THE SLEEP SWIMMER
WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER my high school was across from a historical cemetary and there was a guy in my class who could swim while he was asleep. I had just moved there so the fact that people could do things other than walk and dream in their sleep was news to me. I was also surprised to find that I was the only one introducing myself at the front of the class while everyone else knew who everybody was.
I sat down and that was the first thing they told me about. A guy in a sports jacket (to protect their identities I'll call them by what they were wearing), leaned over and tapped my desk with a pencil. “Hey, did you know that this guy over here can swim in his sleep?” Sporty pointed to someone in a seat diagonal from mine. It was a big guy in a plaid flannel.
Plaid heard them mention his name and ducked down, sort of hunched over, shy from the attention. He shot a quick acknowledging glance over his shoulder.
I didn't think they meant what they said literally. I supposed that this was probably their way of vetting the new kid so I kept my skepticism to myself and agreed to come see a demonstration later after school. I kept my face neutral, I acted like I was barely interested, bored with nothing better to do. Just real, real chill.
They snuck me into the gym after school and we went straight to the swimming pool where a small handful of them were standing around Plaid. I kept my distance in case they were planning to push me into the pool.
A guy in sweats had the bottle of sleeping pills. Whenever there's drugs involved there's trouble but Sweats assured me it wasn't anything illegal.
“It's homeopathic.” Sweats showed me the label up close, which listed melatonin, valerian, root, chamomile, whatever. “And they're vegan.”
The bottle smelled very strongly of dirt and herbs. They fed two pills to Plaid and another two pills to a guy in skinny jeans. Jeans was the 'control' of the experiment so that I'd know the pills were legit. Plaid and Jeans laid down on the ground by the pool using their bunched up hoodies as pillows. Within a half hour they were asleep.
I picked up Jeans's arm by the sleeve and dropped it. He was snoring peacefully.
Plaid seemed asleep but one of his eyes seemed open.
“He's not really asleep yet, is he?”
Sporty rolled over Plaid. His limbs flopped. His breathing was deep and sound. “That's just how he sleeps,” Sporty explained. “He always sleeps with an eye open.”
Me, Sporty, Sweats, and another kid I'll call Fleece, picked up Plaid by his shoulders and feet. Plaid was a lot heavier and denser than he looked. We gently lowered him into the pool.
Inwardly I hoped it was all a joke because I didn't want to see anyone drown. I didn't want to be an accessory to murder. I went over CPR protocol from health class in my mind as I watched his body sink to the bottom. “Okay, let's get him out.”
“Shh, he's fine,” whispered Sporty.
We crouched down on the edge of the pool and watched Plaid push up and away. He swam slowly across the bottom of the pool and then surfaced. I heard him softly inhale, exhale, and inhale. He swiped at the water ahead one arm at a time and with a slight twist of his body propelled forward with a lazy kick. It was the most relaxed sidestroke I had ever seen. His one-eyed look hadn't changed at all.
“Do we leave them like this?” I wasn't convinced Plaid was really asleep but Jeans was definitely snoring, and Plaid had already completed three laps while we were sitting there. He was a really good swimmer.
Before anyone could answer me, the gym teacher burst though the doors, “Not! Again! Get out! Get!”
We scrambled for our bags and split up for different exits so he wouldn't catch us, but he didn't give chase. I heard him dive into the pool and drag Plaid out of the water.
I left before I could get in trouble but the last thing I heard was the gym teacher slapping Plaid all over the face, “Wake up! Wake up!”