Frigid air stings my lungs as I gasp for breath. The water viciously thrashes and pulls me down to claim my life. My arms and legs won’t move on my command and I feel cold pulsing through my body. All I see is darkness, and it feels so lonely.

“Do you have everything?” my Mom asked as she hugged me goodbye.

“Yes, I do. Love you, bye.” I hugged her back, squeezing even tighter than she did. The smell of her minty hair product also bid me farewell, leaving her scent lingering in my nostrils.

My Mom hates camping. That’s why she and my father stayed home the whole week that we were gone. Camping is for the rest of my family, which includes my Grandma, two brothers, Kyle and Kevin, and my cousins, Elizabeth and Pete. We always park our old pop-up camper and pitch our tents by this rather large rock on the Bay of Vermillion Lake.

The rock is about the size of a small garage and protrudes into the vast lake. It has little baby rocks in the water surrounding it, perfect for jumping back and forth on. Our names are still visible, only covered in a light layer of dirt and moss, where we carved them in years ago among others. This rock was the best place for catching crayfish, with the exception of the two parallel docks next to the beach.

After a long first day of swimming at the beach, it was time to say goodnight. I always loved swimming because I was good at it. I had mermaid-like features; holding my breath for an insanely long time and swimming fast. I would even beat both of my older brothers in competitions. Both of my parents were pretty lucky to have such a talented daughter.

“Get dried off, and come eat!” my grandma’s voice echoed the entire sandy beach. For dinner, my grandma made her famous mashed potatoes, with pink cranberry fluff for dessert. Afterward, my brothers, cousins and I were told to get cleaned up. We all headed to the shower houses to wash off the day’s fun, and to get ready for bed. I had packed my favorite pink fluffy pajamas with purple dots. They were so thick and warm, not even a cool night could reach me.
         

On the walk back to the camper, we were all quiet; tired from the sun and the warm food in our bellies.
“Race you to the end of the dock and back” my cousin Pete challenged me.

I was not going to back down from a race, especially one against a boy. After counting down from three, we were off. We both ran on the parallel docks. Pete took the left one, and I ran on the right dock.

While running, I remembered-- this is where I lost it. It was a mood ring, shaped like a heart, and changed colors like the sky. I even paid extra to have my name stamped on the inside. While crayfish hunting, I laid the ring down next to me, safely in the middle a dock panel. I must have bumped it because I distinctly remember the noise it made when it hit the water.

Coming to a halt at the end of the dock, I turned around and saw that Pete was slightly ahead of me. Picking up my speed, I began to catch up with him while suddenly I lost my footing in one of the cracks.

The water felt so cold. A sharp jolt paralyzed me. I couldn’t move. The weight of the water in my pajamas was pulling me down. I couldn’t catch my breath. Everything started to go dark. All of a sudden, I started to rise out of the water. My cousin Pete and my brothers were struggling to pull me back up onto the dock.
        

We made our way back to the camper. The cooling night felt like a bitter winter against my wet skin. My tears were almost frozen against my cheeks. My grandma pulled me in close, her hug sending a warm wave through my entire body. She later sent me back to the shower house. I cleaned up and put a fresh pair of pajamas on.
        

A few days later my mom arrived to pick my brothers and me up. I told her about the traumatizing event and cried some more. She comforted me. I haven’t been camping since.

Although I haven't been camping since then, I learned a very important lesson that fateful day. No one is invincible. I, Sarah, the strongest swimmer in my family, needed to be rescued from drowning. This almost paradoxical event serves to illustrate two major points. First, it shows that even in our strongest and most gifted areas of life, we can all fall down at some point, needing someone to pick us back up. I should not have needed rescuing from the watery lake, but I did. Secondly, There are few illustrations that show the value of family greater than this. I literally was minutes from death and would have died had my family not been there to save me. Even though my family can drive me nuts at times, I love them and am grateful for them.

No matter where we go in life, family will always be with us.