You bolt awake in a
cold, moving place. Your eyes sting a
little so you wipe them with one hand and open them while trying to stay afloat
in the fast water. You can still barely
see anything in this dark; you must be underground or something; it’s probably all
a dream. But the drain! Could you have fallen through the drain? You nearly go under while using one hand to
pinch yourself in a few places to make sure you’re not dreaming. The pinches don’t hurt but you know you’re
not dreaming; you’re just numb from the cold water. After you’ve been treading water for what
must be hours, you find a shallow patch with your foot and climb up, digging
in-between the rocks with your numb fingers to fight the current. After a hard battle, you get yourself up onto
a smooth ledge out of the water and lay there panting in the cold
darkness. How in the world did it come
to this? Not daring to go back into the
water, you sit and wait for rescue. With
your phone destroyed and no clear idea of where you are, it could be a long
wait. Maybe you’ll float further down
the river tomorrow, but for now, you’re free.
And wet.
