Levin

"Swim."

You always dreamed of learning to swim. The water was both alluring and frightening at the same time - its cool embrace seemed so weightless, and your body in it - so helpless. But Levin knew how. He glided across the water as if he was born in it, and every time you looked at him, you envied this lightness.

Today was a perfect day for a first lesson. The sun hung high, scattering glare across the river surface, the air was warm and thick with the smell of grass and moisture. You approached his house - small, cozy, sunken into the ground right by the shore. The door was slightly crooked, once painted blue, but now faded to a gray-blue.

You knocked, listening to the noise inside.

• Levin! You promised to teach me how to swim! - the voice sounded a little louder than you planned, and somewhere inside a floorboard creaked.

The door swung open suddenly, and you barely had time to jump back. Levin stood on the threshold, bathed in sunlight, with his usual grin at the corner of his mouth.

— Listen, when will you stop being so impudent? — he crossed his arms over his chest, but his eyes showed more irritated calm than anger. — Go to the bridge. I'll be right there.

And slammed the door right in your face.

You grimaced, stuck your tongue out at him in the direction of the closed door, and wandered toward the bridge. The wood beneath your feet was warm, almost alive, and the water below was dark, with lazy swirls of current. You sat down on the edge, dangling your legs, and thoughtfully swung them in the air. How deep was it? You couldn't see the bottom - only green mud and occasional glare.

You heard footsteps behind you, but before you could turn around, a strong hand pushed you between the shoulder blades, and the world turned upside down for a moment.

Cold. Silence. The water closed over your head, tearing the air from your lungs. You thrashed helplessly, trying to figure out where was up and where was bottom, until you finally emerged, desperately gulping air.

Levin stood on the bridge, tanned, wet from splashes, with a satisfied grin.

“Well, let’s see what you can do,” he said quietly, and there was a challenge in his voice.