A Shark in the pool

“There are no sharks in pools!” Anna shouted, “you’re just being dumb!” proceeded by sticking her tongue out at me and running away. Shaking my head in defeat wondering why no one would believe me. I know I saw it; I just KNOW it was real! I told my mom immediately and she just laughed and said I have an active imagination. It’s not like I’m a kid anymore, I’ve been 12 for 3 months now! When I told Dad, he shook his head at me and said sharks can’t live in pools. That the chlorine would kill them. Even Grandma with all her wisdom and understanding didn’t believe me! What was I supposed to do, just stop talking about it to everyone? It really happened! I remember it like it was yesterday, mostly because it was yesterday. But SOMEONE should believe me!

There I was sitting at the pool, relaxing... ok I was doing cannonballs to splash my sister, but she can be such an annoying baby. Like ALL the time! I was just trying to get her to leave me alone. When she finally ran off to go home and tell mom, that’s when it happened. There was no one else at the pool, just me and the pool. It was so awesome. As I got out to jump back in again, I heard a sound. Like a tear and a splash in the water. But I was by myself, so I was frustrated as I turned to tell whoever it was to leave. That I wanted the pool to myself! Then I saw it! It was real I tell you, really and truly real! It was a shark! Just swimming away in the pool, and no one else was there. No one could have snuck in and dropped the shark in the pool that fast. It had to have come from somewhere. But where?

It was swimming around in circles, then dove down and jumped out of the water in my direction. I jumped back and fell on the ground scraping my elbows. I was so scared, and my elbows hurt bad, so when I looked at them and back up to see where the shark was. I didn’t notice it had disappeared, or more importantly where it disappeared to. But it was gone, and I had scrapes on my elbows, and I was bleeding. So, I ran home super-fast to tell mom. She was mad at me for playing around the pool, saying that she’s told me a million times not to horse around or I would get hurt. When I tried to explain I wasn’t and that a shark jumped out of the pool out at me, she just laughed and said, “At least you have an active imagination.”

Going through the motions of telling my parents, and Grandma, that lives with us. Even my sister who at the age of 6, didn’t even believe me. I realized no one here would. That’s when I knew my best friend Anna would believe me. So, I got on the computer that night to research what type of shark it was. After research, I learned it was a Salmon Shark. Armed with knowledge and ready to tell my best friend I went to bed.

As soon as I could go to Anna’s house I did. She was excited to talk to me about how she got accepted into the summer camp she had been dying to go to for 3 years now. I was so happy for her, I almost forgot about what happened. Then she asked what I did yesterday. I got through the whole story and that’s when she broke my heart. How can my best friend, since I was born, not believe me?! How was this even possible? I have NEVER even lied to her once, ok... maybe once, but that’s all. Why wouldn’t she believe me?

Naturally, I ask just that. “How can you not believe me, you're my best friend?!” Her reply of, “Uh, because sharks can’t survive in pools, duh! And where would it have gone; how did it get there?” I didn’t know those answers. So, my reply was just, “I’ don’t know, but I am going to find out!” “To hell with everyone that doesn’t believe me, I will prove you all wrong!” and I stormed home. Slamming my bedroom door in the process, which got me grounded. Guessing all I could do is research until I make it back to the pool to inspect it, I sat down at my computer for 7 days doing shark research.

I learned that a shark could survive up to 24 hours in a pool. Someone could have thrown it in when I was climbing out, I just couldn't figure out how it got back out. My imagination started to take flight, when it jumped out at me could it have flown? But no amount of research proved that theory either. I even got to wondering if maybe I really did just imagine the whole thing but the end of my 7-day grounding. Finally, I was un-grounded and back to the pool.

Hanging out with Anna, even though she thought I was crazy. She kept making shark jokes, and I admit I was jumpy being back at the pool. But Dad always said to “Face your fears.” Soon the pool cleared, and it was just Anna and me laughing and splashing. We were at the edge of the pool counting to 3 to jump in when I heard it again. The same sound, like a tear then, a splash. This time, we both saw it. This time we both know how it happened, and where it came from. We both jumped back away from the edge at the same time. Anna turned to me and said, “I will never doubt you again.”

The shark had torn itself off from the cement wall of the pool. There was literally a shark size hole in the pool wall! It had peeled itself off from the wall and started swimming in a circle just like before. It saw me and my friend and SMILED at us. Now during my grounding, I researched sharks a lot, and I KNOW sharks can’t smile. But this one did and then it blinked and swam right back into the wall making the pool solid again. Neither I nor Anna had mentioned it to anyone. What would be the point? No one would believe us. Ever since then, she and I go back every year to see if the shark will come out of the wall again, and every year it doesn’t happen. Perhaps when we are old and gray it might appear to us once more. But neither of us have trusted swimming pools again unless there are tons of people there.