Thunder of water

Thunder of water
"If there is any magic on this earth, it’s water."
—Lauren Eisli

I agree with this statement. In every person’s life, water plays a very important role. Obviously, you can die if you go without water for a while. It’s not for nothing that doctors recommend drinking 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day. And, on a hot day, everyone wants to take a dip in the cool water of a river, lake, sea, or ocean!
But sometimes, playing in the water can be life-threatening if one does not know how to swim! I can confirm this, because twice in my life, I almost drowned in front of other people.
Again, I will return to the distant memories of my childhood and adolescence. Our parents cared about our health, so during the summer, they sent us (my sister Larisa and I) to a village to spend time outdoors. In the Chuguevsky district of Kharkiv region, there is a settlement, Pechenegi, where at that time was a dam on the river—and a small reservoir as a result. Residents and tourists happily spent whole days here, sunbathing, swimming, and basking in the sun. My mother and sister also spent all their time on the shore, and my father came to visit us on weekends. Larisa and I had barely learned to swim, but we were not afraid to swim in the middle of the reservoir, and I was not worried for my safety, as I would just hold onto a small ball and kick my feet to swim! Dad would come over to us, swim for a bit, and stand on the beach, watching us flounder in the water. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining—everything was wonderful! And then, suddenly, something terrible happened! The ball slipped out of my hands and escaped forward; I tried to catch it with my hands and feet, but could not grab it. I became scared, but other people continued swimming around, not paying attention to my poor attempts at swimming. Luckily, my father carefully watched his children; he jumped into the water, swam over to me, and pushed the ball my way. I scrambled and clutched at him and then swam to the shore. For the rest of my life, I remember how my father saved me, and how terrible it was to realize that you were being dragged into the watery abyss!
But this incident did not prevent me, in ten to fifteen years, from experiencing the same terror of not being able to swim. When that happens, the water gets in your mouth, and you start choking with fear!
At that time, I was working in a laboratory at a factory, and was very involved in the employees’ civic life. Once the union organized an outing to the river for the young workers. We had a wonderful time there, playing beach volleyball, breathing wonderful air, and then decided to swim in the warm water.
Among us was my friend and co-worker Valeria Barkova, who was fond of and seriously engaged in all kinds of swimming—she was an athletic girl. She confidently dove into the water, and talked us into joining her—which we did. I swam after my friends, enjoying the small waves and the process of swimming. But my enjoyment did not last long! I felt fatigue in my arms and legs, flipped over onto my back, relaxed a bit, but quickly realized that I had to return to shore. Valeria meanwhile sped past me like a bullet. I shouted to her that I needed help, but she did not understand the tragic situation and did not pay any attention to me… What should I do?! I am reminded of an ancient Russian proverb: if you want to be saved from drowning, you have to do it yourself.




I looked around me, and excitedly saw that a large, dry branch was passing me by; somehow, I managed to swim closer and grab it! I safely reached shore, and things became much easier. When I felt the ground under my feet, I calmed down and slowly got back to where we had been resting. When I’d later explained the situation to Valeria, she couldn’t believe that the situation had been so dangerous!
So, these unpleasant moments of my life had to do with water! Nevertheless, I really like swimming in pools; I live near the Atlantic Ocean (where there are some big waves)—it’s not very pleasant to swim there for me.

And now I want to tell a little about my encounters with colossal amounts of water. In the world, there are hundreds of waterfalls, from small to huge. I have been lucky enough in my life to have seen the famous Niagara Falls—three times!
Niagara Falls may not be the largest or deepest waterfall, but it is very famous.
Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of New York. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.
Wikipedia
“Niagara” translated means “the thunder of water.” Indeed, when you approach the waterfall, it is very loud, and when the wind blows, you get pleasantly splashed by the water! Guides describe local urban myths, about the death jumps and suicides or people who wanted to test their courage by throwing themselves into the Niagara’s waters. Tourists approach the waterfall in boats; some of them are given bright rainjackets to wear. And so the journey to the waterfall begins—an unforgettable memory of a lifetime! People return wet but joyful—after all they just visited the nearly-inexhaustible the source of the drivers! By the way, I myself did not dare to go on this boat!
         

The bright sun, in combination with water, makes a beautiful sparkling rainbow! What a wonderful sight! And in the evenings, there’s an extraordinary light show projected onto the waterfall! Unforgettable!
Yes, indeed, the magic of life can be found in water!
I got to see Niagara Falls from two sides: from the American and from the Canadian. The view is much better from the Canadian side—you’ll remember it for life!
I, for one, do not dare to venture into water anymore. I don’t even go on cruises—I’m still a little afraid of water!
I will always remember the thunder of water.