The elms and birch grow right to the edge of the water-filled quarry, their roots reaching down with granite-like fingers.

On sunny summer days, Jenny and Sarah can just barely see the dark shadowy pillars of abandoned machinery sitting silently on the bottom. Huge cranes and massive backhoes lie discarded and rusting in the black depths, an elephant's graveyard of steel and vulcanized rubber.

Jenny and Sarah undress next to a flat granite shelf, taking care to fold their dresses and shirts on the limbs of low-hanging trees. They've ridden their bikes down the dirt access road under a hot sun, and they shiver slightly as the perspiration dries on their bodies. Sarah's shirt sticks to a small patch of sweat on her back, and she has to peel the shirt away. Jenny watches her, the corner of her mouth turned down. Jenny moves gracefully as she disrobes, balancing carefully on her foot as she lifts her skirt away from herself to fold it.

They talk about school, which is to say, life. As she lowers her thin leg into the water, Sarah mentions she got an A in her science class. Her teeth are clenched in comic exaggeration as the chill of the water hits her. "Oh," Jenny answers, "you said you thought you were going to get a B." Sarah shrugs.

The rock handholds have become familiar to them now, and their delicate hands find easy purchase. They slowly submerge their naked bodies into the water and sigh in delight. "Scott," Jenny says as she kicks off into the water, away from the granite wall, "he called me last night." Jenny giggles after she says this and turns away from Sarah. "You!" Sarah yells with a smile, "you have to tell me everything!" The word is drawn out as if any missing detail would be disastrous. Instead Jenny swims further out, her back turned to Sarah.

Sarah sweeps her hand across the water, pushing the leaves and twigs away. She pushes away from the wall, her arms and legs kicking anxiously to reach Jenny. "Well?" she says, "what did you talk about?" Jenny floats on her back, her arms stretched above her toward the middle of the quarry.

They talk about Scott, and Jenny giggles often. Sarah asks many questions, smiling little. Eventually, Jenny tells Sarah that Scott asked her out. "Oh," Sarah responds, "that's great." She dunks her head under and closes her eyes. An hour goes by; they say little to each other. Jenny smiles at the sky and splashes around a lot. She starts to sing a popular song, but stops when she realizes she can't remember the words. Sarah dives under and swims deep. She can see the shapes in the murky depths and squints to see further. The bright sun casts Jenny's shadow over Sarah.

Jenny is still floating on her back when Sarah's head breaks the water. "I bet I can swim deeper."

"What?" Jenny turns her head and looks at Sarah.

"I said, I bet I can swim deeper."

"Sarah, you know I'm a better swimmer than you."

"We'll see."

Jenny flips her wet hair back, the water running down her cheeks. "Okay," Jenny kicks hard, circling Sarah, "You first."

Sarah takes a deep breath and ducks under. She forces her head down and pushes down with her thin arms. She can see the top of a crane through the gloomy waters, and her legs kick to reach it. It's easy-going at first, and she smiles, sinking into the darkness. As she travels further down, the pressure starts to build on her chest and ears. Still, she continues to kick. The light is getting dimmer now, the water becoming much colder. She feels it first in her fingers and nose and the chill quickly spreads through her body. She's closer to the crane, but her lungs are burning. There's very little light.

The crane is only a few feet away; she's close enough to see the flakes of rust, peeling off iron chains, but she knows she can't reach it.

Frantically, she turns around. Jenny is just a small shape floating above her. A trickle of bubbles escapes her mouth. She's pulling against the water now, her legs thrashing to reach the surface. She wants to cry out, but more air leaves her, huge bubbles rushing upwards. Jenny's leg is only a few feet away, swaying gently back and forth in a slow scissor kick. The pain is too much and she inhales water as she breaks the surface. The sun blinds her as her head comes up. She gulps in air and coughs, a wet throaty noise.

"Oh, my god, Sarah, are you all right?" Jenny's face contorts with each cough Sarah chokes out. Sarah says nothing. She simply floats, catching her breath.

"I . . . " Sarah closes her eyes, "I touched the crane. The top of the crane."

Jenny lowers her head into the water and peers down. Her eyes go wide. Slowly she lifts her head back out of the water. "Oh," she says, "I guess it's my turn."

"It's . . . " Sarah starts to say.

"What?" Jenny says staring down into the quarry, her breath shallow.

"Nothing," Sarah says. "The crane. You have to touch the crane."

Jenny glares briefly at Sarah, but Sarah has looked away. She's looking at the trees as they rustle and shake from the afternoon breeze. The sun has lit their tops in a warm glow. Jenny gulps as she sticks her head under the water. Sarah can feel the tiny current as she kicks down towards the bottom of the quarry, her naked body slowly sinking into the darkness.

Sarah floats quietly, her tears disappearing as they drop slowly into the water.

© 1999 Harvard Summer School. Comments.
Last modified Fri, Jan 21, 2000.
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