pockets. But I didn’t even look that way. I was running out of time.
I was already shivering when I flopped down onthe mattress. I decided right then that I wouldn’t stop again until the bridge.
But I was wrong.
A few minutes later I hit a patch of rough water. I wasn’t worried at all. I’d been through lots worse.
But then the mattress rose up and dumped me into the river.
I don’t know what happened. Maybe it was a wave. Or a rock I didn’t see. Or the River Demon playing a little joke.
I didn’t have time to think about it. Suddenly I was underwater and freezing all over again. The life vest popped me up. I sucked in a breath and realized I was floating along downstream.
The mattress was about six feet ahead of me. I tried to swim toward it, but I couldn’t gain much ground. Both the mattress and I drifted along, six feet apart.
Then I hit shallower water. My feet dragged on the bottom. I lifted them high, but soon one foot scraped again. That spun me around.
By then the mattress was fifteen feet ahead. I wanted to scream. I could see it, but I couldn’t catch up to it.
All afternoon that mattress had been drifting out of the current. Not now, when I wanted that to happen. Now it sailed along midstream. Getting farther and farther away.
I t was terrible to watch the mattress getting smaller and smaller. I floated along, hoping it would slip out of the current. No such luck.
There was only one thing to do. Obviously. But my brain wasn’t working very well. It took me a long time to think of it. Then I paddled and kicked into shallow water. I waded to the shore and started running. I raced along the water’s edge. Up ahead Icould see boulders. If I got that far, I’d have to swim again.
I was almost even with the mattress when it hit some fast water. It shot ahead of me again. I would have screamed if I’d had any breath.
But then the mattress turned sideways for a second. I ran past it and rushed into the river. I kept my eye on the mattress, still upstream from me.
I waded into deeper water. The current pulled at my legs. When I was waist deep, I stopped. I was still wearing my life vest. And it was too late to take it off. If I went any farther, the river would pick me up. And I’d be floating again.
I stopped and watched the mattress come closer. It was moving steadily, right in the middle of the stream. I crouched down and waited.
When the front of the mattress was even with me, I made my leap. I got an arm across the mattress, and it carried me along for a minute. But then it turned sideways, and I eased it toward shore.
I dragged it into shallower water and slid on. Iwas still breathing hard from the run, and it felt good to lie down. Even on that mattress.
On and on I went. I checked my watch about once a minute. Every time I looked ahead, I expected to see the bridge. But all I saw was more river.
I was shivering hard. I tried to make up a song about the bear to keep my mind off the cold. But I couldn’t get past the first line:
“On Boulder River I saw a bear….”
I could think of lots of rhymes:
square, fair, hair
. But right then putting words together was too much work.
I gave up the song and started playing games, trying to keep from looking at the watch. I kept my eyes on the water in front of me while I counted to a hundred. Then I glanced at thewatch and looked up for the bridge. Then counted again.
I tried to name twenty-five video games I’d played. That didn’t work. Right away I started thinking about Tanner.
So I counted backwards from a hundred. And looked up. I counted to five hundred by fives. And looked up. I said the alphabet, then tried to say it backwards.
After counting to ten in Spanish three times, I looked up. And there was the bridge. A plain old metal bridge. But to me, it was beautiful.
I had done it. I’d ridden my crazy mattress-boat all the way. I’d beaten the River Demon.
Paddling toward shore, I kept looking up at that beautiful
I was already shivering when I flopped down onthe mattress. I decided right then that I wouldn’t stop again until the bridge.
But I was wrong.
A few minutes later I hit a patch of rough water. I wasn’t worried at all. I’d been through lots worse.
But then the mattress rose up and dumped me into the river.
I don’t know what happened. Maybe it was a wave. Or a rock I didn’t see. Or the River Demon playing a little joke.
I didn’t have time to think about it. Suddenly I was underwater and freezing all over again. The life vest popped me up. I sucked in a breath and realized I was floating along downstream.
The mattress was about six feet ahead of me. I tried to swim toward it, but I couldn’t gain much ground. Both the mattress and I drifted along, six feet apart.
Then I hit shallower water. My feet dragged on the bottom. I lifted them high, but soon one foot scraped again. That spun me around.
By then the mattress was fifteen feet ahead. I wanted to scream. I could see it, but I couldn’t catch up to it.
All afternoon that mattress had been drifting out of the current. Not now, when I wanted that to happen. Now it sailed along midstream. Getting farther and farther away.
I t was terrible to watch the mattress getting smaller and smaller. I floated along, hoping it would slip out of the current. No such luck.
There was only one thing to do. Obviously. But my brain wasn’t working very well. It took me a long time to think of it. Then I paddled and kicked into shallow water. I waded to the shore and started running. I raced along the water’s edge. Up ahead Icould see boulders. If I got that far, I’d have to swim again.
I was almost even with the mattress when it hit some fast water. It shot ahead of me again. I would have screamed if I’d had any breath.
But then the mattress turned sideways for a second. I ran past it and rushed into the river. I kept my eye on the mattress, still upstream from me.
I waded into deeper water. The current pulled at my legs. When I was waist deep, I stopped. I was still wearing my life vest. And it was too late to take it off. If I went any farther, the river would pick me up. And I’d be floating again.
I stopped and watched the mattress come closer. It was moving steadily, right in the middle of the stream. I crouched down and waited.
When the front of the mattress was even with me, I made my leap. I got an arm across the mattress, and it carried me along for a minute. But then it turned sideways, and I eased it toward shore.
I dragged it into shallower water and slid on. Iwas still breathing hard from the run, and it felt good to lie down. Even on that mattress.
On and on I went. I checked my watch about once a minute. Every time I looked ahead, I expected to see the bridge. But all I saw was more river.
I was shivering hard. I tried to make up a song about the bear to keep my mind off the cold. But I couldn’t get past the first line:
“On Boulder River I saw a bear….”
I could think of lots of rhymes:
square, fair, hair
. But right then putting words together was too much work.
I gave up the song and started playing games, trying to keep from looking at the watch. I kept my eyes on the water in front of me while I counted to a hundred. Then I glanced at thewatch and looked up for the bridge. Then counted again.
I tried to name twenty-five video games I’d played. That didn’t work. Right away I started thinking about Tanner.
So I counted backwards from a hundred. And looked up. I counted to five hundred by fives. And looked up. I said the alphabet, then tried to say it backwards.
After counting to ten in Spanish three times, I looked up. And there was the bridge. A plain old metal bridge. But to me, it was beautiful.
I had done it. I’d ridden my crazy mattress-boat all the way. I’d beaten the River Demon.
Paddling toward shore, I kept looking up at that beautiful
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