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back. My leg went through the ice and into the frigid water below. Soon I was in up to my waste, trying desperately to grip onto anything I could. I wrenched my fingers into the snow, but met only the smooth surface of the ice underneath. No use. The ice supporting my body finally collapsed beneath me and I plunged into the water. Water permeated my clothes in an instant. I had never felt so cold before. My first instinct was to grab for the ice in front of me, but when I'd lay a hand on it, it would shatter beneath the weight. My saturated clothes made for poor life preservers. I struggled to keep my head above water. Breaths came fewer and fewer as I thrashed about. First I'd be under for just a split second, peak my head up and grab a breath, then two seconds, then three, then four, then I couldn't move my arms fast enough to push myself to the surface. The cold paralyzed my limbs. My muscles tensed up and began to behave much the same way my lips had earlier when I'd try to talk.

The water's surface has an interesting glow from underneath. Light gets tossed about as it hits the ripples and seems to slow down as it drifts into the depths. Something seemingly magical happens when anything touches this border from one world to another very different one. Such a very different world indeed: one's sense of hearing becomes relatively useless, as do taste and smell. Touch becomes an all encompassing sensation as nerves all over the body fire with information. Although vision is a bit less crisp in this world, it's the one sense that reacts in about the same manner as in the air. I watched this boundary in awe, as the distance between us slowly grew. No. I wouldn't go out like this. Calling on every last ounce of energy I had left, I tore at the water with everything I had. I kicked and clawed towards the surface with everything I could, but the air in my lungs was growing stale. This was my last shot. I stared longingly at the sky above through the water and pushed forward. It felt like I moved in inches at a time as I struggled for my life, but I was making progress. I could practically feel the air against my skin in anticipation. After straining to hold my breath for so long, I let it all out in one huge release as my hand met the edge of the water.
My anticipation was unfounded. The cold air above had refrozen the water. Instead of meeting glorious life giving air, my hand met ice with a heart breaking thud. My body, now devoid of air, sank like a rock. I tried to swim, but there was nothing left in me. I watched helplessly as my doorway to salvation grew smaller and smaller. As I sank, I noticed the clouds behind the ice start to dissipate. Snow stopped falling on the fresh surface of the ice, and stray beams of sunlight escaped from behind the dense cloud cover. The sky transformed into a bright blue as a single ray of sun light hit my cheek, and I took a deep breath in. Then the single stray beam of light bloomed forth into a blinding white explosion.

Learn more about this author, Jack Myles.
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