my fear wouldn't recede; I was absolutely terrified of water.
我曾经一直都是喜欢水的，并且直到去年夏天我都还是一名游泳好手。那时，我决定爬上游泳池边上最高的跳板来跳水。 我从那么高的地方跳下，重重地撞击到水面上。 我肺里的空气一下子全被挤出去了，马上不省人事。 醒来时发现哥哥正把我虚弱的身体从游泳池里拖出来。 从那时起，我对水的恐惧就没有消退过，我怕极了水。
\“贾森，你要过来吗？”我的朋友马特朝我喊道。
\might deem my fear pathetic if they knew.
我说：“好，就是欣赏一下景色”，又在心里默默加了一句——在岸上欣赏。担心如果他们知道我害怕水而可怜我。
Suddenly I heard shouting in French. A mob of people were running into the sea, fully clothed. That's odd, I thought.
突然，我听到有人用法语喊叫。 接着看见一群人没脱衣服，就冲到海里。 我心想，这真是太奇怪了。
I glimpsed something moving up and down amid the waves, past the end of the jetty. I gasped, realizing the catastrophe with horror. That's a little boy out there! The would-be rescuers fought against the tide, but the situation was bleak. With the water's tow, they'd
never get to him in time.
我瞥见防波堤尽头的海浪中有个东西在上下浮动。 我惊恐地意识到大事不妙，倒吸了一口凉气，那居然是个小男孩！ 前去救落水男童的人们搏击着海浪，但情况却不乐观。 由于水的拉拽，他们根本不可能及时游到小男孩身边。
I looked back at the boy. His head popped up, then a wave crashed over him and he disappeared for a moment; I had to intervene.
我扭头看看那小男孩。 他的头刚露出水面，然后一个浪头打过来，好一阵不见踪影——我不得不做点什么了。
I appraised the situation and realized — the jetty! The boy was close to it; maybe I could help from there. I raced down the beach, out onto the jetty, and it hit me: Water! My palms got sweaty and my stomach felt sick, symptoms of my fear. I stopped short. 我估计了当下的情形后注意到了——对，那防波堤！ 小男孩靠近那个地方，也许我可以从那儿帮忙。 我冲下海滩，跑上防波堤，但突然我想起了什么——水！ 顿时有了恐惧的症状：我手心冒汗，胃里感觉不适。 我一下子停下来。
The people in the water had underestimated the waves and weren't making any progress. I was the only one who saw that going out on the jetty was the fastest way to reach the drowning boy. Yet in the midst of this tragedy, I was extremely terrified. I tried to remember the lifeguard training I'd had as a teenager.
水里的那些人低估了海浪的威力，救援工作没有任何进展。 只有我注意到了跑到防波堤上
是到达溺水男童的最快的路径。 然而在此性命攸关之际，我极度恐慌。 我努力去回想十几岁时所接受的救生员训练。
I was paralyzed with fear, but I forced myself to move forward with this impromptu rescue. I don't want this. Surely someone else can save him before I have to.
我因恐惧而全身瘫软，但我强迫自己向前移动，展开这场突发的救援行动。 我不想做这些，在我施救之前肯定会有别人救他吧。
At the ridge of the jetty, I whirled around, convinced I'd see an athletic swimmer plowing through the rough water toward the boy. To my dismay, no one was there. I turned back out to the sea to see the boy battered by vicious waves about 25 yards away from me. Sucking in a deep breath, I threw myself into the water. As soon as I jumped in, I felt like I was back in that pool, breathless, struggling, terrified. Salt stung my eyes. Focus, I shouted in my head. Where is he?
我在防波堤的边上迅速转过身来，深信会看见某个游泳健将正向着小男孩劈波斩浪。 但是让我沮丧的是，一个人也没有。 我回身面向大海，看见25码开外恶浪击打着小男孩。 我深吸一口气，纵身跃入水中。 一跳进水里，我感觉仿佛又回到了当年的那个游泳池，我喘不过气，拼命挣扎，惊恐万分。 咸水刺痛了我的双眼。 “集中注意力，”我在心里喊道。 “他在哪里？”
Then, with clarity, I saw a thin arm waving weakly a few yards away. I swam with all my strength, reaching the boy just as he sank below the surface. I grabbed his arm and
pulled. He popped back up, eyes wide with terror, pawing and twisting against me. \rescue attempt, and we'd both perish. \he listened, and was still.
然后我清楚地看到一只细小的手臂在离我几码处微弱地挥动着。 我拼尽全力游过去，在他刚要没水之时赶到了。 我抓住他的手臂拉他。 他冒出水面，眼睛因恐惧瞪得很大，胡乱抓扯着我。 我用法语命令他：“别慌！” 他这样挣扎会阻碍救援，那我们俩就都死定了。 我再次命令他：“别慌！” 谢天谢地，这次他听话了，不动了。
When I turned back toward shore a wave pounded over us. The jetty was further away! The rip current! It was forcibly dragging us out to the sea. I fought to get us back to land, but made little progress. I knew I'd never be able to escort him back like this. 当我转身朝岸边游去的时候，一个浪劈头盖脸打来。 我们离防波堤更远了！ 是裂流！ 它强行把我们拽往大海深处。 我挣扎着想带他游回岸上，但进展甚微。 我知道这种游法根本没法护着他返回岸边。
Desperate to survive, I remembered what I'd learned in my life saving class: Never, ever swim against the rip current! Swim sideways to the pull of the current and slowly make your way back toward shore. It was an odd-looking but practicable solution. Swim sideways and float to rest. Swim sideways and float to rest. We did that over and over. We slowly made our way to safety. \jetty. I hadn't even noticed how close we were, only about seven feet left to go.