A Leap into the Lake

"It looks very deep," Xuxian said apprehensively, as he stared down at the river bank.

The river lay still and peaceful before them, just the slightest folding of the water, like a fine lady's silk robe rippling in the breeze. Its gray-blue depths shifted with emerald shadows and an occasional silver gleam as a ray of sunlight lit up a passing fish.

"Oh, it has to be deep, you know. If it's too shallow it is impossible for one to really swim." Bai said reassuringly. She hesitated. She had never gone swimming in her human form before, though the water was her natural element. She was not sure how humans swam, but she was confident she could manage to teach Xuxian how to stay afloat, at least.

"Do I--" Xuxian flushed. "Do I take off my tunic?"

Taken by surprise, Bai wondered why he would mention that out of the blue. To her, there was no relation between swimming and shedding one's clothes. Why should there be, for a snake?

There was an awkward silence.

"Do you want to?" she said inquiringly. "Are you hot?" she asked, on second thought.

"I--I simply thought that was how one went about swimming," stammered Xuxian, crimson. "I had no other meaning--"

"Oh, then it's alright." she said lightly. "You don't have to. Now, it's really very easy. You just need to follow me. Don't worry," coming up to him and looking earnestly into his eyes. "I will take care of you, Xuxian. I'm very good at swimming, so you don't need to be afraid."

He smiled. "I trust you," he said, and her voice saying those same words echoed in his memory.

She beamed at him in reply, and then without warning turned and flung herself off the bank in an exuberant leap.

Xuxian started forward with a gasp. For a moment she was in the air, and the next, completing a smooth arc, she had dived into the water, piercing through the surface like an arrow.

"Miss Bai!" He watched anxiously from the bank, trying to see her beneath the water.

A sleek dark head emerged, the water glistening on her hair and shoulders; and Bai looked up at him, laughing. "Come on!"

She beckoned gaily to him.

Xuxian faltered only for a moment. He took a deep breath, heart racing, and sprang off the bank in a running jump.

As he hit the water, Bai dove under and swam rapidly over where he floundered. She came up quickly, supporting him in her arms, as Xuxian gasped and spluttered.

Blinking the water from his eyes, and panting for air, Xuxian opened his eyes to see her face inches from his. His feet could not find bottom, but her grasp under his arms was reassuringly firm.

"That was an admirable jump! Doesn't it feel lovely?" she said brightly. "Now, try using your legs to keep yourself afloat--don't worry, I have you in my arms; I will hold you up if you sink!"

He clung to her, nervously, as he sank in the water; Suzhen tightened her hold on him, careful to keep his head above water. "Just rest your chin on my shoulder," she said encouragingly. "And concentrate on your legs. Can you feel yourself being buoyed up?"

"I'm trying," Xuxian said breathlessly. Her neck was cool and smooth against his cheek as he hung on to her. The lake seemed bottomless and vast; his legs flailed uselessly in the water. Panic tugged at him, threatening to overwhelm him; but her strong embrace kept him from giving way to the fear.

Seeing how he was struggling, Suzhen had an idea. She let go of him with one hand, long enough to send a strong stream of energy towards the bottom of the lake, drawing a current up under the surface. It swirled around them, then came up under them and carried Xuxian upwards.

"There. Try using your legs and arms together," she said, shifting behind him so she was holding onto him from the back. Xuxian tried again, floundering clumsily in the water, while Suzhen guided his movements. "That's it, you're getting it!"

Gradually, he felt himself staying above the surface with less of her support, treading water awkwardly but effectively with his legs. The current swirled around him, rising to push him up whenever he threatened to sink under the surface.

Suzhen gradually released her hold under his arms and let go of him, careful to keep the current beneath him. "See! You can keep yourself afloat already!"

"It's easier now, but earlier on it felt impossible." Xuxian said breathlessly, bobbing up and down comically and flailing his arms.

Suzhen dove down and experimented rapidly underwater, then surfaced again. "Now, try using your arms to move yourself forward. Push them backwards, like the wings of a bird. Keep your legs going."

She swam over and corrected his arms. "Yes, like that. Now, take a deep breath and hold it. You're going to go underwater and try to push yourself up to the surface using your arms."

Putting her hand on his head, she pushed him matter-of-factly under the water. A cloud of bubbles rose to the surface as Xuxian opened his mouth in alarm, and immediately swallowed a bellyful of lake water.

Watching to see when he would rise again to the surface, Suzhen looked alarmed as she saw the bubbles. With a quick motion, she fished him back up, and Xuxian clung to her gasping. "You mustn't open your mouth, silly, or the water will go in. You're not a fish. Keep your mouth closed and use your arms to push downwards. Hold your breath until you come up to the surface. Let's try again." she said encouragingly.

"Wait--" he panted hurriedly, as she was about to push him under again. "Let me rest for a while. I'll try again after that."

Coughing, he leaned against her, red-eyed, and laughed shakily as she looked at him with concerned eyes. "I'm alright. I just swallowed more lake water than I would have liked to."

He felt how effortlessly she was holding him up in the water and relaxed in her grasp, content to float encircled by her arms. In the absence of his splashing, they could hear the birds faintly, and the rustle of the wind in the reeds by the bank.

She smiled back at him. "You're a good student."

"Of course, I'm in love with my teacher," he murmured, and they laughed as they looked at each other.