back
down. When I was ten feet from the ground, my foot hit a slick patch of
moss and went out from underneath me. I tried to grasp the branches with
my hand to keep from falling but my hand slipped as well. I didn’t hit
any branches with my body on the way down but I landed on one of the smaller
roots sticking up from the ground. Upon impact, my body curled in on
itself from the pain and I laid in a fetal position in the shallow water, not
able to move or cry out. The pain in my back was the worst I had ever
experienced. I don’t know how long I had been laying there when thunder
started to rumble through the sky. Small raindrops started falling onto
my face and when the dark clouds shaded the sunlight, the cicadas started
belting out their song. The wetlands came alive in rainstorms and I
became nervous as I knew the rain would draw out the water moccasins and
alligators.
I
heard the back door of the building crash open and Daddy started calling out my
name. I was still in so much pain, I couldn’t call out to him and I lay
there praying that he would find me. My father ran around the yard when
he finally spotted me lying in the water.
“Oh
my god, Paige?!” He ran over to me and knelt down. “Paige baby, are
you all right, what happened baby? Talk to me.” His voice was panicked
and I tried to move to look at him. His hands brushed over me looking for
broken bones or other signs of injury. I started to turn over and he
picked me up after seeing that I was moving.
He
hurried me inside to the building and called out for Momma. “Maia!
Maia! Come quick. Paige is hurt!”
Momma
came running out of the kitchen and Daddy laid me on a couch in the back
parlor. I stretched out my body and the pain that shot through my back
caused me to wince. Momma gently rolled me over and lifted the back of my
shirt to inspect me. She stifled a small cry when she saw my back and she
shot up and hurried into one of the bathrooms. Daddy stayed with me and
continued to pet my head and console me. Within seconds, Momma was back
at my side and was wiping my back down with a warm cloth. She dried the
area and then spread a small amount of ointment on my skin. She bandaged
the area and turned me back to face her. She didn’t ask me what happened
but I knew she would save those questions for later, now that she knew I was
alright.
I
was lucky I didn’t land on my spine. The root had bruised my back
something awful, but I didn’t break any bones or cause other permanent
injuries. After that fall, I started to fear heights and I never climbed
another tree.
From
that day forward, I kept my feet on the ground.
Chapter Four
I shot
up from my bed and I reached over to find Alex, but his side was empty. The bed
was still rumpled from where he had laid, but the sheets and pillow were cool
to the touch. He must have gone in to work early.
I laid
back down and turned my head to stare at the light peeking in from the edges of
the curtains. My mind was still in a state of shock from last night’s
dream. I haven’t dreamt of Buddy in many years, even though he was still
barricaded behind those walls around my heart. I stayed there for another
couple minutes while the emotions consumed me.
I
eventually shook off the thoughts and pushed myself out of the bed.
Padding over to the bathroom I grabbed some clothes from my closet on my
way. I relieved myself and then quickly dressed and brushed my
teeth. My hair was thrown up into a messy bun and I turned around to walk
out my bedroom door. The tattoo on my shoulder caught my attention as I
turned and I reached over to gently touch it with my fingertips.
I left
my room and hurried into the kitchen to brew some coffee. I measured the
coffee grinds and water and poured them into the machine. After hitting
the start button I immediately began tapping my fingers impatiently on the
counter while it sputtered and steamed. I
down. When I was ten feet from the ground, my foot hit a slick patch of
moss and went out from underneath me. I tried to grasp the branches with
my hand to keep from falling but my hand slipped as well. I didn’t hit
any branches with my body on the way down but I landed on one of the smaller
roots sticking up from the ground. Upon impact, my body curled in on
itself from the pain and I laid in a fetal position in the shallow water, not
able to move or cry out. The pain in my back was the worst I had ever
experienced. I don’t know how long I had been laying there when thunder
started to rumble through the sky. Small raindrops started falling onto
my face and when the dark clouds shaded the sunlight, the cicadas started
belting out their song. The wetlands came alive in rainstorms and I
became nervous as I knew the rain would draw out the water moccasins and
alligators.
I
heard the back door of the building crash open and Daddy started calling out my
name. I was still in so much pain, I couldn’t call out to him and I lay
there praying that he would find me. My father ran around the yard when
he finally spotted me lying in the water.
“Oh
my god, Paige?!” He ran over to me and knelt down. “Paige baby, are
you all right, what happened baby? Talk to me.” His voice was panicked
and I tried to move to look at him. His hands brushed over me looking for
broken bones or other signs of injury. I started to turn over and he
picked me up after seeing that I was moving.
He
hurried me inside to the building and called out for Momma. “Maia!
Maia! Come quick. Paige is hurt!”
Momma
came running out of the kitchen and Daddy laid me on a couch in the back
parlor. I stretched out my body and the pain that shot through my back
caused me to wince. Momma gently rolled me over and lifted the back of my
shirt to inspect me. She stifled a small cry when she saw my back and she
shot up and hurried into one of the bathrooms. Daddy stayed with me and
continued to pet my head and console me. Within seconds, Momma was back
at my side and was wiping my back down with a warm cloth. She dried the
area and then spread a small amount of ointment on my skin. She bandaged
the area and turned me back to face her. She didn’t ask me what happened
but I knew she would save those questions for later, now that she knew I was
alright.
I
was lucky I didn’t land on my spine. The root had bruised my back
something awful, but I didn’t break any bones or cause other permanent
injuries. After that fall, I started to fear heights and I never climbed
another tree.
From
that day forward, I kept my feet on the ground.
Chapter Four
I shot
up from my bed and I reached over to find Alex, but his side was empty. The bed
was still rumpled from where he had laid, but the sheets and pillow were cool
to the touch. He must have gone in to work early.
I laid
back down and turned my head to stare at the light peeking in from the edges of
the curtains. My mind was still in a state of shock from last night’s
dream. I haven’t dreamt of Buddy in many years, even though he was still
barricaded behind those walls around my heart. I stayed there for another
couple minutes while the emotions consumed me.
I
eventually shook off the thoughts and pushed myself out of the bed.
Padding over to the bathroom I grabbed some clothes from my closet on my
way. I relieved myself and then quickly dressed and brushed my
teeth. My hair was thrown up into a messy bun and I turned around to walk
out my bedroom door. The tattoo on my shoulder caught my attention as I
turned and I reached over to gently touch it with my fingertips.
I left
my room and hurried into the kitchen to brew some coffee. I measured the
coffee grinds and water and poured them into the machine. After hitting
the start button I immediately began tapping my fingers impatiently on the
counter while it sputtered and steamed. I
Similar Books
