Silence

The beach ball skimmed along the top of the clear, warm water.
“Get that!” the chubby, red-headed boy shrieked, as he flailed his arms and splashed the water into Sandra’s face, racing for the weightless ball bobbing in the water. Sandra swirled around, her wet hair slapping her cheek, her toes lifting up from the bottom of the pool. She flopped herself back, floating into the safety of the shallow end. The summer air was still and stifling and the earsplitting screams of the children echoed in her young ears as she squinted to see where they were coming from.
Her baby sister was having a screaming contest with the neighborhood children while their mothers blabbered to each other. Sandra, a soft-spoken, mellow child felt the madness envelop her. Her muscles tensed up and she longed to be alone. Another toy flew past her face hitting the cement on the side of the pool with a loud thud.
Sandra drifted over into the deep end, squeezed her eyes shut and used her arms to force her lithe body under the water. She opened her eyes and let her arms and legs whirl to keep herself down. She succumbed to relaxation. Her heart beat thudded in her ears. Bodies moved in slow motion and sunlight danced in the water. Her thick, dark hair billowed out around her; she tried to touch it, but it was so soft it slipped through her fingers. Time stood still. The need for air was increasing. Her heart rate sped up. The joy in solitude was fast being replaced by her need to breathe. She was reluctant, and slid back up to the chaos.