It was like being in a gigantic washing machine.
Maggie’s lungs burned as she fought her way back up. The water spun her all around, and she gasped for air. Even with the life jacket, the force of the rapids sucked her under every chance it got.
The river whirled and thundered, twisting and turning as it swept her along. Ben’s voice echoed in her mind, and she tried to keep her feet pointed downriver. The water was freezing, and her fingers were numb. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d jumped. It seemed like forever and ever, but was probably only minutes.
Another rapid approached, and she just missed a rock before she corkscrewed down under the water. When she came up again, she gulped for air, coughing and spitting. The river seemed to be slowing. She could barely move her arms and legs, but tried to get closer to the shore.
Then she saw it.
At the water’s edge, where the riverbank wasn’t so high, a grizzly leaned over, pawing at something under the surface.
Maggie held her breath as the river swept her closer and closer. The bear was so big it didn’t look like it could actually be real. Its brown hair was wet, and she prayed it didn’t want to go swimming again.
I’m a piece of wood. Don’t look up. I’m nothing you want to eat.
As she drew nearer, Maggie squeezed her eyes shut, her heart beating so hard it sounded really loud even over the noise of the river.
When she opened her eyes again, she was past. Glancing back, she could see the bear still on the shore, splashing its huge paw into the water.
She could breathe again, but she was still stuck in the river and it was too cold. Her muscles were so tight she thought she might break apart.
Rocks jutted out into the river in the distance on the right. As the current brought her closer, she reached out. Her fingers skimmed over the slick surface of the rock, but she couldn’t grab hold.
Ahead, a low rumble meant there were more rapids. She kicked harder, swimming sideways toward the shore. Downriver, a fallen tree jutted out into the water. With every ounce of strength she had, Maggie reached out and closed her fist around the slick wood.
It slipped from her hand as the force of the water carried her away. Just as she cried out, she jolted to a stop. The river rushed by, but she wasn’t moving. After a few seconds, Maggie realized her life jacket was caught on one of the branches.
She struggled to take hold of the branch that stuck out of the water. After a few tries, she managed to get a solid grip, and swung her left arm over the branch as well. Now she needed to get the life jacket unstuck without being carried off by the current.
“Daddy!”
She cried, wishing with all her might that he was there to help her the way he always did. But he wasn’t, and she had to do something even though she was so tired.
Maggie couldn’t just hang there from the tree, so she reached down with her foot. She knew she shouldn’t, but couldn’t think of another way to get unhooked. Her foot touched another branch under the water that seemed pretty thick. Still holding on tightly with her arms, she tried standing.
Immediately, her feet slipped off in her heavy hiking boots, and she screamed as she lost her grip. She bobbed under the freezing water, but the life jacket tied her to the tree. Sputtering, she wiped the water from her face and reached out for the branch again. After a few tries, she had the branch in her hand again, her fingers barely able to curl.
Maggie tried standing again, and this time she managed to keep her balance. The shore was ten feet away, and if she could reach behind and unhook her life jacket from the tree, she could climb on the trunk and crawl to the riverbank.
She twisted her right arm behind her and felt around for the strap snagged on one of the branches. Her fingers wouldn’t work right, but finally she grabbed hold. She considered taking the life jacket off, but if she lost her balance again, she didn’t want to be in the river without it.
Trying to stay as still as possible, she worked the strap loose. When she was free, she clung to the tree, afraid to move. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she whimpered, teeth chattering painfully. But she knew her only choice was to keep going, so she slowly worked her way down the length of the tree, hooking her arms through branches and holding on so hard even though she couldn’t feel her fingers.
When she reached out and touched solid ground, she sobbed harder. Pulling herself up onto the bank of the river, the dirt and grass beneath her were so wonderful to feel. She was almost there, almost free of the tree. As her left knee rested on the earth, she pushed off with her right leg.