The nine year old boy was falling through the air, he looked through the tears in his eyes up at his parents who were still on the bridge.
They were hanging over the railing with their arms stretched out as far as they would go. Their failed attempt to catch him from falling.
And the faster he began to fall the more the butterflies in his stomach wanted to break free, this gave him a tickling sensation he remembered from riding the big roller coaster last vacation. The feeling only lasted until his body hit the water.
He hits the bottom of the creek with the arc of his back, the impact punches all the air out of his lungs, big bubbles of air leave his mouth and clouds of sand surrounds him. He is stunned for a moment until he regains consciousness, unable to move, the current takes him downstream.
He did not feel like he was drowning at all, instead a strange feeling surrounded him.
He felt as if he was one with the stream, one with every living thing inside it. Every fish, plant and microorganisms.
His arms dangle backwards and his T-shirt slides off, shapes created by the sunlight shining on the water’s surface dance on his chest.
The current guides him pass obstacles that would have otherwise harmed him.
Past sharp rocks, an old rusty bicycle and other junk people had thrown into the water.
Fish hoped to find a meal in the boy’s hair, and underwater plants tried to entangle him as he floated on by.
Then suddenly the creek became wider and began to move more rapidly and the stream took him down a small drop. The water began to feel thicker to him and the corner of his sight became darker until he was surrounded by darkness.
In the darkness a tiny light appeared, it called out his name but in a unusual way, the light became bigger.
It swam around him and grew longer and longer, “You humans have been polluting me and my children for decades, with all your junk and things you no longer desire. And now they throw in their offspring? I would have left you to drown but my youngest son told me he wishes you be spared, and so it has been decided. Now get back on dry land human boy.”, it said and pushed the boy up and out of the water into his father’s arms.
The father lifted his son out of the water, the boy laid lifelessly in his big strong arms.
The boy’s toes still dangled in the water and the light touched them and swam away, turning the water clear again.
He woke up and struggled to breathe at first until he spat out a shiny golden fish that was blocking the water from getting into his lungs, and as soon as it landed in the water it swam off into the deep.
They were hanging over the railing with their arms stretched out as far as they would go. Their failed attempt to catch him from falling.
And the faster he began to fall the more the butterflies in his stomach wanted to break free, this gave him a tickling sensation he remembered from riding the big roller coaster last vacation. The feeling only lasted until his body hit the water.
He hits the bottom of the creek with the arc of his back, the impact punches all the air out of his lungs, big bubbles of air leave his mouth and clouds of sand surrounds him. He is stunned for a moment until he regains consciousness, unable to move, the current takes him downstream.
He did not feel like he was drowning at all, instead a strange feeling surrounded him.
He felt as if he was one with the stream, one with every living thing inside it. Every fish, plant and microorganisms.
His arms dangle backwards and his T-shirt slides off, shapes created by the sunlight shining on the water’s surface dance on his chest.
The current guides him pass obstacles that would have otherwise harmed him.
Past sharp rocks, an old rusty bicycle and other junk people had thrown into the water.
Fish hoped to find a meal in the boy’s hair, and underwater plants tried to entangle him as he floated on by.
Then suddenly the creek became wider and began to move more rapidly and the stream took him down a small drop. The water began to feel thicker to him and the corner of his sight became darker until he was surrounded by darkness.
In the darkness a tiny light appeared, it called out his name but in a unusual way, the light became bigger.
It swam around him and grew longer and longer, “You humans have been polluting me and my children for decades, with all your junk and things you no longer desire. And now they throw in their offspring? I would have left you to drown but my youngest son told me he wishes you be spared, and so it has been decided. Now get back on dry land human boy.”, it said and pushed the boy up and out of the water into his father’s arms.
The father lifted his son out of the water, the boy laid lifelessly in his big strong arms.
The boy’s toes still dangled in the water and the light touched them and swam away, turning the water clear again.
He woke up and struggled to breathe at first until he spat out a shiny golden fish that was blocking the water from getting into his lungs, and as soon as it landed in the water it swam off into the deep.
