Captain Pike's Ship Log II

Chapter 1 -- An Individual

Anthony was a loner. After he graduated from high school this problem seemed to grow larger. He had been a smart boy, and had received a scholarship at a literary college that he was interested in attending. Learning came easy for Anthony and he finished up his first semester having achieved nearly excellent marks in his coursework. He thought one day he he might wish to be a teacher. The only problem was, people made him nervous. Anthony had thought that getting away from his hometown might be an opportunity for him to learn to be better able to socialize and mix with others. Back at home, Anthony had more or less developed the reputation of being a nerd. He didn't care for tearing apart car engines or bragging about his prowess with women, as other guys his age seemed to be fixated on. Surely, the consolidation of students pursuing higher education would be more in line with his interests. He forced himself to join club meetings and tried hanging around the student lounge. After a few minutes however, he became disgusted; people seemed to be interested in senseless things, and even then, not to include him. It wasn't as though Anthony thought of himself as better than most people, just interested in different things than most, he supposed. For example, one of Anthony's favorite places was along the sea coast, not even so much the beach as just milling about the rocky shores with their tidal pools containing all sorts of sea creatures. He loved the sound produced by the waves, both, as they crashed upon the shore, and as the tiny shells and stones rolled away as the sea drew back, building for the next breaker.

It had been recommended that he take a physical education course and Anthony had selected swimming as he had always enjoyed paddling around the lake at his grandparents cabin as a young boy. In college, he learned many strokes. He enjoyed learning about how to make his body more streamlined and to efficiently propel himself through the water. His body felt sleek and powerful while swimming. He began going after classes to the open lap swim. Sometimes, during the few instances when he would be in a circle of students talking, he would find himself fantasizing about moving silently through the cool water. More and more he swam, finding himself able to swim further and further without tiring.