LAERSKOOL DONKERWATER | DONKERWATER PRIMARY

Gebasseer op ‘n nagmerrie in my Gr. 6 jaar.

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/369013763208110152/

“Gisteraand, omstreeks 8:45, is ‘n gr. 6 meisie van Laerskool Donkerwater dood in die skool se swembad aangetref. Volgens ‘n polisiewoordvoerder op die toneel word daar geen vuilspel vermoed nie.”

____________

Konstante oorverdowende fluitjies wat tydens sportperiode die gebou met skrilheid vul. Nat voete wat rondhardloop, onderwysers wat luidrugtig opdragte uitgil en water wat klots teen die randte van die groot swembad in Laerskool Donkerwater se gimnasium. Midde al die beweging en aksie sit ‘n klein gr. 6 dogtertjie in stilte voor haar en uitstaar, haar voetjies skop liggies heen en weer terwyl sy op die rand van die groot swembad sit. Haar groen ogies spreek van kommer en staar net in die verte voor haar uit.

Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt! Skreeu ‘n fluitjie reg langs haar. Die klein dogtertjie wip amper die water in soos sy skrik.

“Alweer nie vandag in die water geklim nie, Isadora?” bulder die sportjuffrou agter haar.

Die juffrou pas perfek in die stereotipiese prentjie van ‘n L.O.-onnie. Haar manlike bou en diep stem spreek van vroeë jare se inspuitings in die hoop om ‘n SA-gewigstootkampioen te word, maar net soos meeste voor haar moes sy, maar settle vir skoolhou toe een of ander sogenaamde “bladbesering” haar droom in sy spore stuit.

“Ek probeer, Juffrou Bekker,” piep die klein stemmetjie.

Sy tel vinnig haar handdoek op en hardloop kleedkamer toe voor Juf. Bekker weer vir haar begin preek oor die voordele van fisiese oefeninge.

Niemand verstaan haar vrees nie. Sy het hulle al hoeveel keer verduidelik. Haar ma skud net haar kop en maak nog ‘n afspraak by Dr. Dietrich. Haar pa lag, want “dankie tog, die kind is nie ‘n bleddie seun nie”. Die kinders by die skool noem haar “Isa-dom-ra”. Juf. Bekker dink sy’s ‘n pansy en die skoolhoof glo sy het verseker as kind een of ander trauma ervaar en loop onwetend met breinskade rond.

Hoe sien niemand van hulle wat sy sien nie? Is sy regtig mal? Sy het al hoeveel keer haar oë styf toegeknyp in die hoop dat hulle sal verdwyn, maar sodra sy haar oë oopmaak sit hulle daar…reg oorkant haar…op die rand van die swembad…smalend.

___________

Die aand droom sy weer. Sy sit op die rand van die skool se swembad. Alles is rooi. Amper asof jy deur daardie deurskynende Quality Street sjokoladepapiertjies na ‘n vertrek loer. Sy sit soos vroeër die dag en skop rustig haar voetjies in die donker rooi water. Langs haar sit twee meisies. Een blond en een brunette. Hulle lag uit hul mae terwyl hulle vir haar kyk. Dit laat haar voel asof hulle miskien haar maatjies is.

Skielik sien sy oë in die rooi water. Die oë kom nader en nader totdat hulle saam met ‘n bos rooi hare bo die water verskyn. Die meisies langs haar hou dadelik op met lag en kyk altwee stip na haar.

“Gaan swem saam met haar, Isadora,” sê hulle.

“Ek wil nie,” probeer sy sê, maar voor sy kan keer gryp die rooikop haar voete vas en pluk haar in die swembad in. Sy probeer gil, maar net borrels kom uit en al wat sy sien, vanuit ‘n onderwaterbeeld, is die ander twee meisies wat histeries lag terwyl sy dieper en dieper die water ingetrek word.

Isadora skrik wakker met sweet wat oral teen haar gesig en lyf af pêrel. Sy is so nat soos een wat sopas geswem het. Sy sit regop in haar bed en probeer om weer normaal asem te haal. Sy wéét dis nie net ‘n droom nie. Sy was daar, in die gimnasium, in die water. Sy weet dit net! Hulle was daar. Hulle wag vir haar. Hulle wil hê sy moet in die water klim. Hulle wil hê sy moet hul maatjie wees, maar sy wíl nie!

___________

Die volgende dag lui die klok weer vir sportperiode. Isadora loop saam met die res van die Gr.6-meisies na die kleedkamers om hul swembroeke aan te trek. Hulle moet verby die swembad stap om by die kleedkamers uit te kom. Isadora loop met haar kop wat hang na onder, maar uit die hoek van haar oog sien sy reeds die drie van hulle op die rand van die swembad met hulle voetjies in die water. Hierdie keer sit hulle nie net nie, maar hulle waai vir haar. Hulle is bly om haar vandag te sien. Die blondine, die brunette en die rooikop.

Voor sy haarself kan keer gil sy kliphard: “WAT WIL JULLE VAN MY HÊ?????”

Al die Gr.6-meisies ruk tot stilstand en kyk na haar. Toe sy weer in die rigting van die swembad kyk verdwyn die laaste krul rooi hare in die water. Sy voel hoe Juf. Bekker haar aan die arm gryp en in die rigting van die hoof se kantoor sleep.

“Hulle was daar! Hoe sien julle hulle nie? Hulle was nét daar! Op die rand van die swembad!” probeer sy aan Juf. Bekker verduidelik.

___________

Dis 8h die aand. Sy lê in haar bed en hoor hoe haar ma en pa in die kombuis op mekaar gil. Dit gaan natuurlik oor haar. Hulle is beide moedeloos. Sy draai op haar sy. Sy is ook moedeloos, maar hoe moet sy help wat sy sien? Hoe moet sy aan hulle verduidelik dat dit nie haar verbeelding is nie?

‘n Traan loop saggies oor haar wang. Sy maak haar oë toe in die hoop dat sy vanaand rustig sal kan slaap, maar soos sy insluimer na droomland sien sy reeds die donker rooi water wat teen die rand van die swembad klots, drie pare oë wat uit die dieptes na haar toe opkom, hande wat om haar enkels gryp, borrels gevul met skaterlag wat bo die water uitpop…vanaand is sy te moeg om te baklei…vanaand het sy besluit: “Miskien as sy hul maatjie word?”…miskien dan…dink sy terwyl haar nuwe maatjies haar dieper en dieper die donker dieptes intrek.

__________

“Gisteraand, omstreeks 8:45, is ‘n gr. 6 meisie van Laerskool Donkerwater dood in die skool se swembad aangetref. Volgens ‘n polisiewoordvoerder op die toneel word daar tans geen vuilspel vermoed nie. Die meisie se liggaam is ontdek nadat die opsigter die gimnasium wou toesluit. Daar is met groot hartseer verneem dat dit die vierde voorval van sy aard by Laerskool Donkerwater is. In 1997 was die skool ook tot in sy fondamente geruk toe drie oud-skoliere tydens ‘n middernagtelike swem tragies verdrink het.”

Op die televisieskerm pryk ‘n foto van drie jongmeisies, een blond, een brunette, een rooikop.

---

Based on a dream I had when I was Gr. 6

“Last night, around 8:45, a Gr. 6 girl from Donkerwater Primary was found dead in the school's swimming pool. According to a police spokesperson at the scene, no foul play is suspected. "

____________

The constant, deafening sound of whistles echoing during sports period. Wet feet running around, teachers yelling loudly and water splashing against the edges of the large swimming pool in Donkerwater Primary. In the midst of all the chaos and action a small gr. 6 girl quietly kicks her feet back and forth while sitting on the edge of the large pool. Her green eyes speak of concern staring out in the distance.

Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt! A whistle screeches right next to her. The little girl jumps in the air and almost falls straight in the water.

"Not in the water again today, Isadora?" the teacher blares behind her.

The teacher perfectly fits the stereotypical picture of an Afrikaans L.O. teacher. Her masculine build and deep voice speak of ‘injections’ in her early years when she still hoped to become a SA shotput champion, but just like most before her, she had to settle for teaching when a so-called "shoulder injury" put an end to her “professional” career.

"I'm trying, Miss Bekker," squeaks the little voice.

She quickly picks up her towel and runs into the locker room before Miss Bekker starts preaching her again about the benefits of physical exercises.

No one understands her fear. She explained it to them many times. Her mother just shook her head and made another appointment with Dr. Dietrich. Her dad laughed because "thank goodness, at least the child is not a boy". The children at school call her "Isa-dumb-ra". Miss Bekker thinks she's a ‘pansy’ and the principal is certain she experienced intense trauma and abuse as a child and thus must have brain damage.

How can none of them see what she sees? Is she really insane? She closed her eyes tightly many times in the hope that they would disappear, but as soon as she opened her eyes, they sat there ... right across from her ... on the edge of the pool ... grinning.

___________

That night she dreams again. She is sitting on the edge of the school's swimming pool. Everything is red. Almost as if you're peering through those transparent Quality Street chocolate wrappers. She is sitting like earlier today, kicking her feet in the dark red water. Next to her are two girls. A blonde and a brunette. They are laughing out of their stomachs as they look at her. It makes her feel as though they are her friends.

Suddenly she sees eyes in the red water. The eyes are coming closer and closer until they appear above the surface with a bunch of red hair. The girls next to her immediately stop laughing and look straight at her.

"Go swim with her, Isadora," they say.

"I don't want to," she tries to say, but before she could get up, the redhead grabs her feet and plucks her into the pool. She tries to scream, but only bubbles come out and all she can see, from an underwater picture, are the two other girls laughing hysterically as she is drawn deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Isadora wakes up with sweat pearling all over her face and body. She is as wet as a person who just got out of the pool. She sits upright in her bed and tries to breathe normally again. She knows it's not just a dream. She was there, in the gym, in the water. They were there. They are waiting for her. They want her to get into the water. They want her to be their friend, but she doesn't want to!

____________

The next day the bell rings for L.O. period. Isadora walks with the rest of the Gr.6 girls to the locker rooms to put on their swimming costumes. They have to walk past the pool to get to the changing rooms. Isadora walks with her head down, but out of the corner of her eye she can already see the three of them on the edge of the pool with their feet in the water. This time they are not just sitting, but they are waving at her. They are happy to see her today. The blonde, the brunette and the redhead.

Before she could stop herself, she screamed loudly: "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

All the Gr.6 girls jerked to a halt and looked at her. When she looked back in the direction of the pool, the last strand of curly red hair disappeared into the water. She feels Bekker’s hand grab her arm, pulling her towards the principal's office.

“They were there! How do you not see them? They were just there! On the edge of the pool!” She tried to explain hysterically.

___________

It's 8pm. She is laying in her bed, listening to her mother and father screaming at each other in the kitchen. It's about her. They don’t know what to do with her anymore. She turned on her side. Neither does she, but how can she help what she sees? How can she explain to them that this is not her imagination?

A tear gently runs over her cheek. She closes her eyes in the hope that she would be able to sleep peacefully tonight, but as she slumbers into dreamland, she already sees the red water clumping at the edge of the pool, three pairs of eyes emerging from the depths towards her, hands grabbing her ankles, bubbles filled with laughter popping out of the water ... tonight she is too tired to fight ... tonight she decided: "Maybe if she becomes their friend?" ... maybe then, she thinks...while her new friends drag her deeper and deeper into the dark red waters.

_____________

“Last night, around 8:45, a gr. 6 girl from Donkerwater Primary was found dead in the school's swimming pool. According to a police spokesperson at the scene, no foul play is currently suspected. The girl's body was discovered when the caretaker wanted to lock up the gym. We later learned that this was the fourth incident of its kind at Donkerwater Primary. In 1997, the school was also shaken to its core when three former students tragically drowned during a midnight swim.”

On the television screen a picture of three young girls appear: one blonde, one brunette, one redhead.