ago in Motivation
Human Heist
I swept the musty basement for the 3rd time this evening. Not allowed to go upstairs on account of the Lamia Ball that Master Dorian was hosting, I had little else to do. As I swept, I daydreamed of the way life must have been before the age of night. I imagined my mother and father picnicking on the beach, the sun glinting off of the water as they enjoyed wine and fruit. I missed the sunlight more than anything else that the nightwalkers had taken away. I longed for the warmth that it had once provided, but it had been ripped from my life so long ago, I was not even sure I remembered the feeling correctly.
By Kailey Cutbirth 5 years ago in Fiction
