my lungs will fill and then deflate

B)

Now, intellectually, he knew that this was silly.

Salt water would taste like salt, as the name would suggest. But the very idea contradicted everything he knew about either component. Water hydrated, salt dehydrated. Water flowed with the tides and the waning and waxing of the moon and salt as he had seen it before was solid as any other rock, though with a far more distinct taste.

Today, he had decided, was the day he would put all of his doubts about this "salt water" to rest.

Still awkward on the sand, he lumbered down the beach, across the sands. He waded into the waters, cold waves crashing against him as he hesitated one last time. Then, gathering his courage, dipped his tongue into the water and-

immediately recoiled, so strong was the taste. Sputtering, betrayed by his so-called worldly knowledge, he trudged out of the water bitterly.