 | The Pool - Short Story based upon a Dream
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural "I think I need to eat more..." the skinny girl said. The fat man next to her interrupts, "Don't be silly, you eat all the time. You're always eating potato chips." "No!" she says, "I need to eat a more nutritionally balanced diet. More vitamins"
The skinny girl lies on a gray towel. She's in a bikini that's barely there. It's some sort of light color - perhaps a gray, or light blue. Perhaps even white. She is thin, she does not have a shape to her. There is no definition in her body, no muscle, no curves, her skin serves as a blanket for her skeleton. Her hair is bland and long. Her breasts sit high on her chest and look a bit out of proportion to her small frame. Her hair is in a messy pony tail and her face is a quarter of the way hidden by her large sunglasses with a white frame.
I chime in as I can't resist sharing my knowledge of healthy living habits. "Drink Vitamin Water," I tell her."I have plenty in my room." I carry on about antioxidants. She fakes an interest. She turns over on her towel.I get frustrated with her, I want to point out that her lack of gratitude is not welcomed here, and that perhaps she should go away from here. It's not worth it, besides, I don't even know where "here" is.
It's overcast.
I'm in the pool. The fat man is with me. An elderly couple is in charge of maintaining the pool's cleanliness. The elderly man leans down to speak but I don't know what he's saying. He suddenly becomes clear, "don't be startled," he says. I can't imagine why I would be? It's only an old man! He takes the net to the pool, as if he's compulsively clearing out insects that do not exist.
I grab a floating sphere of foam that many just refer to as a "noodle" because who the hell knows their real name. What is this product? Who thought of this product? Well, whomever did, they are a genius! This thing is so multifunctional! You can drape your arms over it and just float, you can sit on it, you can put it between your legs like a carousel horse and float to all corners of the pool. It's even a good gag tool. The "noodle" is a thick almost solid, foam - noodle. Except for a hollowed out center. Think of it as a penis, if only a penis had two holes. This can be used to blow a good amount of water into your mates face - which makes for an easy laugh. Some have even said if you could blow hard enough, it could possibly propel you to the other side of the pool.
But I am in no mood for shenanigans with the fat man today. I use the noodle as a reclining floating device. I place it between my legs and recline back allowing it to support my head out of water. I float. I look at the overcast sky and feel a bit of a chill, wishing the sun would peek out from behind the fluffy gray blanket. At this point I wished for a blanket. A soft one, a fluffy one. One to shield me from the cool breeze. I sink down a little further into the water, using that as the only available substitute.
The skinny girl is humoring the old man. She is lying on her back, while propping herself up on her elbows. Her left leg is bent at the knee and she gazes over he sunglasses while the old man talks about his wife, and the community pool they've owned for so long. The old main is small, but seems to be in fairly good shape. His pants are dark, and his shirt is light. I can not make out the colors. He talks about his wife and his pool as if they are the same person. He lights up in conversation. The skinny one smiles.
The fat man stands at the shallow end of the pool, his arms outstretched on the concrete. He is looking at me, saying something, but his lips are only moving, no sound is coming out. I look at him, I dissect him. Why has he let himself get to that point. Why doesn't he do something about his male mammary glands. Really. They are bigger than mine, and he really puts skinny to shame, even with her perfect breasts that could only be manufactured in an OR. His midsection is large, and his chest and arms are hairy. His shoulder-length curly hair is dark, only I can't make out if it is brown or black. He is sweating even though it's rather cool. I can not stop myself from thinking about all the hair that may be detaching themselves from the follicles and floating in the water. MY water, MY blanket. I am sick.
He continues to talk and I continue to wonder what he could possibly be saying. I can tell this behavior is tiring to him, as he pauses frequently to take a breath. He reaches back digging into something I cannot see, from this mystery container, he pulls out a hot dog and starts to eat it. Ketchup falls into the water.The fat man eats very fast, saliva drips from the corners of his mouth into the clear water that has provided me with warmth and comfort. I feel myself growing more disgusted by the second so I sit up from my recline. I am annoyed by this. I was very relaxed and this fat man ruined it.
With the noodle still between my legs, I paddle myself over to the old man and the skinny girl. I politely excuse myself into the conversation. I ask the old man to kindly explain to me the methods by which he keeps his pool sanitary for public use. He chuckles. As he chuckles he leans back as if he had a big gut on his body in which to support. I can hear him, "Oh my dear, you need not worry," he smiles, "I have put in years of work into concocting the perfect mix of materials to rid the pool of any dangerous impurities that may exist and threaten our peaceful retreat." His smile and confidence comforts me slightly. "Please tell me more, I feel terribly uncomfortable with the fat man and need to be pacified by the knowledge that as much effort is put into this pool to keep it clean as effort I put into myself to keep clean," I begged.
The old man kneels down to my level. "My dear," he says again, "Why do you cause yourself so much anguish?" I take a breath, "this is not anguish! I am merely concerned about sanitation, and would like to be assured that my concerns are wrongly founded." Inside, I feel annoyed. I feel that I have the right to stir the pot, the fat man must be stopped. The old man talks some more, and I can't hear him. I try so hard to hear what he's saying. Frustrated by this, I look down into the water. I see something!
All around me are what I can only describe as some kind of substance that has the appearance of a disintegrating pearl. Whatever this material is, it is coming from the bottom of the pool. It starts to disintegrate and break apart even more as it reaches the surface. My only description of the final product here would be one that is rather foul. This substance, this white thick liquid is rushing up to the surface and strongly resembles semen. I try to get away, I swim to another spot in the pool, opposite the fat man. It is everywhere!
Suddenly the old man becomes clear again. "It will rid the water of all impurities, my dear." He says this with a grin, a large, eerie grin.
For the first time I see in color. I paddle myself towards the fat man to escape the bright green that is coming from the deep end of the pool. I start to panic. The green is overpowering and creates a slight pull, pulling me towards it. A fog raises from the water engulfing me. My lungs are closing, my breath is growing quick and shallow. I gasp and gasp and gasp for air. I quickly paddle towards the fat man but get no where. The fat man laughs. He laughs at my demise as crumbs fall out of his mouth. He smiles at my doomed fate. I gasp for air.
As the fog grows thicker it continues to squeeze my lungs. They are closing. My breath is quick, hard, and staggered. The skinny girl backs away from the pool with fear.
As I draw my last breaths I see the old man standing over me. He has a grimace on his face and I recall what he told me. As the last breath left my lungs the scenery grew darker and darker. The fog has taken me, the old man has rid his pool of all impurities. That impurity was me. |
rejected 
contemplative 
amused 
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