Deep Water

Douglas had a keen desire to wade into the water since his childhood. But he had developed an aversion from the water. When he was at the age of three or four, his father took him to the beach in California both were standing together at the surf. There came a wave that knocked him down and swept over him. Consequently, he was burried in the water. His breath was gone and a deep terror overpowered his heart.

When a big bruiser of a boy throw Douglas deep into the water, he went straight into the water. His feet touched the bottom. He was completely frightened but had not lost his wits. He made a strategy to have a big jump so that he could try to come on the surface. He even thought to lie flat on it for some time. Finally, he would paddle to the edge of the pool

One day William Douglas was sitting alone on one side of the Y.M.C.A. pool. He was waiting for the others to come so that he could start swimming. By chance there came a big burly boy of an eighteen years old. He asked “Hi, Skinny! How’d you like to be ducked?” He picked and tossed Douglas and threw him into the deep end of the pool. William speaks about this misadventure.

Once Douglas was alone on the YMCA pool. A bully boy tossed him into the deep end of water. He was frightened beyond measure but did not lose his wits. He took a big jump from the bottom, came to the surface and paddled to the edge of the pool. The drowning incident affected his later life deeply. He found only terror in the fear of death. He experienced both the censation of dying and terror caused by fear of dying. The will to live grew higher in him.