Skin first, he slid into the water. He opened his mouth and gulped, firmly and steadily, with each beat of the second hand. The chlorine tickled his stomach lining. With each tock he got a little rounder, until the dry tiled floor of the pool was left strewn with inflatable rings and a crowd of begoggled, bewildered onlookers. They parted as he waddled toward the shallow end, crawled up the ladder, and headed to the changing rooms.