WATER BOY

My name is Josh, I was born and raised in Arizona. Not great for a person with a debilitating obsession to be in water. As a baby, I was only happy in the bathtub. It was like my security blanket. Crazy, right? After swimming for a week at the lake, I still needed more. By my twelfth birthday, my mouth was always dry, making me need the school bubblers constantly. Daily detentions were the result. Ugh… The teachers didn’t believe my excuses. I couldn’t really blame them. The obsession continued to grow. Unbelievable! My skin started drying out, leaving ugly patches all over. Dandruff rained down from my itchy head. It was bad enough I had issues on the inside! Anxiety grew quickly, making me restless. School counselor visits just made me feel bad about myself. I had no control over this. I was a wreck.

The school suggested I see a psychiatrist. The appointment was the following week. Are you kidding me? I hoped none of the kids at my school found out. Not that they ever thought I was normal. Friends were in short supply. Not hard to believe. I sat at the geek table for lunch, even those kids thought I was weird. My one neighborhood friend had thrown me to the wolves. Nice guy. The psychologist prescribed medications for anxiety and obsession. Yeah, an obsession with water that was making me crazy. I was okay with the meds if it would help me be normal. For my dry skin, I saw a dermatologist. The appointments got me out of the torture of school at least. A week later I felt less anxious and the new skin lotion helped. The attraction to water was still growing. Big problem. It wouldn’t be long before I was crazy as a loon. I needed to figure this out, and soon. But how? I promised the universe I would do nothing bad for the rest of my life if this craziness ended. Huge commitment, but worth it. I think.

Christmas break was coming up soon. If anyone needed a break, it was me! A new feeling of ants crawling over my entire body had me in constant motion. Sleeping was impossible. I was losing weight off my fit but trim body. My parents worried constantly. I thought they might have to commit me soon. I felt pretty bad for all of us. Mom called me in sick and after a few days, a tutor started coming to our house. That was a relief. I could barely handle all of this at home, never mind school. I was never leaving the house again if I could help it.

One week before vacation, my parents sat me down for a chat. My nerves were jangling. This could be when they tell me to pack for the funny farm. Thanks to the ants, my eyes had dark circles under them and bags. I didn’t know a kid my age could have bags. I implored the universe once again, promising all kinds of crazy stuff. I looked up at my parents. They were—smiling? Wow, this may not be bad news. Mom had spoken with a natural doctor friend of hers. She suggested we take a seaside vacation to relax and the salt water would help my skin. Well, gee, I wasn’t saying no to that. Plus, they already booked it for three whole weeks! I was going to Hawaii! Merry Christmas to me, baby! I may have shouted that as I jumped up and down on the furniture. Now, this was worth leaving my house for. I ran to my room to pack as I gave a big thanks to the universe for coming through for me.

The next two weeks were brutal. Talk about not focusing! My tutor was not happy. Well, more so than usual. I spent all my homework time researching Hawaii. That made me more excited, it distracted me from the creepy crawlies at least. Also, I thought I was due for some fun in my life. My parents, too. Finally, we were on the airplane. I just had to sit through a six-hour flight. Easy peasy, right? Two hours in and the ants were running laps. I was wiggling every which way while scratching my body. I had a lot of sympathy for dogs with fleas! As a flight attendant came by to give us snacks, my mom asked if there was something to calm me down. She said I was a nervous flyer. If you could call climbing out of my skin, nervous. He recommended Benadryl or Dramamine. The same thing. Who knew? Mom rummaged through her stuffed purse and pulled out an old beat-up package of Benadryl. Lucky us. She gave me two tablets, but eventually, it took six to take the edge off. I made it to Hawaii. Woo-hoo!

Finally, the taxi pulled up in front of the hotel. I got out and the smell of saltwater made something inside me pop. I don’t know how else to explain it. Dropping my bags, I ran like a lunatic and made a beeline for the ocean. I’d never run that fast in my life. I felt like a super-powerful magnet was pulling me. Beachgoers were screaming and shouting at me as I jumped over them, and kicked sand up in their faces. My feet hit the water, sneakers and all. I jumped through the waves, then dove in. I was swimming underwater to where? I didn’t understand, but the water felt amazing! It focused my mind. I stopped swimming and let the cool saltwater caress my body. Eyes closed and relaxing for the first time in years, I let myself sink. I swayed with the water. I’m sure I was dreaming because I felt a watery tap on my shoulder.

Opening my eyes, the shadow of a man’s face was in front of mine. Whoa! I bolted for the surface and swam. Wow, I was really far from shore. How on earth did I swim this far? I was an excellent swimmer, but this was ridiculous. As I got closer to shore, something circled my chest, panicking me. Did a shark have me? I was struggling to free myself when a blonde head surfaced in front of me. The girl told me to hang on, she would have me out in no time. I tried to tell her I was okay, but saving me was her mission now. Humiliating doesn’t come close to describing it. My head hit the sand, then a wet mouth came down on mine. Gross! That was the end of the line. I sputtered and pushed her face off mine, then rolled quickly to my feet. I did not need resuscitating. What the heck was she doing? My parents ran up and wrapped themselves around me. More humiliation. How much could a guy take? I said nothing while my parents went on and on. What were you thinking? Why did you do that? You soaked your shoes and clothes! My head was hurting.

After a shower and dressing in dry comfy clothes, we gathered for a chat. My parents were pretty freaked out. They each had a glass of wine. Boy, did I wish I could have a glass. I was underwater for a long time. They thought I had drowned. My mother cried and my father comforted her. Boy, did I feel lousy. I hugged her and apologized. Once she calmed down, I explained. My mom looked scared and my dad looked like he was having a stroke. I didn’t know his face could do that. Not pleasant! I left out the part about seeing the guy’s face. No need to scare them even more. Once they finished their wine, they were calmer. We went to dinner and talked more. My mom teared up. I took her hand, and I told my parents that I felt safe in the water, like I was part of it, and how calming it was. They could see I was different and tried really hard to understand. That’s all I could ask.

The next morning I awoke feeling better than ever. Calm and no ants. Wow! When I joined my parents for breakfast, they marveled at the new me. Heck, I amazed myself. We talked in more depth. They were still trying to make sense of everything. I just knew I felt great. After breakfast, I packed for the beach. My mother said I could go, but no water without them there. I hated lying, so I nodded yes; I was going to figure this out. For all of us. I promised to be safe. This time I casually strolled down the beach, taking in the sights and sounds. I found a less crowded spot away from the lifeguard. After applying sunscreen, I sat on my towel for a while. The pull from the water was mild for a change. It was so beautiful here. Emerald blue water, beautiful palm trees, warm sandy beach. I saw a group of surfers off in the distance. Boy, I would love to try that!

The smell of the saltwater was alluring, and the sound of the waves was comforting. It felt right. I stepped into the water and it purposely wrapped around my legs. I put my hands in and said hello. Instantly my head came up, making sure no one could hear me. The water swirled and climbed my legs, saying hello to me. Trust me, that was crazy, but I never felt so sane. I heard a whisper of my name. Maybe in my head. Okay, really weird. Feeling nervous now, I started swimming. I made sure I didn’t go too far. I was just over my head and slipped below the surface. The water was like a soft blanket enveloping my body. It felt so good and natural, like I belonged. I came nose to nose with a pretty yellow butterflyfish. Learned that in my research. I startled but got a grip and tried to enjoy the experience. We admired each other for a few minutes before it swam away.

The water swirled around me like it was happy. I swam to the sandy bottom where there were lots of colorful sea creatures. Further out in the water, I could see a coral reef with lots of activity. Something to explore on another day. Realizing that I had been underwater for longer than normal, I shot to the surface. Oddly, I didn’t feel the need for air, but I didn’t want the lifeguard saving me again. I went back under to experiment. I leaned back into the water and it formed around me like a chair. Sweet! When I swam, it pushed me along. I could form a ball of water in my hand. Geez, maybe I’m a merman.

I had a connection to the water, but how? Like it heard my question, the head appeared in front of me. Scared, I stayed still. It didn’t get too close, to my relief. The mouth opened and bubbles came out. As they neared, I heard words in my head. Is this real? I held out my hands asking, what? He spoke again. This time I heard water god. This was right out of a scene in a movie! I hung in there, just barely. Next, I heard water elemental. I pointed at me and the head nodded. He disappeared. What the heck? Excited, I shot up and started swimming for shore. The water gave me a power assist. It just about lifted me to my feet. Awesome!

Grabbing my stuff, I ran back to the hotel. My parents were out. I grabbed food and my dad’s laptop. I typed in water elemental and an image came up of people made of water. Sure, I had blue eyes, but that was it. I read the info. Okay, I had some abilities listed. Pretty cool stuff. And it explained why I didn’t need to come up for air. Why am I like this? It’s not like I got it from my parents. My brain was on overload. Maybe I’m not broken, after all. Wait until I tell my parents! I spent a few hours researching before my parents came in. My head was spinning. I’m a water elemental! It explained a lot.

I tried to contain myself as my mom and dad freshened up. I put lemonade and cookies out. My goal was not to shock them. I was pacing the room as they came into the living area. One look at me and they headed for the wine. After they took a couple of sips, I smiled and filled them in. Gigantic eyes stared at me. Trying to convince them this was good news was difficult. I went for it and told them about the watery face. Yup, they were thinking rubber room. I held up my hands and opened my dad’s laptop. They read about the sea gods and water elementals. They relaxed a little, and so did I. My dad jumped right on board and said he had relatives that were big into water sports. One was an Olympic swimmer. Ha! That’s where I got this from. My mom’s eyebrows shot up, but she was handling this well. Trying to, at least. After a lot of talking, we all relaxed and went to dinner at a fun restaurant. We needed the distraction.

The next day at the beach, my parents met my new friend, the water. Yup, definitely weird. Looking pretty skeptical, they stood in the water up to their knees. I went waist deep, but close enough for them to see. I greeted the water, and it did nothing. Oh, no. Speaking softy, I told the water that my parents wanted to say hello. It started swirling around my legs. My parents didn’t look impressed. Please… do something. Water, it seemed, was not a show-off. Lucky me. Just when my parents weren’t buying it, the water swirled faster and climbed my arms, swirling around them. I laughed and looked at my parents, who had perked up. Testing my luck, I opened a hand, palm up. Using the other hand, I made a ball of water the size of a bowling bowl. Awesome! My dad came closer, eyes wide. He was a believer. I could see it in his face. He turned and saw my mom frozen in place. He took her hand and coaxed her over. Taking my mom’s hand, I slowly put it on my arm. The water started moving up and around her arm. Looking like she was going to bolt, I held her hand in place and told her it was okay. She relaxed and started laughing. My dad joined in by holding my other arm. We were all in awe. This was going to take a while for all of us to get used to. I felt like everything would be okay though.

We decided on swimming the following day. I couldn’t wait to get back in the water. We all dove in and I swam a further out. Once again, I let myself sink down to the bottom. After having some fun with the water, the face appeared again. No, I didn’t flip out this time. I wanted information. He looked happy, if that was possible. He spoke his name to me. I was getting better at understanding because his name was Kanaloa. The water god I read about on the internet. Wow! He informed me that the more time I spent in the ocean, the better control I would have of my skills. He faded back into the water. I guessed he would be a guardian of sorts. I quickly swam to the reef. The incredible colors and diverse coral all over the area bursting with sea life were amazing. I swam right back to my parents before they called the crazy lifeguard.

Awestruck is the only word I could come up with to describe my parents. This must have been like finding out your kid’s a superhero. I sure felt like one. They treated me with reverence for a few weeks, but then we got back to normal. A new normal for us. I wasn’t a wreck anymore! We were happy for the first time in years. I’d never forgotten those weeks. Oh, the best part was, we didn’t see how it was possible to go back to Arizona. I felt like I might die if we went back. The thought gave me panic attacks. We decided on a new start. My dad’s company agreed to transfer him to the office in Hawaii. I didn’t know they had an office here. My mom worked from home, so that wasn’t a big deal. I went off the meds. Oh yeah! The thought of having friends again and the ability to get through a school day was such a relief. I may have shed a few tears. Maybe.

My dad flew home to pack our things and ship them. He put the house on the market, said bye to his co-workers, and flew back. We found a house pretty quickly and settled in. I loved the people, the culture, and of course, the ocean. Goodbye, desert air. I was doing well in school and the kids were friendly. After a few months, some surfer dudes at school asked if I wanted to join their surf team! Of course, I did! I figured with my water gift, I’d be good at it in no time. That turned out to be true. I had the time of my life. I couldn’t wait for summer break to spend all day in the water. I felt amazing. My parents too! I had never known what feeling normal was like. Let me tell you, it’s the best! Thank you, universe.