Can't Swim

The net has tangled around my entire body, dragging me down. I can't get loose and the surface is getting more and more distance. The more I struggle, the tighter the net wraps around me, cutting into my limbs.
I accidently breath, water filling my lungs. It hurts, it hurts! Mom! Mom, help!
Can't she hear me? She's a telapath, a powerful one. She's always heard me when I call.
It's getting dark. I open my mouth again, screaming. It's so muffled. It hurts.
The light's fading. Pain's going away. Mom.



Kenji surfaces, gasping for air, Almàrien limp in his arms, heavily tangled in the net. He raises my limp son out of the water, letting us pull him aboard the ship.
"Almàrien!" I shake him lightly. He's unconcious, not breathing. "Little one!"
Dimas starts cutting away the net, letting us actually get to him. Lalith kneels next to his little brother, breathing into him. It only takes moments for Almàrien to start coughing up water and wake up. He opens his eyes, scared and shaking. I pull him into my arms, holding him close.
"It's alright. You're safe now." He leans his head on my shoulder.
"I don't want to go sailing again, Mom."