• pretty much all of my near-death stories are from drowning. the one i most prominently remember is going to a zoo. it was a hot day, and we spent a lot of time viewing the animals. after a while, we decided to cool off in the small water area. there was this tire swing, and loads of kids were trying to swim under it, so i tried too. some kid thought it would be funny to sit on the swing, and i was trapped. it was getting harder and harder to breath, my nostrils taking in the chlorinated water after a few seconds. i tried to gasp for some kind of air, and water rushed into my mouth, thankfully not my lungs. by that time, i was thrashing around in the water, arms and legs going everywhere, desperate to get some kind of air, some kind of way to free myself. i almost passed out, but a girl my age had pushed the kid off of the tire, or something like that, and had pulled it away from my head to allow me to get my head above the water. i resurfaced with a loud gasp, and spit out all the water in my mouth, the chlorine leaving a horrible after-taste i haven't forgotten to this day. i swam a few centimetres or so away from the swing, and stood up, shaken and frightened. i thanked the girl, ever-so-grateful that she had been there in time. sometimes, even now, i wonder what would've happened if that girl hadn't been there, or hadn't done anything.