One day there was a young boy who was playing close to the water’s edge,
and as he leaned over, he saw his reflection smiling back at him.
He watched the water ripples make his mouth appear strange, and he giggled as he bent over the river bank even further. A few stones tumbled down the soil that carried the little boy’s weight, and unbeknownst to him, erosion had taken place over the years and made the ground weak. As he put his hands against the grassy ledge to push himself up, a piece of the dirt broke free and his tiny body slid down quickly towards the water that was lapping at the shore. His head banged hard against a rock at the bottom of the landing, and the lifeless body of the boy became submerged in the murky water.
No one noticed that Adam was missing from the family’s picnic, as all the other children were playing ball, and the parents were in a deep conservation about bills that needed to be paid. The family dog roamed around the tree line, looking for a place to relieve himself, and he made his way closer to where Adam had been admiring his reflection. As the family pet sniffed around the grass, his curiosity led him towards the edge. Just then, Adam’s mom felt a twinge in her stomach to notify her something was wrong, and as she turned her head from side to side, she couldn’t see where her little boy was playing. She called over to his sisters, and they replied that he wasn’t with them.
Panic began to set in, as Sonia grabbed her husband’s arm, and could barely get her words out… “Adam, where is Adam?” she frantically stated.
She ran towards the dog that was looking over the edge of the embankment in a strange fashion, and the pit of her stomach knotted up like a scared child waiting to attend their first day of kindergarten. Her husband wrestled himself from his chair, as he saw the anxiety emanating from his wife’s demeanor. Sonia arrived at the ledge and upon spotting Adam’s body floating, face down in the pool of water, she scampered down the hill in a swift swoop to rescue her son.
Adam emerged from the bottom of the hill, and as he rose to his feet, he looked around and noticed how beautiful the sky had become. He had never seen such colours before, and he stood there, mesmerized at the feathered hues of clouds that dotted the edges of the scenery. He looked out over the water, and saw a man approaching him. He was not afraid, even though he didn’t recognize this stranger coming towards him. He waited patiently, while looking down into the crystal, clear water below him. The water was immaculately clean, and he noticed little fish swimming at his feet that were shades of pink, and blue, and green. Where had these strange fish come from? They didn’t even look real! He had watched many shows on television about nature, but he had never experienced anything like this at all. The man broke Adam’s train of thought, as his hand reached out and touched his shoulder. He looked up and couldn’t make out the man’s face, as the sun was so bright behind him, that it shaded all the details in the man’s appearance. The man said to follow him, and without question, the little boy did what he was told and the two figures began to walk out towards the deeper part of the water.
A few minutes later, Adam noticed that the water level hadn’t risen but he knew he was very far from shore. He didn’t understand how they could walk this far out, without being consumed by deep water. The man didn’t say a word, but the little boy felt absolutely protected, and even loved by this stranger. He didn’t know where they were going but he didn’t question him, as it felt like this was the right path to follow.
Sonia’s screams echoed so profoundly into the air that it penetrated the banks of the water and the nearby birds flew out of the comforts of their nests due to the distraction.
She picked up her little boy’s body, and called to him, but there was no response.
Her husband had been trained in CPR years earlier, and he rushed down the embankment to squat down beside his son’s lifeless body. He gently told his wife that she needed to make sure the younger girls were okay and to go get help, and he would take over the resuscitation efforts on their son. Her loving eyes pleaded with him to save their son, even though she didn’t speak a word out loud. She quickly conceded to his instructions and stumbled her way back up the hill to call 9-1-1.
Mike, her husband, laid Adam on the shore, his tiny body outstretched. For a second he looked at his son’s limp body and wondered if he was too late. He tried to remember all the steps he had learned in First Aid, and he began to rhythmically push on his son’s chest, while pinching his nose and breathing into his only son’s mouth. Nothing was happening, and Mike could feel his heart ripping open with every unsuccessful breath. Tears began to escape his eyes, and he choked back the realization that he may never see his son alive again. This strong man of six feet began to crumble in emotion, as his son was fading deeper and deeper into a world his Dad was not part of. Mike cringed at the thought of such a horrendous ending to an otherwise perfect family outing.
He took a deep breath and planted a long, hard, suctioned gasp into his son’s lungs, in a final attempt to revive him, as he prayed for more time with this beautiful child.
The breeze became gentle, as the tree leaves rustled in the distance, singing a lullaby of nature’s song through its branches. The sun became bright and almost blinding, as its rays settled on the sight below it and kept the family within its warm embrace. Everything became extremely still, as the water’s current slowed to a non-existent flow, and the world was allowed to catch its breath in its own silence…
A gurgling sound bubbled up from down on the shoreline, and Mike’s back arched back in surprise. His eyes became wide, as he realized he had breathed life back into his son.
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