An excerpt from the novel
GATE'S CREEK
Lee rolled his eyes and looked around for his shirt and shoes. He turned behind him, and the rope caught his attention once more. That feeling of freedom was beckoning him, and he had a drive to jump just once more before he ended his day at the creek. He scooted back farther this time, making his starting run longer, hoping the thrill would be bigger. His heart was racing as he ran and jumped heavily at the waiting rope.
But, this swing was different. The rope felt different, sounded different. He swung out towards the creek, holding on tightly. The panic in his mind told him to hold on and try to get back on the land. When the rope came swinging back, he heard the awful sound of the branch above him creaking, snapping. In an instance, the rope was falling.
He was falling. And the branch was falling after him.
The feeling of weightlessness did not return. The fear took over and he felt as though he weighed a thousand tons. As his body dropped towards the water, his head hit one of the rocks closer to edge before his body sank into the water below. Sinking, sinking, sinking. His eyes remained opened and he saw the debris floating all around him. Suddenly, the large branch was floating above him, hovering down on him. Now, the fear of falling turned into a fear of drowning.
The blood gushing from where his head smacked the rock was coloring the dirty water around him a strange maroon color. The branch above him was pinning him to the bottom of the creek, the sandy, gravely rocks of the bottom scratching his thighs. He wasn't sure whether to fight against the menacing branch, or give up the fight.
Lee was leaning towards the latter decision when his body began to go limp. He didn't have the drive, nor the energy to fight any longer. His eyes searched his watery grave for any chance of an exit when a small hand slipped into his own, pulling him up and away from the large branch that was pinning him to his deathbed.
Lee closed his eyes as he was dragged upwards, towards the surface. He couldn't be sure if he was, in fact, still alive. Or if he was imagining this savior. It must have been Ricky. But his hand was not so small as this one that held his now. Kayla? It had to be Kayla. He'd always known that she'd secretly liked him before hooking up with Ricky. It must be Kayla. Suddenly, his head was out of the water and his lungs took a large gasp of the precious air around him. The hand was now an arm clutched around his neck, swimming him gracefully to the side of the creek, placing him on the rocky edge for support. His lungs were still gasping for air and the blood still gushed from his head. He realized he was alive, for he was in too much pain to be dead. He tried to move his head, tried to sit up.
"Easy," a soft, light voice whispered as the small hand it belonged to wiped his hair from his brow. "Careful."
Lee finally managed to open his eyes. Everything looked so bright, seemed so illuminated compared to the darkness of the water. He coughed and water he unknowingly swallowed gurgled from his mouth. He coughed again.
"It's OK, you're OK now," the voiced hummed in his ears. His gaze was finally able to fix on the keeper of the voice, the angel of the water. His rescuer had not been Kayla after all. But a girl he'd never seen before. A girl more beautiful than he'd ever laid eyes on before. A girl who saved his life. He tried to speak, but no sound came out. Only more coughing. And more water. The small hand that belonged to the beautiful girl who rescued him gently rubbed his hair which was now covered in the blood of his wound from the rock. He watched her face, so soft and pale. Her blond hair hung over her shoulders and her bright, blue eyes gazed down into his. He wondered how this tiny girl had saved him from the water. She could not have been older than he was and so tiny she looked like she might break at the slightest touch. He'd wondered why he'd never seen her before. A girl this beautiful he would have remembered from school. He wanted to ask her who she was, where did she come from, but his mouth wouldn't (couldn't) move.
But, this swing was different. The rope felt different, sounded different. He swung out towards the creek, holding on tightly. The panic in his mind told him to hold on and try to get back on the land. When the rope came swinging back, he heard the awful sound of the branch above him creaking, snapping. In an instance, the rope was falling.
He was falling. And the branch was falling after him.
The feeling of weightlessness did not return. The fear took over and he felt as though he weighed a thousand tons. As his body dropped towards the water, his head hit one of the rocks closer to edge before his body sank into the water below. Sinking, sinking, sinking. His eyes remained opened and he saw the debris floating all around him. Suddenly, the large branch was floating above him, hovering down on him. Now, the fear of falling turned into a fear of drowning.
The blood gushing from where his head smacked the rock was coloring the dirty water around him a strange maroon color. The branch above him was pinning him to the bottom of the creek, the sandy, gravely rocks of the bottom scratching his thighs. He wasn't sure whether to fight against the menacing branch, or give up the fight.
Lee was leaning towards the latter decision when his body began to go limp. He didn't have the drive, nor the energy to fight any longer. His eyes searched his watery grave for any chance of an exit when a small hand slipped into his own, pulling him up and away from the large branch that was pinning him to his deathbed.
Lee closed his eyes as he was dragged upwards, towards the surface. He couldn't be sure if he was, in fact, still alive. Or if he was imagining this savior. It must have been Ricky. But his hand was not so small as this one that held his now. Kayla? It had to be Kayla. He'd always known that she'd secretly liked him before hooking up with Ricky. It must be Kayla. Suddenly, his head was out of the water and his lungs took a large gasp of the precious air around him. The hand was now an arm clutched around his neck, swimming him gracefully to the side of the creek, placing him on the rocky edge for support. His lungs were still gasping for air and the blood still gushed from his head. He realized he was alive, for he was in too much pain to be dead. He tried to move his head, tried to sit up.
"Easy," a soft, light voice whispered as the small hand it belonged to wiped his hair from his brow. "Careful."
Lee finally managed to open his eyes. Everything looked so bright, seemed so illuminated compared to the darkness of the water. He coughed and water he unknowingly swallowed gurgled from his mouth. He coughed again.
"It's OK, you're OK now," the voiced hummed in his ears. His gaze was finally able to fix on the keeper of the voice, the angel of the water. His rescuer had not been Kayla after all. But a girl he'd never seen before. A girl more beautiful than he'd ever laid eyes on before. A girl who saved his life. He tried to speak, but no sound came out. Only more coughing. And more water. The small hand that belonged to the beautiful girl who rescued him gently rubbed his hair which was now covered in the blood of his wound from the rock. He watched her face, so soft and pale. Her blond hair hung over her shoulders and her bright, blue eyes gazed down into his. He wondered how this tiny girl had saved him from the water. She could not have been older than he was and so tiny she looked like she might break at the slightest touch. He'd wondered why he'd never seen her before. A girl this beautiful he would have remembered from school. He wanted to ask her who she was, where did she come from, but his mouth wouldn't (couldn't) move.