I stared off, peering into the setting sun from across the lake. The calm water on the other side of the lake reflected the sky’s intermingling bright reds, yellows, and oranges. I loved everything about life at the lake. I gazed out to the horizon and realized that no matter how beautiful the sky looked, now was not the time to admire the sunset.

“Hey,” someone shouted, “could you grab these skis for me?”

I looked down into the water below me. All of a sudden, the once calm water splashed in all directions as a ski glided across the surface of the lake. Just as the ski was about to make contact with the side of the boat, I reached down and lifted it out from the water. Which skis should I choose? I pondered the question in deep thought. The Floater – a pontoon boat with the sides and seats removed – was completely filled with skis. Heart racing, I sifted through the skis, struggling to find a pair that fit me. I spotted the tip of a purple ski poking out from under a huge pyramid of skis. I heaved the one foot-wide wooden ski up from the bottom of the pile. I knew that these were used mainly for the pyramid that had come a little earlier in the show. I was puzzled, it seemed impossible to ski with a pair of these skis. They looked too heavy to float!

“Kid’s ski line is next,” a distant voice hollered.

I rushed to plop my skis next to my friend Aggie. The skis I had chosen were a dark shade of purple and white, and they with so tattered that the bindings barely fit my feet. I couldn’t change the size easily because one of the skis was broken. No one else used these skis because they to gift any wearer with blisters on their feet.

My hands  were trembling as I dunked my ski bindings into the lake. Waves tossed and turned  as I tried to squeeze my feet inside the skis. I felt like an elephant balancing on a ball, desperately trying not to fall down while squeezing my feet inside the pockets. I couldn’t help but feel like I was forgetting something.

“Right ski…left ski,” someone yelled out as we sank to the edge of the boat.

After I sat down, I suddenly realized what I had forgot: my rope.

Panicking, I anxiously turned around to my sister and asked, “Hey, Maddie, could you get a rope for me?”

“You know you need to get that yourself,” she scolded.

“I know, but I forgot,” I responded in a panic.

“Ohh, fine,’’ she huffed.

She returned a minute later and dropped a neon green rope with a black handle into my lap. The coils sat in a perfect formation in my hand as I untied the loop and handed it to the boat driver. Six other ropes were secured to the same spot on the boat deck.. The ropes were gradually tangled, and, of course, they all sat resting on the tops of my skis.

I let the coil fall out of my hand as the boat traveled farther and farther away from the shore. My heart was racing. What if I couldn’t do this? I thought. I looked to my right, and I saw my friends Aggie and Katherine preparing for their launch. They smiled over at me. Even though no words were spoken between us, their nods of reassurement were enough to steady my nerves. We made eye contact signaling the mutual thought, Let’s do this

I scooted to the very edge of the skis. I tried to make my legs as stiff and strong as possible. I threw out my last few coils and pulled my rope up to the height of my hips.

Suddenly, the  rope pulled tight and my body surged forward. Did I go through all of this trouble just to flop in the water? I squeezed my core in tight, trying with my best efforts to keep my skis in front of me. To my surprize, I glided smoothly off my resting place on the dock and onto the water!

I did it! I thought. After all the times I previously ended up crashing down into the water, I had finally stayed upright, and I could not contain the smile spreading from ear to ear.

The next thing I knew, my time on the skis was over. I gracefully slid into the cool water after I let go of the handle. I was engulfed by the refreshing lake. Then, I rose up from underneath the surface like a bobber, and I slowly started to remove my skis strapped to my feet. They floated above the water, and I released all of my anxiety. Alright, I thought, Now I can sit back and relax.