“I always heard that sorrow? Loss? It’s an awful lot like drowning.”
“Imagine falling back first into a pool, the water rushing overhead and absolutely submerging you in its depths. It happens violently, without warning. From treading water to having the air literally stolen from you. Having your lungs burn in agony and silent tears pour from your eyes, mixing with the sorrow that surrounds you.”
“It’s shocking, it’s painful, and once the sadness fills your lungs you have exactly two choices.”
“Sit back, close your eyes, and let the water overtake you.”
“Or survive.”
“Kick your feet, punch through the water, and fight with every last bit of strength you have left to breach the surface until you feel the sweet relief of catharsis in your chest. Because you know, you know that if you just give up then you’ll have nowhere to go but down as the water drags you to the bottom.”
“You treaded water right beside me, didn’t you, Harry? We all saw it, right? At Red Snow you and I waded out into the pool we call OSW simply trying to swim to the other side. And yet, no matter how strong a swimmer you were, we both found ourselves getting dragged into the abyss, our vision blurry, heads light.”
“Michaela broke your heart, didn’t she? Because, like she said, she’s as good as dead to you. Her words crashing into you like waves, each one slamming into your chest over and over until you lost your footing and found yourself breathing in water. Her words are the sadness surrounding you, the very thing that stole the breathe from your lungs and left you to drown.”
“It’s agony, isn’t it?”
“When CJ died I felt myself sink into depression. He was my brother, he was my best friend, I loved him. And when his body hit the ground, I could feel myself being dragged to the brink right alongside him. In one quick, violent motion I was thrust beneath the water. The last dredges of my happiness slipping free, bubbling pitifully at the surface.”
“We’re both drowning in sorrow, Harry.”
“You can feel it, can’t you? Even now, we stand side by side in the pool we call OSW simply fighting to get our bearings. It’s sink or swim, Harold.”
“And I know I have to swim.”
“Because as I see it? This week, though we’re both drowning? We’re also vying for air. You and I? We’re both fighting to breach the surface. Kicking, pulling, and punching wildly just to try and survive. And, the way I see it, only one of us is breaking free from the torment around us.”
“And it’s going to be me.”
“Because I can’t just sit back and sink, Harry. I can’t just drown in my sorrow.”
“I’m going to breach the surface, Harold. Even if it means I have to let you drown.”
“No one is above the Law.”
“And in the lawless place we call OSW? I am the Law.”