I am a search and rescue diver for missing people. One day I found something that haunts me.

I have been a search and rescue diver for about 15 years. I have been involved in over 300 recoveries. Most of the time it’s just a body. But sometimes… it’s a tragedy. <br><br>One such tragedy occurred several years ago, when a young couple took their 3 year old daughter out on a boat in the lake. She was on the bow of the boat, playing with the wind in her hair when she fell head first into the water. She had always had a fear of water, so when she hit the surface she began to thrash about and scream. <br><br>Her parents were several feet away, and by the time they reached her she was gone. <br><br>We received a report from a nearby fisherman who had seen the whole thing. We were out there in less than an hour, and within 30 minutes I was suiting up to go in after her. <br><br>When I hit the water I followed the fisherman’s directions towards the location he had seen her go under. The water was very clear, and I was able to see all the way to the bottom, about 10 feet below me. <br><br>As I descended I began to make out the tiny form of the girl, laying on her stomach, face down in the mud. Her little pink dress was flowing around her in the current. <br><br>I swam as quickly as I could towards her, and retrieved her. I reached around her torso and held her close as I made my way back to the surface. <br><br>When we broke the surface I held her in my arms. She had a little doll clenched in her tiny fist. I gave the signal to hoist us up and as we were being lifted up into the boat, I saw her father. <br><br>He was standing at the bow of the boat, crying and looking down at me. He said “Please tell me the baby is okay.” <br><br>I shook my head and looked down at the little girl in my arms. What I saw haunts me to this day. <br><br>Her head was tilted back, her mouth open and her eyes were wide. The way she was positioned in my arms it looked as though she was looking up at me. It looked as though she was asking me why she was here, and why I wouldn’t let her go.