Isabel+Crabtree+姜琳琳

The wind whips1） my hair as the truck flies down the narrow path. I catch my reflection in a snorkel2） mask， cheeks flushed and eyes alight3） with excitement. I'm sitting with my parents， sister and grandma in the back of a dirty white truck as we head to our snorkeling destination off the coast of Hawaii. I'm not even worried by the lack of seat belts （and seats） in the unsteady truck， because our guide， up in the taxi， has assured us we are about to have an unforgettable experience. What we don't know yet is just how unforgettable it's going to be.

The truck stops， and we climb out onto smooth black lava4） rock. The afternoon sun peeks out5） between thick gray curtains of sky. The only thing that's strange is the frightening silence， as if the forest music of birdsong and whispering leaves which is everywhere has been muted6）.

Our guide， Barry， is tall with legs covered in old scars. He agilely navigates7） the slippery rock and leads us down to the ocean. There is no sand beach here， only slippery volcanic stone sliding abruptly into the waves. We can't be getting in now. We're too high up. Nevertheless， Barry instructs us to put on our fins8） and masks and jump in.

"Just ... jump？" My sister sounds doubtful.

Barry gets a look on his face like he's about to deliver a speech for the thousandth time.

"It's totally safe. The water's great. Hop in！" He smiles encouragingly. We decide that since we came all the way here， we'd better just trust the guy.

One by one， we jump into the sea and discover the water is fantastic. Barry gets in last and promptly starts swimming， his snorkel sticking out from the water.

Soon Barry signals to us to come up， holding a strange creature in his hands. I gasp9） at the round， spiny10） animal and realize it's a pufferfish11）. Barry passes it around with the assurance that it's totally harmless. My father is last. Suddenly he yells and drops the fish.

"He bit me！" he exclaims， staring at the distinct bite mark in his palm. So much for12） harmless.

Once we stop laughing， we continue snorkeling. After a while Barry leads us into a small bay within the cliffs. He swims up to a crack in the rock and goes in as we nervously judge this dark narrow entrance. I try to be brave. It's just a cave—completely safe.

I take a breath and enter， surfacing in a space the size of an elevator. Once everyone has come inside， we are crammed13）together， standing in water higher than our waists. I'm thinking it's actually pretty cool when the surprise comes.

I hear a faint roar and feel like rope sliding against my legs. Barry draws an alarmed breath. Seawater is receding swiftly out the cave's entrance with a force powerful enough to knock us down. The rough opening looks tiny， and we're all being dragged toward it. I realize my legs are slipping. My sister cries out.

I scream but don't get to finish as I'm pulled with great force underwater. I roll over and over in a chaotic， churning14）surge15）. Seconds later， I'm put down a full 10 feet from the entrance， losing my sense of direction. It all happened so fast. I do a head count16） and see that we're all OK. But something in the atmosphere has changed. Dramatically.

It's getting colder， and the wind has picked up. Waves are hitting the rocks forcefully. In just a few minutes， the five of us have gone from excited and safe to frightened and stranded17）.

"We need to get out now，" Barry says. His voice barely conceals a note of alarm. We are far from our starting place， and the sea is already dangerous. Time is very important. Barry guides us toward the shore with quick strokes18）.

We reach a wall of rock that leads to land. Slippery algae19） near water level make footholds nonexistent， while the rock above looks rough and painful to clutch. Slippery large rocks stick out from the water nearby； a fall would be very dangerous. I hold my breath as Barry jumps upward， clutching the rock and climbing onto land. He turns to help us.

The rest of the group doesn't have Barry's strength or skill. I wonder if we will be trapped here. I swallow gulps20） of salt air and try not to panic.

Each of us struggles our way up the wall. Barry pulls us out of the water， where we lie sprawled21） on the rocks， recovering from our terrible experience. Finally， my family sits in a circle above the sea. We're all here， and we're all OK.

I'm completely wet， cold and exhausted， sitting on the edge of a cliff in the middle of the ocean. But I start laughing， now， because I'm not going to die and I have a tale22） to rival any fisherman's.

卡车飞驰在狭窄的小路上，风吹打着我的头发。我在一个潜水面罩上看到了自己的映像：双颊绯红，兴奋得眉开眼笑。我和爸爸妈妈、妹妹、奶奶一起坐在一辆脏兮兮的白色卡车后斗，正前往我们的潜水目的地——夏威夷近岸的海域。这辆摇摇晃晃的卡车里面没有安全带（也没有座位），我甚至都没有为此担心，因为坐在前面出租车里的导游早已向我们保证我们即将有一次难忘的经历。只是我们还不知道这次经历将会多么令人难忘。

卡车停了下来，我们从后斗爬出来，站在了光滑的黑色火山岩上。午后的太阳从厚厚的灰色云幕间探出头来。唯一奇怪的是那令人感到害怕的寂静，就好像随处可以听到的、由鸟儿的歌声与树叶的沙沙作响声所组成的森林乐曲被消音了。

我们的导游巴里个子挺高，双腿到处都是旧伤疤。他灵活地绕过那块湿滑的岩石，领着我们下到了海边。这里没有沙滩，只有突兀地直插在海浪中的湿滑火山石。我们现在可不能跳进去，我们所在的位置太高了。但是，巴里却指示我们穿上自己的脚蹼，带上面罩，然后跳入海中。

“就这么……跳下去？”我妹妹的声音听起来存有疑虑。

巴里的脸上露出了一种神情，好像他即将第1000次发表一场演说似的。

“这里绝对安全，水可好了，跳进去吧！”他一脸鼓励地微笑着。既然我们大老远来这儿了，我们决定最好还是相信这个家伙。

我们一个接一个地跳进了海里，发现这里的海水真是棒极了。