Ok, I'm not going to lie to you, the water was freaking freezing. The moment I plunged beneath the surface I was instantly swept away by some strange current. You would think I would have gotten swept further down river but no, of course I was actually getting pulled deeper into the water. It felt as if something had taken a hold of my legs and was pulling down toward the riverbed. How in the world could this part of the river be so deep? I struggled against the force that held me but it was no use. I will tell you that I was never a great swimmer and the moment my lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen, I panicked. I kept trying to swim to the surface but I had a sudden case of vertigo and before I knew it, I couldn't tell which way was up. Why was this part of the river so muddy?!
When you realize that you're about to drown, your basic instincts kick in. I don't know how long I was under the cold waters, all I continued to do was to kick and kick and pray to God that I would break the surface at any moment. Somewhere along the way, the water became a lot colder and a little clearer. I stopped kicking for a brief second and could make out the swirling surface of the river. I righted myself and swam desperately toward the surface. My muscles were screaming by this time and I could feel myself becoming lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. Keep swimming… just keep swimming… why was this river so deep? I was growing weaker the closer I got to the surface… but I was almost there…
The last thing I remembered, before I lost consciousness, was my hand breaking through the surface of the river. The air was so cold… why was the air this cold?
--
When you think about the possibility of death, you wonder what awaits you on the other side. Do you go to heaven or to hell? Do you drift forever in a state of purgatory? Do you become a ghost, forever haunting the place of your death? Perhaps you will be reincarnated… or maybe there is just nothing…
Well, as fun as it is to dwell on the meaning of the afterlife, I have to be dead first and for that I am happy to say, I am not. No, what awaited me, when I finally opened my eyes, was the sight of a ceiling that looked to be made of some kind of wood. My vision was slightly blurry, which meant that my glasses had gotten lost somewhere on my trip in the river. I moved my head to see exactly where I was but that was a big mistake. I gasped at the pain that had sliced its way through my neck and plopped my head back against the pillow. Well, wherever I was, it was very warm and very comfortable, which meant that I had somehow survived my trek through the river.
"Awake now, are ya?" A gruff voice spoke from across the room. Carefully turning my head, I looked to find a rather large man with a thick head of brown hair and a full beard standing in the kitchen. He was looking at me in turn as he pulled a hot water bag from a pot on the stove. He held it with a pair of tongs as he walked over to the bed I was in and tucked the bag in between the mattress. At once I could feel the heat from the water bag rise up through the mattress and sheets, warming my toes quite nicely. I sighed softly in response, which then prompted a fit of painful coughing.
"Figures… here, easy now…" The man moved over to the bedside and reached out to grab a steaming mug of something that was on the nightstand. "Here, drink this slowly." He cradled my head in a strong hand and held it up as I took small sips from the mug. It was tea, warming tea with honey. It soothed my coughs and the painful aches in my throat. When I was finished, he placed the mug back on the nightstand and adjusted the pillow. "No surprise there… you caught a cold." He rested my head back against the pillow and stared down at me, the look in his brown eyes clearly stating that he did not want me around. "You were really lucky that young man had found you when he did."
"Young… man?" I croaked, my voice cracked and I coughed again.
"Aye, his name's Cliff." The man narrowed his eyes as he studied me. "He found you floating in the river, dove right in to save ya." He shook his head while the frown on his face deepened. "What on earth were ya doing in the river?"
"I…" It was amazing how much I could sound like a frog whenever I got sick. I had no idea how I could explain to this man that it was some strange, blond haired woman who had appeared from thin air and pushed me into the river. How could I phrase something like that in a coherent way anyway? I tried to swallow and winced at the sharp pain that followed suit, I hated soar throats with a passion. "I fell in… I was playing with my dog when he…" I trailed off, the thought of Mason making me sit upright in bed and throw back the covers. "My dog! I have to find him! He fell into the river before I did…"
I didn't realize how weak I was until I felt firm hands on my waist keeping me from falling to the floor. My knees had buckled and I grasped the man's white shirt in surprise. "Hold on there, you're not strong enough to go anywhere." He moved me back to the bed and had me sit. I groaned as my head began to swim. "As for your dog, what did he look like?" I described Mason's appearance the best I could, from the size of his pointed ears to the color of his fur. The man gave a nod as he pushed me back onto the bed. "I think I saw him and I wouldn't worry too much. He's safe where he is, you just worry about yourself."
"Where is he?" I asked, looking up at his face as I began to shiver despite the warmth of the room.
"He's at the nearby farm." He said, grabbing the blanket off the bed and throwing it around my shoulders. "The farmer found him a little while before you appeared. He was soaked but seemed all right. I'll stop by and see how he is; you just lay back and rest. I'll take you down to the clinic later."
I didn't put up an argument, the fact that his bed was so comfortable and warm didn't help in matters. I moved to lie back down on the bed and tried not to cough, my nose was already stuffed… great… I watched him as he went to grab his heavy coat by the door and pulled it on. "I'm sorry…" I called out to him. "My name is Annie… thank you for taking care of me."
The man paused in the middle of buttoning up his coat and he stared at me in surprise. I had the feeling he wasn't used to having guests in his home. The frown on his face eased a little though and he grunted and gave a nod. "Don't worry about it… the name's Gotz. Any how, I suggest ya get to sleep, I'll go and see how your dog is doing." He gave me one last look before turning and leaving the house all together, the door shutting closed behind him.
I stared at the door for a moment, a part of me wondering why I felt as if I had seen that man before. Why did his name ring a bell? I turned to lie on my back and gazed up at the ceiling. As a matter of fact, where in world was I? How far did I drift down in the river? I don't remember there being a farm so close to the city. I didn't dwell to much on it as I started to drift back to sleep. My last waking thought, just as my eyelids grew heavy, was who in the world would name their child Cliff or Gotz? I must have drifted to a very rural part of the state… oh well…
