And then I came to, getting fished out of the reflecting pool by a lifeguard with a long stick. Along with half the summer session, it looked like.

Naturally, we all wanted to go back immediately. And for a minute I had a panic attack about breathing air! Like I had forgotten how. But the school admins seem pretty firm about the Reflecting Pool being off limits. For now at least.

Last I knew, those Aquatic swim teachers were holding my breath--holding all our breaths--and for as long as we liked, we frolicked in their underwater carnival, played their games, swam in schools, tussled and squirmed in feeding frenzies over chum... and dreamed of the Spires of KrkKrk in the twilight depths... I guess they'll never take THAT away from me.

Somehow my breath found me, and brought me back to the surface. But oh how I long to return...

Really, it's more like synchronized deep diving. REALLY deep.

I don't even need to wear goggles anymore, because my eyes have adapted to the water. Something that the Aquatics do for you, when they're holding you breath. They put it in there. But it helps you, and it gives you the extra lenses on your eyes. Some other stuff too around your organs. And your brain. Because of the pressure.

But when you look up, and you see all those Aquatics holding everybody's breaths, and all those bubbles are lighting up, and you can see all the other swimming students, students just like me, floating just below them, in formation, holding hands and making rings with their bodies that fold and flow just like a kaleidoscope, descending, descending, down along with you.

It's like watching one of those old movies with the swimmers, swimming in the pool in their costumes. Bubbly Berkeley? Except bioluminescent.

We're going to reach the bottom soon.

Group swimming lessons this weekend!

The Aquatics want to teach EVERYONE to swim. Come to the reflecting pool this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 9am to noon, and 1:30 to 4pm, for FREE lessons!

Once you learn to let the Aquatics hold your breath, you'll find you can go deeper than you ever dreamed!

And you can trust me because I've BEEN THERE!

Come and join us! You'll be in for a big surprise.

Today I dove deeper than I ever had before. You have to blow all your breath out, and the Aquatics hold it for you, and you start dropping. I never thought of the Reflecting Pool as bottomless before. Well, it's not quite bottomless. I wore goggles and could see a little cloud of light, way down below, before we turned around and started the long swim back up. The Aquatics give you back your breath, one bubble at a time, and you start floating up, and up... and when you break the surface you've got all your breath back.

We're going deeper tomorrow.

Today we worked on holding my breath. It’s a long way down if you want to visit their city, so they hold your breath for you. Today I blew a lot of bubbles and they practiced holding it.

The Aquatics were shocked to know I'd never learned to swim, and they were super curious and interested and BEGGED me to let them teach me. So I've been dipppin in the dark waters of the reflecting pool and I had no idea swimming was so easy!