What Lies Beneath

One summer I swam across the reservoir in Spanish Fork. I was about in the middle when I saw something under the water out of the corner of my eye.

It looked like a pale, bloated body, floating upright, arms raised above its head.

I stopped short, treading water, heart pounding. What should I do, what should I do? If there's a dead body, what should I do?

"If" was the operative word. I had to make sure I saw what I thought I saw. So I screwed up my courage and stuck my head under the water to take another look.

Dead tree. Branches reaching. Relief.

My palms still sweat when I think about it.