Water caving in

The voices screaming loud

Life by life I see taken

Those memories I've forsaken

 

1987, that is when the flood happened. Everything was lost. Everything was forgotten. Nothing was found, nothing at all, but I believed I saw something, from the memories I have forsaken. Mom died 5 years before the flood, every single day I would mourn and sorrow. Until 1985, when for my 11th birthday, daddy got me a picture of her to hang next to my bed so that I can sleep happy, and so mom can sleep happy in my dreams every night. But then the flood came.

I heard the explosion, the fear rushed up my spine which forced me to wake up in a split second. I jumped out of my bed. The blurred voices were telling me to take cover and get to high grounds, but I couldn't hear anything over the rushing water coming in from my window. The first thing my instinct did was look for family. All I saw was the picture of my mom, she was wearing that blue dress of hers, smiling, and If she was here, she would tell me everything would be OK, Even If it really isn’t.

I saw daddy’s body floating in front of me, I heard the screams of my brother and sister and I knew that I was going to be the only one left, but I hated loneliness and that picture reminded me that I wasn’t lonely because she was still in my memories, still in that picture, still as a statue. I had to get it, and with all my might, I tried to swim against the water, against the current, to get to that picture, but the current wasn’t on my side. The current dragged me toward a window. I completely failed myself as I plopped into the cold dark water, but I see the picture behind me and I know I can't swim toward the current so I watched it and went with the flow.

All the water was flowing away from the city to new rural land, I never saw before, well maybe I have, but the farms were almost completely submerged in the desolate brown water. I kept on checking the picture to make sure it was behind me. She was the only thing keeping me not lonely and tell me everything was going to be OK, even though it probably wasn’t.

I float past some trees so large that that at least 5 feet of the tip was out of the water, the only thing that was probably still alive. When my mom was still alive I remember we would go climbing trees. We would go up really high, mom helped me overcome my fears of heights and I wish she was here to help me overcome the fear I have right now, of being lonely. If she was here, she would say,”Joey, you know I ain’t accepting this kind of wimpiness, how would gramps think of that? Look at me. You are here with me. You are not lonely.”  But she wasn’t here with me, I couldn’t look at her in her eyes, and she couldn't look into mine and tell me that everything was going to be OK.

I finally saw a clearing. It split into two paths one path went into a forest, one path into a waterfall. The picture looked like it would be going into the forest. The forest looked distinct with its features. It looked energetic with the light streaming through the trees and there was a totem, with the head of an eagle on the top I felt inadequate with my decision, but I took it and tried to swim into the rapids, but the current was too much and I got sucked into the waterfall, and the last thing I remembered was the water coming up my nostrils and the light from my eyes went dark.

“So yeah, that’s my story,” I exclaimed. I stepped back and I let Zeek and Eek examine me in awe. I couldn’t believe how much in common they looked. Both their brown eyebrows as high up as possible on their faces

“Yeah, but you have ADHD, you coulda hallucinated half of it,” Zeek said.

“Mm hm, he has a point, but doesn’t ADHD affect your attention span?” Eek asked.

“I feel so enraged right now, you save me and ask what happened, you ask me to tell my story and you don’t believe it? Right now everything feels lost and everything seems out of place.”

I felt like my heart was breaking, it was falling apart, my throat was caving in I felt remorseful, and abandoned. When they found me in a place, they don’t even know where they are and they said that they would help me, and lead me to the right path. Thats exactly what my mom would of said, If she was alive, she would tell me everything would be OK. The rock in my throat felt like it was getting bigger.

I eventually broke out a tear, but Eek took his hand and wiped it on my eyes,”It’ll be Ok,” he exclaimed,” “everything is going to be alright.”

“ Yeah but I still think you hallucinated,” Zeek said. “Prove that there was a picture”

“OK, fine.” I say. “help me look for it.”

Zeek and Eek reluctantly agreed and we started following the river. We started following the river were the treasure is, where I can stay gold. Where I can retrieve what was taken from me.

We hiked up the side of the river.

“You know,” Zeek exclaimed, “I know how it feels to have lost a loved one.

“Really?” I ask.

“Yeah, My dad died 4 years ago, when I was 12.”

“My dad died yesterday.” No one talked for a while after that.

The scenery was beautiful. The trees swaying side to side, the wind’s spring breeze ruffles up my hair, and a red cardinal sits on the ground in front of me, chirping happily. I wish my mom can be right here, in front of me, telling me everything would be OK.

We approached a large water fall. The water was glistening from the sunlight. The sound of the running water splashing into the spring calmed me.

"I must of fell here and floated down the river." I say. I scratched the back of my head, "We have to climb."

"No way I'm going to climb that!" Zeek exclaimed. He looked terrified, I saw the fear in his eyes.

"Don't worry," I respond. " everything's going to be OK.

Eek started to climb,"Let's go."

It was a long climb. Eek went first, me next, then Zeek went. You had to step in certain spot or else you would fall to the ground, and everyone else under you would go down. I started to have a trust relationship with Zeek and Eek while climbing to the top. Hand by hand and foot by foot we went up, all guiding each other. If my mom was here no matter how scared, she would tell me everything was going to be OK, even if it really wasn’t . She helped helped me with me being scared of heights, and now I’m going to help her.

We got to the top of the mountain.

“All in one piece?” Eek said.

“Yeah,” I say. Zeek didn’t say anything. “Zeek!”

Zeek falls on the ground with a, satisfying thud. “ ZEEK!” Eek screams. He go and checks for breathing. Eek smiled, “You joker.” Zeek also smiled.

“ Got you, suckers!” Zeek said in the most annoying voice ever. He is almost like a brother to me.

I have almost spent a day with these guys, and I am already loving them. Then the flashbacks come back, What if my mom was here, I would of never been with these guys. I would of never climbed a cliff, I would of never woken up in a river. At the flood I had two choices, I could of either escaped the house and went to high grounds or I could have risked my life and save what was left of my mom. I remember when JFK said it, “We’re not doing this because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.” That is why I took the second choice.

We travel along the river, for about 5 hours and then we set up camp. We were all starved and thirsty. Zeek managed to catch a rabbit and Eek managed to make a fire. We cooked the rabbit until we thought it was cooked. About 20 minutes, or it is what I thought so. My tummy was eating itself. My throat was burning with thirst, so we all drank from the river water. The greasy rabbit was eaten in a split second, my tummy wanted more, but my brain urged itself to rest, for the next day.

“Goodnight.”

***

The sun’s light was seeking for my eyes. I woke up to the smell of something great, Zeke managed to get eggs for us. Just enough to satisfy my empty stomach.

“I found the eggs in some bird nests over there.”

I couldn’t believe in what I saw.

 

The totem was there

standing strong and tall.

The eagles head looking bold and all

My mom was near

I was sure

If I found her, I would find the cure.

“That’s where it is,” I say, “That is where it is. I point to the totem.

“What is there?” Zeek asked

“The picture.”

“For real?”

“Yes! I swear!” I reply to Zeek. “Let’s go.”

 

The forest was damp

The trees were clean

I finally waking up from this horrible dream

My future is there

It was clear and bare

The picture must be over there

***

Green was everywhere

The light was blinding my eyes

The picture could be anywhere

and to my surprise

I see a cliff

And I see her on a stick

If you fell down it would be certain death

All I hear is the beating of my chest.

 

“How will we get it now?” I ask. The picture was on a twig about 5 feet deep in the abyss.

“We came this far, we might as well try to reach it,” Zeek suggested. “Here hold my feet and inch me down.”

“But it dangero-”

“No!” Zeek blurted at me. “I climbed a cliff, and was I crazy. I was scared of heights, but you helped me overcome my fear, I walked non-stop for one whole day and I slept under the stars. I only did this for you to prove to myself that that picture was here, and now I’m going to help you retrieve it, even if it risks my life.”

“Yeah!” Eek added.

“Ok, inch him down, and hold his feet tight, make sure not to let him go.” I say. “It’s going to be OK. Are you ready?”

“Ready.”

Inches by inches we take him way down

But Zeek falls down, Into the deep abyss

All we hear was the thud, a loud, loud sound

When Zeek hit the ground, Eek fell too in this

Scared, I search for some kin I can go to

Eek is the closest to family to me

I turned and see if he really pursued

He really went tumbling after Zeek

Why were they so obsessed with the picture

This truly makes those hooligans crazy

At first, they were my hero and victor

Now the memories of them are hazy

And what I find out is the picture's deft

And also that some things should be left