The Rapids
This is a little older so it might not be as good as my most recent work. Enjoy ! :)
The summer heat clings to my body as I force my tired legs to continue forward. My 2 younger brothers are with me. Carrying towels with faded colored swirls around each of our necks. My hair sticks to my neck and forehead. The sun has beat down on our heads for a half hour, but now behind the sound of the chickadees singing, I can hear the distant sound of water crashing into rocks, not as heavy as a waterfall but just as fierce. The sound grows with each step and soon the river comes into sight. Surrounding me are maple, spruce, and trembling aspen. The spruce create a strong scent of sap and evergreen needles. The maples are full and lush and the aspen, flicker with the smallest amount of breeze. A narrow path winds down the hill leading beneath a sturdy concrete bridge with graffiti tattooed on the sides.
We jump along the path leaping over rocks slightly bigger than car tires sticking out from the earth. Soon, we are swallowed by the shadow of the bridge. The rocks we jump on are now are surrounded by water with strong currents attacking the sides of each stone. Smooth, slippery and eroded, but still have a big enough size for more than one person to stand on without the need for a concentrated balance. The water tumbles between the two rocky sides of the river. The mist settles on my bare skin instantly cooling my body. In a bathing suit top and black gym shorts I slip into the deeper, calmer water. On the wall across from me I notice several brown spiders the size of nickels, sheltered from predators.
One of my brothers climbs onto the edge of a flat rock sitting next to a tumble of white water. He cautiously sits in the current and it pulls him down quickly. He hits the deep water heavily. My heart sinks for a moment, until he breaks from the surface, and a laugh fills the air. Each of us take turns going down nature's water slide. A pump of adrenaline runs through my veins, every time I am launched into the deep, shaded water.
Soon, I notice that the summer sky has been painted from blue to pink and orange.
Smudges of colored clouds sunk into the horizon where the sun has fallen. I wrap the top half of my body with my towel and slip sandals onto my damp feet. With my brothers close behind I climb from underneath the bridge back up onto the old road. I walk back the way I came, towards home. On my side I see the moon and a few red flashing satellites. Everything seems different as the light slowly dulls. A smile forms on my mouth, as I hear the soft sound of crashing water in the distance. The same in the hot summer sun and the cool evening, available for the rest of the summer, the rapids that split the Magnetawan river.
We jump along the path leaping over rocks slightly bigger than car tires sticking out from the earth. Soon, we are swallowed by the shadow of the bridge. The rocks we jump on are now are surrounded by water with strong currents attacking the sides of each stone. Smooth, slippery and eroded, but still have a big enough size for more than one person to stand on without the need for a concentrated balance. The water tumbles between the two rocky sides of the river. The mist settles on my bare skin instantly cooling my body. In a bathing suit top and black gym shorts I slip into the deeper, calmer water. On the wall across from me I notice several brown spiders the size of nickels, sheltered from predators.
One of my brothers climbs onto the edge of a flat rock sitting next to a tumble of white water. He cautiously sits in the current and it pulls him down quickly. He hits the deep water heavily. My heart sinks for a moment, until he breaks from the surface, and a laugh fills the air. Each of us take turns going down nature's water slide. A pump of adrenaline runs through my veins, every time I am launched into the deep, shaded water.
Soon, I notice that the summer sky has been painted from blue to pink and orange.
Smudges of colored clouds sunk into the horizon where the sun has fallen. I wrap the top half of my body with my towel and slip sandals onto my damp feet. With my brothers close behind I climb from underneath the bridge back up onto the old road. I walk back the way I came, towards home. On my side I see the moon and a few red flashing satellites. Everything seems different as the light slowly dulls. A smile forms on my mouth, as I hear the soft sound of crashing water in the distance. The same in the hot summer sun and the cool evening, available for the rest of the summer, the rapids that split the Magnetawan river.
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