Cascade

The sun sparkled on silver droplets as Cassie dipped her paddle in the water.  The canoe glided forward.
         This was bliss.  A perfect summer day, and she was free, finally, to float—soar—here in her canoe.
         Cassie paddled out to her little island out in the middle of the lake.  Well, it wasn’t really her island, but no one else ever went there.  The island was her sanctuary.
         Cassie pulled her canoe onto the bank and stepped out.  She breathed deeply.  The air, which was always cooler here under the trees, carried a scent of pine needles and the sound of Cassie’s crunching, swishing footsteps.  Strolling through the trees, Cassie pushed back a branch and—there it was, the old cabin.  She guessed that someone must have lived here before, but not anymore.  When Cassie found the old cabin, it was rotting.  Even a part of the roof had collapsed.
         Later, Cassie had brought some boards in her canoe, and she cleared the fallen beams and built a slanted wall there.  Now the cabin was her favorite place.  Cassie came here as often as she could, as long as it wasn’t too cold, and sometimes she stayed for a few nights in the summer.  She had stocked the cabin with blankets, a flashlight, books, and a little food, and now it was almost a second home for her.
         Cassie brought one of the books outside and sat down on a log, but she didn’t read, just sat and thought and watched light, grey clouds move across the sky and thicken and darken.
         Rain started to drip down, then drizzle, sprinkle, and then pour.  Cassie stood up and started to head inside, but then again, she didn’t really mind the rain.  Cassie stood still and let the cascade calm her.
         After a few minutes, she started shivering and went into the cabin.  Cassie took off her wet clothes and, since she didn’t have any dry clothes with her, snuggled into a blanket.  She lay in her sleeping bag, shivering, suddenly exhausted, but for some reason she was too tense to sleep.  Rain continued to pound on the roof, loud, but the rumble cleared the worries out of her mind and lulled her to sleep.
         A roar and a crack split the gentle roll of the raindrops.  Cassie’s mind instantly snapped alert.  The thunder receded, and her tired eyes started to drift to sleep again, but then another clap crashed over her.
         Cassie sat up in her sleeping bag and leaned against the wall.  Her eyes started to droop, but her mind wouldn’t sleep.
         A lighting bolt zipped down, and thunder followed close behind it.  The storm must be nearby.  As Cassie listened, thunder continued to roll, growing even louder as the rain started to ease.
         Cassie heard a faint hissing noise, hardly noticeable amid the thunder.  At first, it seemed like the rain, but then she realized this was different.
         She sniffed.  Smoke!  Cassie bolted upright, flung herself out of the sleeping bag, and dashed outside.
         Her clothes!  She couldn’t go outside like this!  Cassie dashed back inside.
         Frantically, she dug through her blankets in the cabin.  Where were her clothes?
         Flames edged along the walls and smoke was filling the air.  Cassie knew she couldn’t stay any longer.  She snatched up a blanket and ran outside.
         Already, the fire was starting to spread.
         Cassie dashed away from the cabin, leaves crackling under her feet, fire crackling behind her.
         The flames continued to grow.  The island was slowly being engulfed.  With horror, Cassie realized she couldn’t stay here any longer.  She had to escape.  Now.
         She plunged into the water.  The waves battered her, pulled her down, holding her beneath the surface.  Cassie couldn’t tell where she was couldn’t tell which way was up, couldn’t reach the air she so desperately needed.  Her lungs seemed like they were about to burst.  She clawed toward what she desperately hoped was the surface.
         Finally, Cassie reached the surface.  She shrieked, gulped a breath of air, choking on the wild sprays of water.  Another wave crashed over her face.  Gasping, she reached the surface again, treading water, struggling to keep her head above the surface as water swelled and crashed around her.  She looked back at the island.
         Everything was gone, flaming, charred.  She couldn’t go back.  She knew she had no choice but to return to the mainland—all the way across the lake.
         Her boat was burnt too.
         Cassie took a deep breath and started swimming.  At first, it was easy, for the storm was weakening and she was strong from years of swim team.  The shoreline moved slowly closer as she swam.
         Her arms grew heavy, her legs slowed, and every wave plunged her face under the surface.  Every stroke was a struggle.  The shore was still so far away.
         Cassie stopped.  She couldn’t continue.  She tried to tread water, but her head was scarcely above the surface and her nose filled with water from every swell.
         Her legs couldn’t move anymore.  Her arms ached terribly.  Her mind was numb.  Cassie slipped beneath the waves and slipped into unconsciousness.
---
         Carl sat on a piece of driftwood, staring out over the lake, where waves swelled and crashed.  His mind trailed aimlessly around in different directions.  He gazed blankly ahead of him, not really paying attention.
         Suddenly, he snapped to alertness—the island!  He heard a shriek.  Someone was trapped!  No one else was around to save the person—it had to be Carl.  He ran back to get his boat and dragged it into the water.
         Paddling frantically across the lake, Carl’s mind raced.  Someone could be hurt, even killed!  He had to reach them!  Ahead, hardly visible between the swelling waves, he saw a pale shape.  He paddled closer.  Could it be?!  A person was stranded all the way out here!
         Another wave rolled under the canoe, and it almost tipped.  By the time Carl had it under control, the person was gone.
         He frantically looked around.  Where could they be?  He had to find them!  Finally, Carl spotted the person, pushed farther away by the waves, already sinking beneath the surface.  He jumped out of his canoe without thinking, almost capsizing it.  The splash swallowed him.
         He dove beneath the surface.  There he was!  Actually, there she was.  Cassie!  Grabbing her arm, Carl kicked frantically toward the surface.
         Treading water, he held her head above the surface, then tried to lift her into the canoe.  She was light in the water, but Carl’s exhausted arms couldn’t lift her above him into the canoe.
         After a while of ineffectually trying to lift her, he tilted the canoe to the side, which let in water, but he didn’t care, and rolled her inside.  By then, he was too tired to pull himself in, so Carl just held onto the edge of the canoe and hung limp.
         Some time later, he finally dragged himself into the canoe and paddled back home.  It seemed a much longer distance this time.
---
         Later that night, Carl jerked awake.  Where was he?  Suddenly, he remembered all that had occurred.  He looked over at Cassie, still unconscious beside him.  He just looked at her, sleeping so peacefully.
         He suddenly realized just how dangerous the rescue was.  He could have died.
         She might have already.
         He leapt up and rushed over her.  She was still breathing.  He breathed a sigh of relief.
         Carl blushed as he realized he was staring.  He looked away, thinking he should go get a blanket.
         Somehow he had never thought of Cassie this way before.
         She was beautiful.
---

Cassie lay on the porch, warm sun pouring down on her.  So relaxing…
         “Hey, Cassie!” Carl yelled up from the beach.  “Want to come on a boat ride with us?”
         Her heart started to beat faster, quick and fluttery.  She couldn’t go on the boat—not after last time.  She was too scared.  “No.” 
         There was another reason for the racing heartbeat, and that reason made her want to go on the boat.  But she still couldn’t.
         Cassie scrunched down in her chair and buried her thoughts in the book she was reading.
         Tried to, at least.  Carl…  She wished she could go on the boat with him, talk to him, just be near him.  But she couldn’t.  Not after what happened. 
         She was too scared.  Cassie thought she would never go on a boat again.
---
         “No,” Cassie said, and stuck her face in her book again.
         Carl looked up at her and sighed.  He shrugged, turned away from her, and walked slowly toward the boat. 
         He looked back over his shoulder.  He caught a glimpse of Cassie looking at him over the top of the book, longingly.  He smiled a little to himself.
         “Hey Jon, I’m going to stay here, OK?”
---
         Cassie peeked out over the top of her book, looking sadly after him.  He turned to look back at her and she quickly looked away, heart flickering.
         Carl came up the stairs to the porch and sat down next to her.
         Her pulse quickened.
         He smiled at her, a little sadly.  “You OK?”
         “Yeah, I’m fine.”  Somehow she could never say anything intelligent when he was around.
         He smiled at her again.
         Cassie felt her face grow warmer.  “What’s so funny?”
         He shook his head.  “Nothing.  Come on, let’s go for a walk,” he said, pulling her to her feet.
         They walked along the beach, talking and laughing.  Cassie’s fearful thoughts of the boat eased. 
         “So…” he said at last.  “Are you sure you don’t want to go on the boat with me?”
         “Yes!”  Cassie leaped back.  She paused.  “I’m sorry. But I can’t.  I can’t!”
         Carl stood still, concerned.  He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but didn’t say it.
         He turned away.  “OK,” he mumbled.
         Cassie wanted to run back after him, but she didn’t. She told herself she didn’t want to that much, anyway.  But she knew she was just too scared.
         Just like everything else in my life,  she thought bitterly.
---
         “Carl! Your arm!”
         He smiled wryly.  “Yeah. I guess neither of us is swimming now,” Carl said, waving his cast.
         On a sudden impulse, Cassie leaned forward and kissed him.
         Carl looked startled.  Cassie was pretty surprised herself.
         She blushed.  “Sorry,” Cassie stammered.  “I don’t know what…I mean I just—”
         Carl grinned.  “It’s OK,” he said, and kissed her back.
---
         Carl sat on the bench next to Cassie, silently, with his arm around her shoulders.
         She stared out over the water, remembering that day, rather like this day, one year ago.  She frowned, tense, as she remembered.
         Carl looked at her, concerned.
         Suddenly her eyes widened.  “Look!” she gasped.  “Over there!”  Cassie pointed to a little canoe stranded on the lake, buffeted by waves.  As they watched they heard a shriek.  “It’s a little kid—he’s in trouble!”
         Cassie grabbed Carl’s good arm and started to say something, but she looked down at his broken arm and didn’t say it.
         “There’s no one else here,” Carl murmured, squeezing her hand.  “I can’t paddle out there, not with this arm, and , well…” He looked at Cassie.  “Never mind.”
         “But I can’t!”  Cassie leaped up.  “I can’t!”
         Carl looked at her sadly.
         “I can’t!” she shrieked.
         He looked away.  “I can’t force you.”
         Cassie glared at him. “That’s right, you can’t!” she spat.  She stalked away.
         Carl looked blankly after her for a few moments.  Then the cries from the canoe made his decision.
         Hurrying along the shore to his dock, Carl knew what he had to do.  Clumsily, he untied the canoe, since he could only use one hand.  He pushed away from the dock and started paddling, awkwardly banging the canoe with his paddle as he lifted it to the other side, struggling to push the canoe forward as his paddle wobbled.
         There!—the canoe, up ahead.  So close, but so far away across the swelling waves.  Carl shouted out to the boy, “I’m coming!”
         The boy tried to turn his canoe toward Carl.  A wave slammed into the side and threw him into the lake.
         Carl leaned anxiously over the edge of the canoe.  Should he jump in?  If he did, his cast would dissolve.
         But that would be a small price to pay for the boy’s life.
---
         Danny struggled below the water, fighting against the waves shoving him down.  Finally, he broke the surface, gasping for air.
         An older boy reached his hand out to him.  “Give me your hand! I’ll pull you in!” he said.  Danny reached toward him and the boy yanked him out of the water and against the side of the canoe.  He grabbed the edge and held on.
         “Sorry,” said the boy, rubbing his arm.  “I can’t lift you all the way.  Here, I know, you try to jump and I’ll help you.”
         Danny kicked and pushed himself over the side, and tumbled into the canoe.
         The boy started to paddle back, using just one arm, and grimacing with every stroke.
         “Do you want any help?” Danny asked.
         “Yeah, thanks,” he said with relief.  “Sorry I didn’t do a good job of rescuing you—now it seems like you’re rescuing me!  By the way, I’m Carl.”
         Danny grinned, proud that this older boy needed his help.
---
         Cassie paced back and forth in her bedroom.  Why was I she so mean to Carl?  Why couldn’t she have been braver?  Why did she have to almost-drown in the first place?
         “Cassie! Cassie!” her mom yelled up the stairs.  “Come quick!”
         Cassie rushed downstairs.  “What happened?”  Her eyes flashed around the room.  Police? Ambulance?!  “Danny!”  She rushed to his side.
         “He was out on the lake when his canoe tipped,” said the officer.  “If it wasn’t for this young man—”
         “CARL!”  Cassie’s eyes widened in relief and joy.  She wanted to leap into his arms, but then she remembered what had just happened, and didn’t.
         Danny’s life should be more important than thinking about Carl, she thought.  Then she realized—Carl was responsible for saving his life, risking his life in the process.  He saved Danny in the middle of a storm with a broken arm.  She had been too afraid.  In fact, she had been too afraid to go on a boat ride on a perfect sunny day!  She knew what Carl must think of her now.  Her face fell and she couldn’t look him in the eye.
---
         The rescue had left Carl exhausted, but knowing he had succeeded cheered him up.  He looked at Cassie hopefully, but she looked away.  She really was mad at him.
         The paramedics had finished checking Danny.  “He appears to be all right now.  Remember, he needs lots of rest, and don’t hesitate to call a physician if his condition worsens.”  The exited.  The room was oppressively silent.
         Carl dashed out without saying anything.
         Cassie turned back to her family. 
         “Oh, Danny!” her mother sobbed.  “We almost lost you!  If it wasn’t for Carl, you could have drowned!”
         If it wasn’t for Carl… 
         “Just think how dangerous it was!  He was the only person to see you—what if he hadn’t?”
         The only person…
         “Carl was so brave! He risked his life to save you!”
         So brave…
         Cassie sobbed and dashed up to her room.






Word Count: 2564