Near Death Experience.... continued

I had always possessed a special affinity for the water and envisioned myself as a Sea Captainess on a secret quest for Mermaids and other Mystical Creatures. Deep within, the Dream prevailed that one day I would encounter a Mermaid who would be so adoring of me that she would bestow me with the Gift of Transformation so that I may become a Mermaid, too, upon whispered words of enchantment.

I grabbed Charlie the Hippo and vigorously ran to the water's edge. My Mother called from behind that I need be careful as I had just consumed fried pizza topped off with a snow cone for dessert (not to mention the box of Good-n-Plenties I hid from Mommy's view!) and, as such, I still had a bit of a full tummy. Careful? Of what? I dismissed her warning. Why, this is going to be funnnnn!

Charlie and I plunged into the water and I straddled his back; taking full command of the plastic reigns and - like Queen Nefertiti presiding over the Nile - I adeptly steered us toward a more isolated area of the beach so I could initiate my explorations. Once I arrived at a distance from the shore, my Hippo collided with a rather brisk wave and began to teeter to-and-fro. In my mind, however, I had determined that Charlie was just being ornery so I spanked him mildly on the rump which only served to make him more unstable. We both toppled over into the water soon thereafter.

Panicking, I reached above my head in a futile effort to grasp onto my Hippo and pull myself upward but he simply popped out of my hand and bobbed further away from me. I flailed about for what seemed like an Eternity until I grew fatigued. Just as I finally relinquished struggling altogether due to the "headache in my tummy" (as we children would say) a larger wave - like a gaping, frothy mouth - devoured me...