As the feeling of utter helplessness covers me, I begin to feel a primal calm. The calm does feel familiar, but still ancient, as though it has been missing for as long as I can remember.
It is the thick scented air of a Georgia sea island evening.
The smell of jasmine as I swim quietly in the dark, with the bats skimming the water's surface alongside me.
I am just swimming.
Nothing is required except for me to breathe slowly and move my arms and legs through the water. The bats speak to each other but not to me.
I am someone else. I am alone, but I do not feel solitary. I relax into what is in front of me. It is enough just to swim.
