Much of Nothing
The shore is not far from your position and you battle against the current in your swim to the far shore.
You get to a point where the shore is only a few feet away and your feet are able to touch the ground. You begin wading over to the roots that stretch out over the edge of the embankment. But the current is too strong and it soon sweeps you off of your feet. Your head goes under for a few uncomfortable moments before you fight your way back to the surface and take in some labored breaths.
You are in the middle of the river again and at this point it is starting to flow away from the trail rather than along side of it. The current rushes you along at an ever increasing pace and you start to wonder about the roar that grows louder the farther down stream you get.
You begin to curse as the water turns white and splashes against large rocks that stick out of the water. The current slams you against one of the stones and you feel the wind leave your body. You scramble in attempt to grab hold of the stone but cannot seem to catch hold and the river sweeps you away to bash into another rock. This rock hurts more, and your head bashes off of it, but you are able to grab hold of it and pull yourself up onto its surface.
You cough a little water up before sitting down atop the rock and rubbing your aching head. You are very dizzy from the contact your head made and are having some trouble maintaining consciousness.
Hours go by atop the rock and you begin to wonder if anyone will come for you. You curse Dan and Terri several times from your river bound perch. Have they left you to die here?
The sun starts to sink a little lower in the sky when you hear the distinct sound of a helicopter over the rush of the water around you. You stand up and wave for it as though it weren't already coming for you. It hovers above you and someone within drops a rope ladder down which you grab hold of and clutch desperately to as the rescuers drag the ladder back up into the chopper.
They fly to an open field and touch down. Terri and Dan are there, both of them look relieved.
The ride home is full of excitement; jests at your clumsiness; the glory of riding in a helicopter; and off-color jokes about planning your funeral. You get home late and bid your friends farewell.
You mother is all kinds of angry about your inability to complete the chores she had expected you to do, but even her hysterics cannot dampen your mood. You go to bed and sleep well for the night.
As the years pass you still think back on that fateful day when your life had nearly ended. It's the reason you head a rescue team now. And there is no more fulfilling job out there.
You get to a point where the shore is only a few feet away and your feet are able to touch the ground. You begin wading over to the roots that stretch out over the edge of the embankment. But the current is too strong and it soon sweeps you off of your feet. Your head goes under for a few uncomfortable moments before you fight your way back to the surface and take in some labored breaths.
You are in the middle of the river again and at this point it is starting to flow away from the trail rather than along side of it. The current rushes you along at an ever increasing pace and you start to wonder about the roar that grows louder the farther down stream you get.
You begin to curse as the water turns white and splashes against large rocks that stick out of the water. The current slams you against one of the stones and you feel the wind leave your body. You scramble in attempt to grab hold of the stone but cannot seem to catch hold and the river sweeps you away to bash into another rock. This rock hurts more, and your head bashes off of it, but you are able to grab hold of it and pull yourself up onto its surface.
You cough a little water up before sitting down atop the rock and rubbing your aching head. You are very dizzy from the contact your head made and are having some trouble maintaining consciousness.
Hours go by atop the rock and you begin to wonder if anyone will come for you. You curse Dan and Terri several times from your river bound perch. Have they left you to die here?
The sun starts to sink a little lower in the sky when you hear the distinct sound of a helicopter over the rush of the water around you. You stand up and wave for it as though it weren't already coming for you. It hovers above you and someone within drops a rope ladder down which you grab hold of and clutch desperately to as the rescuers drag the ladder back up into the chopper.
They fly to an open field and touch down. Terri and Dan are there, both of them look relieved.
The ride home is full of excitement; jests at your clumsiness; the glory of riding in a helicopter; and off-color jokes about planning your funeral. You get home late and bid your friends farewell.
You mother is all kinds of angry about your inability to complete the chores she had expected you to do, but even her hysterics cannot dampen your mood. You go to bed and sleep well for the night.
As the years pass you still think back on that fateful day when your life had nearly ended. It's the reason you head a rescue team now. And there is no more fulfilling job out there.
