November 2018 was my farewell for Grade 7. I thought that it would be the best day of my life, but it turned out to be the worst.

That year, I had only one best friend, Reuben and many people thought we were brothers. On the day of the farewell I told Reuben that we should do the same things; sleep in the same room and share the same bed, whatever we were doing we should do together.

“Sbu, you missed one thing, we should also swim in same spot.”

The first day was awesome, we had fun and we did what I told him. Then the next day we were going to the swimming pools, Reuben and I were the last to go because we were assisting teachers while others were swimming.

When we arrived we didn’t even ask where to swim. He ran, then I said

“Let’s keep our clothes here,” I said, but he didn’t heard me at all.

I followed him and he jumped in the water… I thought that I should watch him first but I remembered our promise. I came running fast and jumped in the swimming pool. While in the sky I thought to myself, why are people swimming that side while we are swimming this side? I realised that we were at a deep place!

I shouted, “Mama! Let me get out,”

The water didn’t let me out and there were no life guards. I tried getting out but nothing happened. I opened my eyes and saw three guys laughing, maybe they thought that I was joking.

A guy from school, Chuma, pulled Reuben out but he didn’t pull me because I was too far.

Then I swallowed a lot of water and I felt weak, I even lost hope that I would survive. After that I became unconscious.

While unconscious I saw a door and I knocked on it. I saw Jesus and he said, “What are you doing here? You still have to live, you can’t die now,”

A man came to save me, he pushed me to the side of the swimming pool, but I thought that he was trying to finish me off. Everyone was shocked when I was drowning. He got me out of the pool and I was shocked. I was also surprised that Reuben was out of the water.

After that day I laughed at myself, thinking about how I jumped in a deep spot of the swimming pool. Because I was foolish. So when you’re going to swimming pools, think of my story because if you don’t think, just like me, maybe you will die and not survive.

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Tell us: Have you ever had a near-death experience? What happened?