A Cold Swim

The icy cold water of the lake was painfully cold against my pale skin, making goose bumps raise up all over my body. I had fully expected the water to be this cold, but it was still a shock to my system and I knew that there was no going back now. Getting out of the water wouldn’t change how agonisingly cold I was, so I just had to stay in the water and suffer through the pain until my body became accustomed to it. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly before taking in as much of a breath as I could and then dipping my head under the water. The sudden shock of the water against my face was enough to make me instantly exhale the breath I’d been holding and forced me to resurface so that I could breathe. My teeth uncontrollably chattered in my mouth as I started to swim around in an attempt to warm up my body before it started to shut down. The urge to rub my arms and legs was great, though I knew better than that. All it would do it drag the warm blood away from my heart and kill me faster. I didn’t intend for this swim to be fatal, so I limited myself to a mere five minutes in the water before getting out and drying myself off. The lake was a place that I frequented whenever I found myself unable to sleep. Since I lived only a short walk away, it was easy for me to access, and just as easy for me to return home to a warm shower afterwards.