Black Water
When I was six, I almost drowned. I was fooling around in the lake by myself. I drifted deeper from the beach, and my feet stuck in the mud. Suddenly, everything was black around me. I still remember the view above when I sank into the dark depths. The black water glittered magically with golden sparks when the sunlight hit the shiny surface. It looked as if someone had thrown diamond dust up there.
I watched that miracle with a weird, unconfident grin. Everything seemed strangely beautiful and safe. Then, a moment of silence and the feeling of cold water on the skin. I fell deeper. I swallowed water. The heavy mud seemed to have a will of its own. It had a grip on my legs that was stronger than me. I thought I was going to disappear into the dark coldness.
Suddenly, my mother's strong arms grabbed me and pulled me toward the surface. She had run from the beach with her clothes on to the water. I can't remember if I was crying because I was so upset and now safe or because she pulled me out of that fascinating place so soon.
-
This series is my first underwater photography study. It is also a study for another underwater project that I started in 2021 and is still ongoing. This series was made on one take in 2021.
First published in 2022.