By WENDY K. MAGES
I’m six years old. I’m climbing the narrow ladder to the high diving board so my dad can film me as I dive off, not jump off, but dive off. At this pool, you can jump or dive off the low board, but you have to dive off the high board. That’s the rule.
My family has been coming to this pool every summer since I can remember. I learned to swim in this pool. My friends and I pretend to be mermaids and have underwater tea parties in this pool. And one time I almost drowned in this pool. The lifeguard wasn’t paying enough attention, but my dad happened to look up from the book he was reading and saw me struggling. He dove right in and rescued me.
My dad’s a really good swimmer. My mom knows how to swim, but she only does the side stroke because she doesn’t like to put her face in the water. My dad does all of the strokes, and he’s fast. If you race him, he’ll give you a head start, but you better put in your best effort, because he won’t treat you like a baby and let you win. That’s cheating.
I want my dad to be proud of me. So, I really want him to see me dive off the high diving board. Yesterday, my friends and I spent the whole day climbing up the ladder and walking to the end of the diving board, but we’d look down at the clear blue water below and chicken out at the last minute. Then we’d have to climb all the way back down the ladder.
I think my dad got bored of watching us go up and down the ladder because he went home early. That really hurt my feelings. Only my mom and my sister were there to see that I was the very first one to dive off the high diving board.
When we got home, my mom told my dad about my big accomplishment. I’m not sure he believed her, but he said, “Okay. Tomorrow, you can show me. I’ll bring my movie camera and we can make a movie.”
In my family, making a movie is a really big deal. You have to buy all sorts of stuff, like film for the camera. Film is expensive and you have to pay to have it developed. My dad doesn’t waste film on everyday things. He only makes movies of really important things.
Today, as I climb the narrow ladder, I’m really excited that my dad will get to see me dive off of the high diving board. Everyone’s here. Everyone’s watching. All eyes are on me. And my dad’s going to make a movie of me.
I climb to the top rung of the ladder and step onto the diving board. Suddenly, I feel really nervous. Carefully, I walk to the end of the diving board. With each step I feel more and more nervous. I take a deep breath and put my hands together, just as I’ve been taught. Then, I look down at the clear blue water below.
Woosh! I dive in. When I emerge from the water I’m elated. My dad has seen me dive and has caught my biggest accomplishment on film. The only thing more exciting than this, will be watching it on home movies.
When the film finally gets developed, my family gathers in the living room to view my proudest moment. I see myself climbing the narrow ladder, walking to the edge of the board, and bravely diving in, just like the big kids. I am so proud!
Then Dad says, “If you think that was something, watch this…” He proceeds to play the film in reverse.
Feet first, I see myself flying out of the water and landing on the diving board. He replays this trick over and over again: I see myself diving into the water, flying out of the water, into the water, out of the water.
My sister starts to giggle. She thinks this is pretty funny. Then my mom starts to giggle. My mom is laughing. She thinks this is pretty funny. Then my dad joins in. Everyone is laughing. Everyone thinks this is hilarious, everyone but me. Everyone is laughing at me. I burst into tears. My biggest accomplishment is totally ruined.
Or so I thought at six.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendy K. Mages, a Professor at Mercy College, is a storyteller and educator who earned a master’s and doctorate in Human Development and Psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a master’s in Theatre at Northwestern University. As a complement to her research on the effect of the arts on learning and development, she performs original stories at storytelling events and festivals in the US and abroad. Her stories appear in literary publications, such as 3cents Magazine, 50-Word Stories, Antithesis Journal Blog, Five Minutes, Funny Pearls, Harpy Hybrid Review, Hearth & Coffin, Howler Daily, The Journal of Stories in Science, New Croton Review, Potato Soup Journal, Quibble, Route 7 Review, Sea to Sky Review, Star 82 Review, and Young Ravens Review. A triptych of her poems appears in Scenario. To learn more about her work, please visit https://www.mercy.edu/directory/wendy-mages