Return to Air Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 10 English Chapter 6 Return to Air Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from English Literature (Supplementary Reader) Book
Return to Air Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and Lesson explanation for Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 10 English Chapter 6 – Return to Air from English Literature (Supplementary Reader) Book. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
PSEB Class 10 English Chapter 6 – Return to Air
by Philippa A Pearce
Return to Air” by Philippa A. Pearce is an inspiring story. It tells about a young boy’s swimming experience, self-discovery.
The story captures a simple moment when a boy could swim well but he had never tried duck diving, his friend wanted him to learn it. Lets see what happens when he tries duck diving for the first time.
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Return to Air Summary
The story by Philippa A. Pearce is heartwarming and filled with courage through a boy nicknamed “Sausage.” The story is about his experience of learning how to duck dive in a large pond and how a seemingly simple swimming lesson turns into a life-changing moment for him, both emotionally and personally.
The narrator describes the large pond where people come for different purposes, some come to bathe, others to fish. The pond is so huge that one end is reserved for bathers and the other for the people who come for fishing. The narrator and others bathe at the deep end of the pond. There is a rule that no one is allowed to bathe there unless they know how to swim. Luckily, sausage knows how to swim. People say he can swim so well because he is fat and floats easily. Even though he knows how to swim, Sausage has never dived into the water from the diving board. This is because he wears glasses, and he has to remove them before getting into the water, which makes it difficult for him to see clearly. That summer, his swimming group and the instructor told him to learn the skill of duck-diving. Duck-diving means swimming on the water’s surface and then suddenly turning oneself like a duck to dive straight down into the water. The task is to go underwater, reach the bottom, and get a brick.
The reason for learning duck-diving is practical and meaningful: in case someone is drowning, a swimmer might need to go to the bottom of the pond or pool to rescue the person. Therefore, students practice with bricks first. The swimming instructor announced that he would throw a brick wrapped with white flannel into the pond, and Sausage was to bring it before it went deep into the muddy bottom. To give him a fair chance, all the other swimmers were asked to come out of the water, leaving Sausage alone in the pond with the instructor. As he had removed his glasses, all he could see were blurred figures of people. He could hear their voices and laughter, which was under pressure and showed his nervousness. Then the instructor threw the brick. It went over Sausage’s head. Sausage doubted himself, his legs felt weak and useless, and he thought, “I can’t do this. Ducks are different.” However, even while thinking this, his body had already reacted. He took a deep breath, turned himself over, and performed a duck dive.
For the first few seconds underwater, his eyes were shut tightly. Then he forced his eyelids open. Even without his glasses, he realized that seeing underwater isn’t easy for anyone. When he reached the bottom of the pond, he saw that the cloth around the brick was probably gone. The thing he thought was the brick had sunk deep into the mud, with only one corner showing. Sausage didn’t give up. He put his fingers into the mud, grabbed the object, and started swimming back up. But as he moved, the mud around him got all mixed up and made the water cloudy. He couldn’t see anything clearly and began to feel scared. Many thoughts ran through his head such as what if he had gone too far? What if he ended up where people were fishing and a hook got stuck in his face? What if he couldn’t find the way back up to the surface?
He felt scared. The fear of not being able to breathe again. But even in fear, he kept moving upward. The color of the water slowly shifted from dark black-brown to greenish-brown, and finally back to the bright lemonade color. As he came out of the water and took a deep breath, he felt both happy and surprised. Water was going into his nose and mouth, which he didn’t like. But the fresh air felt really good. He felt full of life so much that he started dreaming big. He thought maybe he would live to be 100, own a sweet shop, go to the Moon, keep big dogs, save someone from drowning, win a medal, and appear on TV. All these exciting thoughts came just because he came out of the water holding something in his hand.
Suddenly, he heard people shouting and cheering from the edge of the pond. Everyone was calling out his name, “Sausage! Sausage!” The swimming teacher, looking surprised, shouted, “What have you brought up, Sausage?” That’s when Sausage understood that he had swum all the way to the other side of the pond. He turned around, swam back to the group, and someone gave him his glasses.
When he put on his glasses and looked properly, he saw that he hadn’t brought up a brick. Instead, it was an old tin box, covered in dark pond dirt. It was the same size and just as heavy as a brick because it was full of mud. The box had probably been lying at the bottom of the pond for a very long time. But Sausage wasn’t upset. In fact, he felt happy and proud. He took the box home, cleaned it nicely, and kept it on the shelf to store his coin collection. It became something very special to him.
Later, he had to duck-dive again but this time for a real brick and he succeeded without fear as well. The starting fear had gone, and his confidence had grown. Sausage ends the story by saying he will keep the tin box for as long as he lives and he just might live to be a hundred.
This story beautifully tells the journey of overcoming fear, gaining confidence, and finding value in unexpected moments. It leaves readers with a message: courage can turn even the muddiest moments into meaningful memories.
Summary of the Lesson Return to Air in Hindi
फिलिप ए. पीयर्स की कहानी दिल को छू लेने वाली है और “सॉसेज” नामक एक लड़के के माध्यम से साहस से भरी है। कहानी एक बड़े तालाब में डक डाइव करना सीखने के उसके अनुभव के बारे में है और कैसे एक साधारण सा तैराकी सबक उसके लिए भावनात्मक और व्यक्तिगत रूप से जीवन बदलने वाले पल में बदल जाता है।
कथावाचक उस बड़े तालाब का वर्णन करता है जहाँ लोग अलग-अलग उद्देश्यों से आते हैं, कुछ नहाने आते हैं, तो कुछ मछली पकड़ने। तालाब इतना बड़ा है कि एक छोर नहाने वालों के लिए और दूसरा मछली पकड़ने वालों के लिए आरक्षित है। कथावाचक और अन्य लोग तालाब के गहरे छोर पर स्नान करते हैं। एक नियम है कि जब तक कोई तैरना नहीं जानता, तब तक उसे वहाँ नहाने की अनुमति नहीं है। सौभाग्य से, सॉसेज तैरना जानता है। लोग कहते हैं कि वह इतना अच्छा तैर सकता है क्योंकि वह मोटा है और आसानी से तैरता है। भले ही वह तैरना जानता हो, सॉसेज ने कभी डाइविंग बोर्ड से पानी में गोता नहीं लगाया। ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि वह चश्मा पहनता है, और उसे पानी में उतरने से पहले उसे हटाना पड़ता है, जिससे उसके लिए स्पष्ट रूप से देखना मुश्किल हो जाता है। उस गर्मी में, उसके तैराकी समूह और प्रशिक्षक ने उसे डक-डाइविंग का कौशल सीखने के लिए कहा। डक-डाइविंग का मतलब है पानी की सतह पर तैरना और फिर अचानक खुद को बत्तख की तरह मोड़कर सीधे पानी में गोता लगाना। इसका लक्ष्य पानी के नीचे जाना, तल तक पहुँचना और ईंट प्राप्त करना है। डक-डाइविंग सीखने का कारण व्यावहारिक और सार्थक है: यदि कोई डूब रहा है, तो तैराक को व्यक्ति को बचाने के लिए तालाब या पूल के तल पर जाने की आवश्यकता हो सकती है। इसलिए, छात्र पहले ईंटों के साथ अभ्यास करते हैं। तैराकी प्रशिक्षक ने घोषणा की कि वह तालाब में सफेद फलालैन से लिपटी एक ईंट फेंकेगा, और सॉसेज को इसे कीचड़ भरे तल में जाने से पहले लाना था। उसे एक उचित मौका देने के लिए, सभी अन्य तैराकों को पानी से बाहर आने के लिए कहा गया, जिससे सॉसेज प्रशिक्षक के साथ तालाब में अकेला रह गया। चूँकि उसने अपना चश्मा हटा दिया था, इसलिए वह केवल लोगों की धुंधली आकृतियाँ ही देख सकता था। वह उनकी आवाज़ें और हँसी सुन सकता था, जो उसके लिए दबाव और घबराहट थी। फिर प्रशिक्षक ने ईंट फेंकी। यह सॉसेज के सिर के ऊपर से निकल गई। सॉसेज को खुद पर शक हुआ कि उसके पैर कमज़ोर और बेकार लग रहे थे, और उसने सोचा, “मैं यह नहीं कर सकता। बत्तखें अलग होती हैं।” हालाँकि, यह सोचते समय भी, उसका शरीर पहले ही प्रतिक्रिया कर चुका था। उसने एक गहरी साँस ली, खुद को पलटा, और डक डाइव किया।
पानी के अंदर पहले कुछ सेकंड के लिए, उसकी आँखें कसकर बंद थीं। फिर उसने अपनी पलकें खोलीं। बिना चश्मे के भी, उसे एहसास हुआ कि पानी के अंदर देखना किसी के लिए भी आसान नहीं है। जब वह तालाब के तल पर पहुँचा, तो उसने देखा कि ईंट के चारों ओर का कपड़ा शायद गायब हो गया था। उसे लगा कि ईंट कीचड़ में बहुत गहराई तक धँस गई थी, जिसका सिर्फ़ एक कोना दिखाई दे रहा था। सॉसेज ने हार नहीं मानी। उसने अपनी उंगलियाँ कीचड़ में डालीं, उस वस्तु को पकड़ा, और वापस ऊपर की ओर तैरने लगा। लेकिन जैसे-जैसे वह आगे बढ़ा, उसके चारों ओर की मिट्टी घुल-मिल गई और पानी बादल बन गया। वह कुछ भी स्पष्ट रूप से नहीं देख पा रहा था और उसे डर लगने लगा। उसके दिमाग में कई विचार आए जैसे कि अगर वह बहुत दूर चला गया तो क्या होगा? क्या होगा अगर वह वहाँ पहुँच गया जहाँ लोग मछली पकड़ रहे थे और उसके चेहरे पर कोई काँटा फँस गया? क्या होगा अगर वह वापस सतह पर आने का रास्ता नहीं ढूँढ़ पाया?
उसे डर लगा। फिर से साँस न ले पाने का डर। लेकिन डर में भी, वह ऊपर की ओर बढ़ता रहा। पानी का रंग धीरे-धीरे गहरे काले-भूरे से बदलकर हरा-भूरा हो गया और अंत में वापस चमकीले नींबू पानी जैसा हो गया। जैसे ही वह पानी से बाहर आया और गहरी साँस ली, उसे खुशी और आश्चर्य दोनों महसूस हुए। पानी उसकी नाक और मुँह में जा रहा था, जो उसे पसंद नहीं था। लेकिन ताज़ी हवा वाकई अच्छी लग रही थी। उसे जीवन इतना भरा हुआ महसूस हुआ कि उसने बड़े सपने देखने शुरू कर दिए। उसने सोचा कि शायद वह 100 साल तक जिएगा, मिठाई की दुकान खोलेगा, चाँद पर जाएगा, बड़े कुत्ते पालेगा, किसी को डूबने से बचाएगा, पदक जीतेगा और टीवी पर दिखाई देगा। ये सभी रोमांचक विचार सिर्फ इसलिए आए क्योंकि वह अपने हाथ में कुछ पकड़े हुए पानी से बाहर आया था। अचानक, उसने तालाब के किनारे से लोगों को चिल्लाते और जयकार करते सुना। हर कोई उसका नाम पुकार रहा था, “सॉसेज! सॉसेज!” तैराकी शिक्षक, आश्चर्यचकित होकर चिल्लाया, “तुमने क्या बात कही है, सॉसेज?” तभी सॉसेज को समझ में आया कि वह तालाब के दूसरी तरफ तैरकर आ गया है। वह पलटा, समूह में वापस तैरा, और किसी ने उसे उसका चश्मा दिया।
जब उसने अपना चश्मा लगाया और ठीक से देखा, तो उसने पाया कि उसने ईंट नहीं निकाली थी। इसके बजाय, यह एक पुराना टिन का डिब्बा था, जो तालाब की मिट्टी से ढका हुआ था। यह ईंट के समान ही आकार का और ईंट जितना ही भारी था क्योंकि यह मिट्टी से भरा हुआ था। संभवतः यह डिब्बा तालाब के तल पर बहुत लंबे समय से पड़ा हुआ था। लेकिन सॉसेज परेशान नहीं था। वास्तव में, वह खुश और गौरवान्वित महसूस कर रहा था। वह डिब्बे को घर ले गया, उसे अच्छी तरह से साफ किया, और अपने सिक्कों के संग्रह को संग्रहीत करने के लिए उसे शेल्फ पर रख दिया। यह उसके लिए बहुत खास बन गया।
बाद में, उसे फिर से डक-डाइव करना पड़ा लेकिन इस बार एक असली ईंट के लिए और वह बिना किसी डर के सफल हुआ। शुरुआती डर खत्म हो गया था, और उसका आत्मविश्वास बढ़ गया था। सॉसेज यह कहकर कहानी समाप्त करता है कि वह टिन के डिब्बे को तब तक रखेगा जब तक वह जीवित रहेगा और वह सौ साल तक जीवित रह सकता है।
यह कहानी डर पर काबू पाने, आत्मविश्वास हासिल करने और अप्रत्याशित क्षणों में मूल्य खोजने की यात्रा को खूबसूरती से बताती है। यह पुस्तक पाठकों के लिए एक संदेश छोड़ती है: साहस सबसे कठिन क्षणों को भी सार्थक यादों में बदल सकता है।
Theme of the Lesson Return to Air
The Theme of this lesson by Philippa A. Pearce is courage, self-discovery, and personal growth. The story is about a young boy nicknamed “Sausage” who is sometimes teased for being overweight, still, he learns to accept himself and surprises others with his brave acts. Though he is a good swimmer, he is underconfident in diving, especially without his glasses. When the instructor motivates him to duck-dive and get a brick from the bottom of a deep pond, Sausage battles with fear but manages to dive deep, overcoming his anxiety.
He brings up something else instead of brick, and it is an old tin box covered in mud, which is his unexpected achievement. Even with his fear and limitations, he manages something challenging, earning respect.
The story beautifully says how true courage is not the absence of fear, but the strength to face it. It also highlights how small personal wins can become meaningful milestones in one’s life. The lesson encourages readers to believe in themselves, try new things even with fear, and show imperfections with confidence.
Return to Air Lesson Explanation
Passage: The ponds are very big, so that at one end people bathe and at the other end they fish. Old men with bald heads sit on folding stools and fish with rods and lines, and little kids squeeze through the railings and wade up into the water to fish with nets. But the water is much deeper at our end of the pond, and that’s where we bathe. You are not allowed to bathe unless you can swim, but I’ve always been able to swim. They say I could swim because I am fat, and I float. Well, I don’t mind. They call me Sausage.
Words meanings:
squeeze: to pass forcefully through a small space
sausage: a meat preparation made into a long, round shape, here, the name of a person.
Explanation of a passage: The narrator describes a large pond where different people use different parts for various activities. On one side, old men sit and fish with rods, and small children use nets to catch fish. On the other side, where the water is deeper, people bathe. Only those who know how to swim are allowed to bathe there. The narrator says he has always known how to swim, and people joke that it’s because he is fat and can float easily. He doesn’t feel bad about it and shares that others call him by the nickname “Sausage.”
Passages: Only I don’t dive – not from the diving-board. I have to take my glasses off to go into the water.
Word meanings:
diving: jumping into the water with head or arms first
Explanation of a passage: The narrator is explaining that although he knows how to swim, he does not dive from the diving board like others do. The reason is that he wears glasses, and he has to remove them before going into the water, which makes it hard for him to see clearly. Also, without glasses, he feels unsure about diving from a height.
Passage: Then this summer they all wanted me to learn duck-diving. You are swimming on the surface of water and suddenly you up- end yourself just like a duck and dive down deep into the water and perhaps you swim about a bit underwater, and then come up again. I know ducks can do this soon after they are born. It’s different for them.
So I was learning to duck-dive-to swim to the bottom of the pond and pick up a brick they’d thrown in, and bring it up again. You practise this in case you have to rescue anyone from drowning-gone down to the bottom. Of course, they are bigger and heavier than a brick. I suppose you have to work on bricks and then gradually work up to people.
Word meanings:
work on: do a job/work
drowning: death caused by being underwater and not being able to breathe
Explanation of the passage: The narrator talks about how everyone wanted him to learn duck-diving during the summer. Duck-diving means swimming on the surface and then suddenly turning upside down like a duck to dive deep underwater. The narrator says ducks can do this naturally from birth, but for humans, it’s something they have to learn. As part of the training, he had to swim to the bottom of the pond, pick up a brick, and bring it back up. This exercise is a way to prepare in case someone ever drowns and sinks to the bottom because saving a person, who is heavier than a brick, requires similar skills.
Passage: The swimming instructor said, “Sausage, I’m going to throw the brick.” It was a brick with a bit of old white flannel around it, to make it show up underwater – “Sausage I’m going to throw it- go after it and get it before it reaches the bottom and settles in the mud, or you’ll never get it.”
Word meaning
flannel: a type of soft woollen cloth
Explanation of the passage: The swimming instructor is preparing Sausage (the narrator) for a duck-diving exercise. He tells Sausage that he is about to throw a brick into the water. The brick has an old piece of white cloth (flannel) wrapped around it so that it is easier to see underwater. The instructor instructs Sausage to dive in quickly and grab the brick before it sinks all the way to the bottom and gets stuck in the mud because if it does, it will be very difficult to get.
Passage: He’d made everyone come out of the water to give me a chance and they were standing and watching. I had removed my glasses, so I could only see the blurred figures. I could hear them talking and laughing, but there wasn’t a sound in the water except the sound made by me. And then I saw the brick go over my head and there was a splash as it went into the water. I thought I can’t do it – my legs won’t move fast- they feel just flabby- it’s different for ducks. But while I was thinking this, I’d taken a deep breath, and then my head really went down and my legs went up in the air. I could feel them there, just air around them, and then there was water around them, because I was going down into the water, after all right down into the water; straight down….
Word meanings:
blurred: became less clear
splash: sound of water hitting something
flabby: fat
Explanation of the passage: The narrator describes the moment just before he attempts his first duck dive. The swimming instructor made everyone get out of the water so that the narrator could have space and a fair chance to try. Since he had taken off his glasses, he could only see a blur of people watching and laughing. He felt nervous and unsure of himself, thinking his legs were too weak and slow to dive like a duck. But even as he was having these doubtful thoughts, his body had already responded. He took a deep breath, bent forward, and his head went underwater while his legs rose into the air. He could feel the air around his legs, and then water as he started going straight down into the pond, realizing that he was actually doing it.
Passage: At first my eyes were shut, I forced my eyelids up against the water to see. Because, although I can’t see much without my glasses, I don’t believe anyone can see much underwater.
The water was like a thick green-brown lemonade, with some fish moving around. I could see some whitish glimmer that must be the flannel round the brick, it was ahead of me, fading away into the lower water, as I moved after it. Down we went, and the lemonade-look went away. and became just a dark blackish-brown, and I couldn’t see much. The brick looked different from here, maybe the flannel had come off. It had settled right into the mud. There was only one corner left sticking up. I dug into the mud with my fingers and got hold of the thing, and then I didn’t think of anything except getting up again with it into the air.
Word meanings:
lemonade: a sweet drink made of lemon
glimmer: a weak, unsteady light
fading away: disappearing slowly
sticking up: pointing upwards
Explanation of the passage: The boy describes his experience of diving underwater to find the brick. At first, his eyes are closed, but then he opens them to try and see, even though he doesn’t have his glasses and the visibility underwater is poor anyway. The water looks thick and dirty like green-brown lemonade. As he swims deeper, the water becomes darker. The white flannel disappears, and he can barely see anything. He finally spots what he believes to be the brick, partly buried in the mud, with just one corner sticking out. He uses his fingers to dig it out and grabs it. At that moment, he doesn’t think about anything else, his only focus is to swim back up to the surface with the brick.
Passage: Touching the bottom like that had stirred up the mud, so I began to go up through a cloud of it. I felt I would get lost. Perhaps I had swum underwater too far – perhaps I would be drifted towards the place where people were fishing and get a fish-hook caught into the flesh of my cheek or perhaps I just wasn’t going to find the top and the air again…
Word meanings:
stirred: moved slightly
drifted: carried along by water/wind
Explanation of the passage: The narrator describes his fear and confusion while swimming back up from the bottom of the pond. When he touched the bottom to grab the object, the mud moved up and created a thick, cloudy layer of muddy water, making it hard to see. He began to feel lost and scared. He worried that he might have swum too far underwater and could end up near the fishing area, where he might accidentally get a fish-hook stuck in his face. He also feared that he might not be able to find the surface again to breathe. This shows how anxious he felt while trying to come back up through the murky water.
Passage: I was quite afraid, although I was going up quite quickly, and the water was already changing from brown-black to green- brown and then to bright lemonade; I could also see the sun shining through the water, I was getting near the surface. I was moving too slowly; I knew I would never reach the air again in time.
Never the air again….
Then suddenly I was at the surface – I’d exploded back from the water into the air. For a while I couldn’t think of anything; and I couldn’t do anything except let out the old breath I’d been holding and take a couple of fresh, quick ones, and hold the brick.
Word meanings:
exploded: came up fast with a loud noise
Explanation of the passage: The narrator describes the fear he felt while swimming back up to the surface after duck-diving. the changing colors of the water from dark to light showed he was getting closer to the top. Still, he was scared he wouldn’t make it in time to breathe again. Just when he felt he might not reach the air, he suddenly broke through the surface. For a few moments, he was too shocked to think or move. All he could do was breathe quickly and tightly hold on to what he had brought up from the bottom.
Passage: Pond water was trickling down inside my nose and into my mouth, which I hate, but there was air all around and above for me to breathe and to live. I might live to be hundred now, and keep a sweet-shop of my own and walk on the Moon and breed mastiffs, and rescue someone from drowning and be awarded a medal for it and be interviewed on TV.
Word meanings:
trickling: flowing down in a thin line
mastiff: a big dog with short hair
Explanation of the passage: This moment shows joy after coming out of the water. Even though he dislikes the feeling of pond water going into his nose and mouth, he is happy and grateful to be back in the open air where he can breathe freely. He feels so alive and proud that he starts imagining a bright future, living a long life, owning a sweet shop, going to the Moon, raising big dogs, saving someone from drowning, winning a medal, and even being on TV. This shows how one brave moment boosted his confidence.
Passage: And then I noticed they were shouting from the bank. They were cheering and shouting, “Sausage, Sausage!” The instructor was saying with his hands round his mouth. “What on earth have you got there, Sausage?”
Word meanings:
what on earth: an expression used to make a statement more forceful
Explanation of the passage: Sausage has just come out of the water after his first duck dive. He’s holding something heavy that he believes is the brick. He hears people on the bank shouting his name excitedly “Sausage, Sausage!” They are cheering for him, thinking he has succeeded. The swimming instructor, surprised and curious, calls out to him with his hands around his mouth, asking what he has brought from the bottom of the pond. The excitement shows that everyone is watching and encouraging him.
Passage: So then I realised I had come almost at the other end of the pond.
I turned round and swam to the bank. They gave me my glasses to see what I had brought up from the bottom. Because it wasn’t a brick; same size but a tin – an old tin – box with no paint left on it and all brown-black slime from the bottom of the pond. It was as heavy as brick, because it was full of mud – nothing but mud. It must have been there for years.
Word meanings:
slime: mud which gives foul smell
Explanation of the passage: He realizes that while diving, he had swum all the way to the other end of the pond. When he came out of the water and put on his glasses, he saw that instead of the brick he had brought up an old tin box. The box was the same size and weight as a brick because it was filled with mud. It was covered in blackish-brown slime and had no paint left, showing that it had been lying at the bottom of the pond for many years.
Passage: I’ve cleaned the tin up and kept on the mantelpiece at home with my coin-collection in it. I had to duck-dive later for another brick, and I got it all right, without being frightened at all. I shall keep the tin as long as I live, and I might live to be hundred.
Word meanings:
mantelpiece: a shelf that projects from a wall above a fireplace.
frightened: full of fear or worry
Explanation of the passage – The boy tells us that he took the old tin box home, cleaned it, and now uses it to store his coin collection. It became special to him, like a trophy. Later, when he had to duck-dive again for a real brick, he did it successfully and wasn’t scared anymore. This shows that he had gained confidence. He ends by saying he will keep the tin box forever, and who knows he might even live a long life, up to a hundred years.
Conclusion
This post provides the summary, word meanings and lesson notes of Return to Air by Philippa A Pearce for students of PSEB Class 10 from the supplementary reader so that students can get a quick recap of the story with the help of this post.