Marv and the Pool of Peril

A letter from the author Alex Falase-Koya;

When I was around eight years old, I took a trip to France with my cousins and my uncle and aunty. We went to the beach. The first thing I wanted to do when I got there was go into the water, so I did. We clung onto this big inflatable and drifted out into the sea; everything was totally fine until I realized that I couldn't touch the ground with my feet. ThE PaNIC hit me, my heart began to beat so fast, and all I wanted to do was to get out of the water. Nothing bad happened to me, but since then, one thing I've always feared is being in water so deep that my feet can't touch the ground. Swimming was completely out of the question, and for almost twenty years of my life, it stayed like that.

My partner, Martha, loved swimming, though. It was one of her favourite things to do, so, of course, she wanted to share that with me. She kept asking if I wanted to learn to swim. I'd always say yes but never planned to do it. Until one day, I decided to be brave and go. I booked a swimming lesson. I was planning to only go once, to get Martha off my back. But when I went, I realized that I really liked swimming. I didn’t want ThE PaNIC to hold me back anymore. So, I took another lesson, and then another, and before I knew it, I could swim. ThE PaNIC wasn't gone completely, but new stronger feelings, a love of swimming and the support of people around me brought me to the pool and kept me coming back. In the story you’re about to read, Marvin has the same fear of the water as me, and like me, he avoids getting into the pool for as long as possible. Until a moment comes where he just can’t avoid it any longer. He needs to plunge into the pool and face ThE PaNIC, even though it scares him—and that's what bravery is all about, finding courage when you’re feeling afraid.

So, if ThE PaNIC has been holding you back from trying something new, I hope this MARV story inspires you to find the courage to give it a try. Alex