Village Shepherd

Sarah was on holiday in Malta with her parents. It was the first time she had ever been abroad, and she found she loved it. She loved the sun and the sand and the sea. She loved paddling in the shallows at the edge of the sandy beach, and occasionally, when she felt really secure in her armbands and the sea had no waves at all, she'd try a little swimming.

Sarah's Mum was an excellent swimmer. As a schoolgirl, she'd swum for the County, and she'd tried to extend her love of swimming to Sarah. But for some reason neither of them could fathom, Sarah had always hated the water. Perhaps it had been too cold when she was just a baby, or perhaps she had slipped and experienced the terror of water relentlessly covering her face and her nose and her mouth, and making her choke. Neither Sarah nor her Mum could remember anything like that, but they couldn't think of any other explanation for Sarah's instinctive fear. Sarah's Dad wasn't unduly keen on any sport, but even he was a moderate swimmer and enjoyed a dip from time to time if the water was warm.

Neither of them had pressed Sarah. "It's OK, love," Sarah's Mum had said, comforting her daughter, "take your own time about it and don't worry! It really doesn't matter if you never swim! It's just that I think you'd learn to love it, once you got going. Once you can swim, a whole new world of excitement opens up for you. Water slides, and Aqua Parks, and snorkelling, and water skiing, and even deep sea diving if you wanted."

Sarah had nodded, and felt even more miserable. It didn't really help to be told what she was missing. And the older she got, the harder it was to learn to swim, because it meant first admitting she couldn't swim, and at times she was sure she was the only 8-year old in the whole world who was unable to swim.

But here in Malta, it was OK. Nobody knew whether she could swim or not, and nobody cared, so she could happily paddle on the edge of the water in her armbands, and even take one foot off the bottom when nobody was looking.

And the holiday wasn't only beach and swimming. Malta is quite a small island, but there was so much to see. Sarah discovered the island was steeped in history, and she particularly enjoyed exploring the caves and underground crypts where St. Paul and the early Christians had worshipped God.

One morning the family set off to visit St Peter's Pool, which they'd heard was a natural beauty spot. As they rounded the corner and came suddenly upon the pool, Sarah gasped. She thought she'd never seen anywhere so brilliant. It was a large, natural pool, surrounded by high rocks. It very deep and very clear. It was also deserted. For the first time in her life, Sarah longed to leap into the water and float lazily in the sunshine.

Sarah's Mum dived in first. She seemed to go down and down and down, so that Sarah wondered whether she'd ever reappear. Sarah's Dad sat on the rocks and kind of slithered in. He didn't like putting his face under water, so he never jumped in. But as soon as he felt the water, his face took on a dreamy look, just as though he was in heaven.

Sarah's Mum broke the surface of the water again, breathless and exhilarated. "Come on, Sarah," she called. "It's wonderful. You'd love it - and there's no-one else here, no-one watching. Do come in. I'll catch you."

Sarah looked longingly at the cool, clear water. "I haven't brought my armbands," she objected.

"Doesn't matter," replied her mother. "I'll catch you. I promise I won't let you go under."

Sarah hesitated. The sun was so hot, and here in the shelter of the rocks it was a natural suntrap with no breeze. It looked good in the water, and her Mum and Dad seemed to be enjoying themselves. Part of Sarah yearned to join them, but another part was unwilling to risk the deep water. She couldn't swim, so perhaps she would drown.

Sarah dithered on the edge. She stuck her foot in the water, and it felt delicious. She looked at her Mum waiting patiently for her, but she felt afraid. Swimming looked good, especially today, but was it really as great as it looked? Perhaps she'd be better to remain on dry land, where at least she knew she was safe. Why take the risk?

As she turned sadly to go away, Sarah took one last look at the inviting pool. And then suddenly she made up her mind. "Catch me, Mum," she cried, "I'm coming!" And before she had a chance to change her mind, she ran to the edge of the pool and launched herself into space.

For one terrifying moment she thought she was going under, then she felt her mother's strong arms around her, and she was firmly held. The water was marvellous, she'd never experienced anything quite like it. It felt so different in the water. Sarah had never realised what deep water felt like, she'd never been in deep water before. After a while, she got her mother to hold her with just one hand, and she found she could swim. Then her mother held her with just one finger, and again, Sarah swam. And before very long, Sarah found herself swimming alone!

"I can do it! Look Dad," she shouted excitedly. "Look Mum, look at me! I can swim! I'm really swimming, all by myself. Do you know, it's so much easier to swim in deep water than it is in shallow water. And it's much more fun. Mum, this is the best day of my life! I'm so glad I dared to jump in."

And from that day, Sarah never looked back. She never became a swimming champion like her Mum, but swimming became her favourite activity as she gradually learned to trust both herself and the water. And when she went back to school after the summer holidays, she found she'd become one of the best swimmers in the class.