publication - Jumblies Theatre

MarianMy father didn’t let me go near the water. It is toodangerous. I never learned to swim.TommyMy friend and I wanted to go to Centre Island but we only hadenough money for one fare on the ferry. So I jumped into LakeOntario and swam there; my friend jumped in and followed me.It was three miles! When we got to the docks it was too high toclimb so we swam to the beach. We were exhausted.MargaretIn Jamaica, there was the ocean. My friend and I didn’t knowhow to swim. I was about nine years old. Someone told us toget some empty coconuts to place under our armpits and wewould be able to float. There were lots of coconut trees onthe beach. We got the empty coconuts and put them underour armpits and went to the ocean. Every time a wave camewe floated further out to sea, until we found ourselves in themiddle of the ocean. We were terrified. Luckily there were twoswimmers out there on their way back. They were too tired tocarry us back, but they swam to get help. Thank God, or wewould have drowned!KowcilliaMy house back home was surrounded by water. We had afarm and grew vegetables like cassavas and eggplants. Therewas no hose and so the easiest way is to build the house on thewater and scoop water and throw it on the vegetables. It wasthe land of mango and coconut trees and I remember the windblowing through the palm trees. There was even an alligatorthat came up in the night below our house. We went out tosee what the noise was about and there it was; it rose up andslapped down onto the water. My daughter took a snapshotof it.