I was 7 yrs old. I was living in the foster of with my great aunt and uncle since I was an infant. I always tagged around with the older boys and there was a very large river nearby. The older boys could swim and I couldn't. My aunt asked the older boys to take me by bus to the YMCA to learn how to swim. The older kids didn't watch me very well and I ended up on a line of kids that could already swim. All they had to do was just demonstate they could swim a lap and it was open free swim. They left me in the wrong group. The pool was crowded and I tried to tell the lifeguard in next line that I was here for lessons and couldn't swim yet but he didn't hear me over all the noise.

Somebody in my line pushed me into the deep end and I disappeared unnoticed into the crowded pool of kids having fun. I came up once struggling and got air and went down again. I remember the bubbles, overhead lights and kids legs and splashing above me as I went through the drowning and suffocation process. Eventually, I gave up the struggle, relaxed and lay on the bottom of the pool just waiting to see what happened next as there was nothing I could do.

After a while I saw a young girl like figure on the edge of a fairly large lighted tunnel and she took me by the hand. She was calm, reassuring and in control as I immediately trusted her completely. She kinda said that I was okay, not to be afraid and to come with her. An adult figure was standing by watching us a little futher up in the tunnel light. She said that I was going with them and I said okay. Then I sensed where I was going and said that I can't go as my aunt is an invalid and she needs my help and me not being there would hurt her something awful. My new found friend seemed to communicate with the adult entity and suddenly we were about 14 feet above and to the right of the darkened swimming pool.

The pool had been emptied of all the kids and my friend had told me not to be afraid and to watch below. She had turned into a small ball of aqua blue light but it didn't alarm me at all. As we watched below, there was an ambulance team with a gurney, a life guard, a supervisor and a doctor who had been in the building. Then I noticed the young lifeguard was feverishly working on a small still skinny, cold, blue looking kid and the doctor just said, "Leave him alone. Stop and let him be. He is dead.!" The lifeguard was crying and wouldn't stop working on the small still kid. It suddenly dawned on me that I was the small kid in the scene down below us. I turned to my new friend amazed and said "Is that really me?" She just kissed me on my right cheek and said she would never leave me.

Next thing I was coughing up water, everyone there was amazed and the young lifeguard was the happiest young man I ever saw in my life. An hour later after the doctor was satisfied I was alright, I took the bus home as they were unable to reach my foster parents by telephone as nobody was at home. They were next door planning my funeral as the older kids had informed them that I was dead.

Been through a lot but some people have mentioned that they occassionally seem to see a blue light or aura on my left shoulder at times. I just smile and thank God that my little friend is still with me.